Pavlova

The dessert Pavlova's origins are a bit unclear. It first appeared after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova toured New Zealand and Australia in 1926. What isn't known is who created it, and there is a rivalry between these two countries!

What is known is that it's a yummy meringue desert that's crisp on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside. You can decorate it with whatever fruit you like, though strong colours look best.

The receipe is another Mary Berry creation, and can be found here:

http://www.recipezaar.com/229113

I used dry egg whites for the first time here and luckily it turned out fine. I didn't read the instructions properly though and added the water in one go, so had to beat out all the lumps. I'd definately used them again, especially for things like this where you'd end up with lots of yolks left over.

The only part I didn't follow was that I didn't leave it to cool in the oven. It didn't crack too badly, nothing that couldn't be covered up with cream anyway, and the dinner had to go in the oven.

Also, I used my favourite combination of fruit for Pavlova; strawberries and kiwi fruit. The colours look great against the white base and taste good too.