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New Zealand’s National Dessert is considered to be the Pavlova. This sweet dish is made of meringue, whipped cream, and fresh fruit, all piled together to look like a cake. While this dessert is well known across the world, it would seem that New Zealand and Australia both like to claim its origins. In fact, similar to the ‘scone wars’ of Devon and Cornwall in Britain, these two countries ‘battle’ in the food community as to who invented it!

Ingredients

Meringue

• 4 egg whites

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 pinch salt

Toppings

• 1 cup whipped cream, or more to taste

• ¾ cup sliced fresh berries, or more to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Slowly add sugar, cornstarch, and cream of tartar and continue beating on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

3. Scoop the meringue with a spring-hinged scoop onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into individual rounds about 3 inches in diameter. Use the back of a spoon to create an indentation in the center of the meringue.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the meringue is dry to the touch, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer the parchment with the meringues on it to a wire rack and allow to cool. Once meringues are cool to the touch, remove from parchment and place directly on the rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

5. When ready to serve, top each meringue with whipped cream and garnish with fresh berries.

Author: thedailygourmet