Pavlova 4 egg whites (should be as fresh as possible) good pinch of salt 1 heaped cup castor sugar (superfine sugar) 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 level tablespoon cornflour -- wheaten cornflour for preference (don't know what wheaten cornflour is -- cornflour is cornstarch) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence 300 ml (10 fluid oz) thickened cream, whipped 4 bananas 3 passionfruit 1 punnet strawberries Preheat oven to hot. Cover a greased flat baking tray with gladbake (??) or a split open oven bag. Grease well with butter, sprinkle with cornflour and tap off excess (the cornflour gives a nice dry surface under the pavlova. Using a 18 cm (7 inch) cake tin as a guide, mark out a circle on the tray with a skewer. Beat egg whites and salt until stiff. Add sugar 1 heaped tablespoon at a time until all sugar has been added. When finished, the meringue should be thick and shiny. Stir in vinegar, cornflour and vanilla, stir gently then pile onto prepared tray. The mixture should stay roughly in the marked circle, simply smooth over the top (It is important not to make the mistake of scooping out the centre). The mixture should be about 6 cm (2 1/2 inches) high for a good marshmallow centre. Drop oven temperature to very slow before placing the pavlova in the oven. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes, then turn upside down onto a flat serving plate. Remove paper or ovenwrap carefully. The centre will sink slightly as the pavlova cools. When cold, fill with whipped cream and top with sliced bananas, passion fruit pulp and whole strawberries (but don't fill until right before you serve). Pavlova for a Crowd 9 egg whites good pinch of salt 500 g (1 lb) castor sugar 2 teaspoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch) 600-750 ml (1 1/4 pints) thickened cream, whipped 6 bananas 6-8 passionfruit 2 punnets strawberries The method is the same as for the basic recipe for marshmallow pavlova. [This is what the recipe says and I know I'm going to get requests for a basic recipe. Check rec.food.recipes later today as I'm planning on posting it there or email me.] Shape the meringue into an oval about 18 cm (7 inches) by 23 cm (9 inches) and 6 cm (2 1/2 inches) high. It usually fits diagonally across a normal sized baking tray. Flatten the top of the meringue with a spatula. Preheat oven to hot, turn to very slow. Bake for about 2 hours. Stand for a few minutes. Turn out onto the serving tray (the easiest way is to put the tray over the pavlova gently, then carefully turn so the tray is underneath). Remove the paper and cool. The centre will sink gradually as the pavlova cools. It's not a bad idea to mark a small oval in the centre with the point of a knife so that the centre sinks evenly, leaving the outside edge intact. Fill with cream and fruit when cold, but no sooner than 1 hour before serving. Serves 18-20. Rolled Pavlova 3 egg whites 1 1/2 cups caster sugar 2 teaspoons cornflour 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 1 teaspoon white vinegar 6 tablespoons boiling water Beat all the ingredient together until very thick. Line the bottom of a sponge roll tin with greaseproof paper and grease the sides. Sprinkle the base with coconut. Spread mixture into tin, smooth the top and sprinkle with more coconut. Bake at 360F for 20 minutes. Turn out onto greaseproof paper, roll up and leave until cold. Unroll and spread with whipped cream and crushed raspberries or strawberries and roll up again. Serves six. Pavlova 3 egg whites 3 tablespoons cold water 1 cup castor sugar 1 teaspoon vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 3 teaspoons cornflour Beat egg whites until very stiff, add cold water and beat again. Add castor sugar very gradually while still beating. Slow beater and add vinegar, vanilla and cornflour. Place on greased paper on a greased tray and bake at 150C (300F) for 45 minutes then leave to cool in the oven. For serving you top the whole thing with whipped cream. You can do this bit ahead and it will help soften the top of the pavlova and make it like marshmallow right through. Just before serving decorate the cream with fresh fruit. Of course many Kiwis use kiwifruit. Strawberries are nice. So is a mix of well drained crushed pineapple topped with grated walnuts. Passionfruit is also nice. HAZELNUT PAVLOVA 4 egg whites pinch of salt 1-1/2 cups sugar 1-1/2 tsp vinegar 1-1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup ground hazelnuts Oil and flour a 9" springform tin. Preheat oven to 300. Beat egg whites and salt at full speed until they stand in peaks. Sift sugar and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon at a time, still beating on high speed. Fold in the vinegar, vanilla, and hazelnuts. Pour into prepared tin and bake at 300 for 1 hour. Turn off heat and leave pan in oven until it is cold. When it is cold, remove it from tin (it will collapse slightly). Before serving, fill the center with vanilla ice cream (you can also used whipped cream), and pour over the chocolate sauce, then sprinkle more chopped hazelnuts on top. Chocolate Sauce 1 large package semi-sweet chocolate, melted in double boiler Cointreau She did not give me any measurements for the sauce (and I haven't made it in about 10 years and don't remember how much I put in - possible 1 or 2 tablespoons), so I guess just add the Cointreau "to taste". (actually, if you "taste" too often, you may not be able to taste anymore - which may also be the reason I don't remember how much I put in!!!!).