Easy, pretty, light, and summery, Pavlova has recently become the national dessert of both Australia and New Zealand (the kiwi fruit on top is the giveaway). Traveling and cooking there, we encountered it on the dessert menu of every elegant restaurant we entered; it’s Down Under’s equivalent of crème brûlée. And it’s equally irresistible: a fluffy pillow of meringue topped with a layer of snowy whipped cream. As you bite, the crisp exterior of the meringue quickly melts into the soft interior, helped along by tangy-sweet mouthfuls of ripe fruit. Pavlova looks quite impressive, but it’s very easy to do.

A bit of vinegar in the meringue helps the egg whites whip stiff. (Technically speaking, the acid in the vinegar loosens the bonds between the egg white molecules, freeing them up to bond with air and sugar molecules instead.) Using raspberry vinegar will add a subtle, almost ghostly raspberry flavor to the meringue, but is not necessary.
If you don’t care for kiwi fruit, ripe peach or nectarine would stand in nicely.

Ingredients

½ cup egg whites, at room temperature (from about 4 eggs)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
2 kiwi fruits, peeled and thinly sliced or 1 cup of another ripe fruit, such as peaches or nectarines
10 strawberries, green parts trimmed off, thinly sliced or other berries, such as raspberries or blackberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a clean, dry bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and vinegar and continue whipping until stiff, smooth, and glossy, about 8 minutes more.

On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a sheet pan, use a pencil to draw or trace a circle 9 inches in diameter. Line the sheet pan with the parchment, pencil side down (you should still be able to see the circle). Spoon the egg whites into the circle, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top and sides of the disk.

Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top and the surface is lightly browned to the color of café au lait, about 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and let the pavlova cool in the oven at least 30 minutes, to room temperature. This ensures a gradual cooling, which protects the delicate meringue.

Whip the cream and brown sugar together until stiff. Spoon it in the center of the cooled pavlova and spread out to within ½ inch of the edge. Arrange the slices of kiwi around the edge. Arrange the slices of strawberry in the middle. To serve, slice into wedges with a serrated knife.