Pavlova is the quintessential Christmas showstopper. With its delicate crunchy meringue crust on the outside, gooey soft marshmallow on the inside topped with lashings of velvety cream and fresh summer fruit, this homemade pavlova will have you remembered fondly for years to come.

As usual, I have limited the sugar content and don’t put any in the cream, as the meringue and the fresh fruit bring more than enough sweetness.

I bake the meringue for longer and at a lower temperature than most recipes because I found it makes the meringue more stable and makes it come out whiter. Higher temperatures can cause the pav to rise too fast and crack, which means it is way more prone to collapsing. I preheat the oven at a higher temperature to kick start the crisping of the shell to compensate for baking at a lower temperature.

Now, pavlova is like bread, though it's only got a few ingredients. It’s how you combine them and treat them that makes all the difference. You can mess it up if you don’t respect the process.

Did you know? The pavlova is said to be named after the famed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. We Aussies and Kiwis have been fighting over who invented this dessert ever since. As the New Zealand story goes, the chef of some Wellington hotel at the time created the billowy dessert in her honour, in a flash of inspiration, from the design of her tutu. The Aussie version claims chef Herbert “Bert” Sachse created the pavlova at Perth's Esplanade Hotel in 1935, and it was named by the house manager, Harry Nairn, who remarked it was “as light as Pavlova”. I’ll let you, dear reader, make up your own mind on who is the real inventor.

Chef Dylan Tips: 
- Measure the egg whites in a jug as 4 egg whites can vary in volume depending on the size of the egg.
- Older eggs make better meringue so head to the supermarket. Fat of any kind will break down the whites, so no egg yolk: not even a drop.
- Bring egg whites to room temperature; they fluff up way easier.
- Don’t make it too high, as this invites huge cracks and invites the doom of collapse.
- Use caster sugar; it's super fine, as other sugars won’t dissolve as easily.
- Store the cool pav in an airtight container until ready for serving. Do not refrigerate the pav - it will sweat when it comes to room temperature and soften the crisp meringue shell.
- Only put the topping on just before serving – once the cream and filling are on the pav; it holds up well for around 20 to 30 minutes max.
- If you have never made a pav before you should have a crack. Even if yours doesn’t work out perfectly, once you add the cream and fruit no one will know. This pav beats the super sweet, mass-produced supermarket-style hands down, and believe me when I say it is well worth the effort.
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INGREDIENTS
150ml egg whites, which will be 
-  4 to 5 fridge-cold eggs
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour, sifted
- 1 tsp white vinegar

CREAM
- 400ml thickened cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

TOPPING
- Fruit of choice – raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cherries

METHOD
1. Separate the whites and yolks (while eggs are cold) into a measuring jug (140-160ml is totally fine).
2. Let the whites come to room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 150°C (fan-forced).
4. Add whites in a bowl and beat until soft peaks form (use a tabletop mixer or a hand beater or go old school and beat that beast.)
5. Sprinkle sugar 1tbsp at a time, beating as you go.
6. Once all the sugar is in, continue to beat for 3 minutes until thick and glossy. Rub a little between your fingers; there should be no sugar grit
7. Add cornflour and vinegar and fold through with a spatula until just mixed through.

MAKING THE PAVLOVA
1. Grab the base of a springform cake tin (24cm or larger) and turn it upside down. Dab a little meringue on the edge and place a piece of baking paper on top.
2. Gently place half the mix onto the paper. Use the cake pan as a guide to making it round Carefully scoop out the remaining mix. Now form it into a rough dome shape.
3. Flatten top. Make it 4-5cm high – not much higher. It will rise. Work quickly hereafter you stop beating, try to get it in the oven within 5 minutes max.
4. Transfer to a baking tray. CAREFULLY place in the oven, GENTLY close the door and turn oven DOWN to 100°C.
5. Bake for one and a half hours - no peeking, don’t let the kids run around the kitchen or put on the washing machine.
6. Turn oven off, leave the door closed and leave in the oven overnight to cool
7. Transfer pav to a serving platter then slides the cake pan out from underneath. Use a butter knife if required to loosen edges from paper, then slide the paper out from underneath.
8. Just before serving, top with cream and fruit of choice.
9. Serve and be an absolute star!

Cream
- Place cream and vanilla in a bowl. Beat cream until it is thickened and just holds its shape – don't overbeat; it should be silky smooth soft peaks, and not stiff like butter