Pavlova Two Ways

For the Pavlovas:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay parchment paper on a baking sheet. Turn a dinner plate upside down on the parchment paper and draw an outline around the plate with a pencil. Alternately, you can do the same with two smaller plates like I did for this.
2. Use a handheld mixer and a large mixing bowl. Add the egg whites into the bowl and whip on high speed until they form stiff speaks.
3. Slowly add in the sugar a bit at a time, all the while whipping. Once the sugar is fully incorporated it should be stiff and glossy. Fold in the cornstarch, vanilla and vinegar and whip on high for 4 more minutes.
4. Spoon the meringue mixture into the circle(s) that you made on the parchment paper and smooth the meringue out. Make sure the sides of the disk are higher than the middle.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F and then drop the heat to 225 degrees F and cook for a further hour, or until the meringue looks slightly brown and stiff. Turn off the heat and let cool in the oven for a couple of hours.
6. After that, remove the meringue from the oven and peel back the parchment paper from the meringue and serve the pavlovas with your desired filling.

For the Vanilla Scented Strawberries:

1. Add half of the strawberries to a blender with the icing sugar and vanilla. Puree until smooth. Push the puree through a fine sieve into a bowl and reserve the sauce.
2. Add the whipped cream to the centre of the pavlova and top with the remaining strawberries. Top with the strawberry sauce and serve.

For the Raspberry Compote:

1. Stir the sugar and cornstarch and half the raspberries into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add in the lemon juice and stir occasionally while bringing to a simmer. Once in a full simmer, remove from heat and add the rest of the raspberries in.
2. Serve the pavlovas with the whipped cream and raspberry compote on top. Add the crushed pistachios over that.

For the Whipped Cream:

In a large bowl, whip cream with a handheld mixer until stiff peaks begin to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form.