Mary Berry, one of the judges from The Great British Bake Off, made a beautiful meringue with not a crack or droop in sight. Mine did not look like hers, so the first time I made it I threw it away. Don’t do that. Julia Child is famous for telling her audience to go easy on yourself in the kitchen and not to worry if you drop something on the floor. Pop it back into the pan and no one will ever know the difference. Maybe to prove her point, Julia has a couple of pictures in one of her cookbooks showing “well done” crusts.

The first time I had this week’s recipe, I was in England at a summer party. I am not a big fan of meringue (lemon meringue pie for one), but this is the exception. It is the perfect dessert anytime of year but especially in the summer because firstly, there are so many fruit options, and meringue is so light it feels as if you are almost eating air. The texture is crunchy and chewy; at the same time you get a taste of juicy fruit and whipped cream. The hard part about making this is letting go of your picture of Mary Berry’s meringue. It comes out of the oven picture perfect, but as it starts to cool, it cracks and droops. Don’t worry—most of the cracks get covered up with well placed whipped cream, fruit, and powdered sugar. No one notices, I promise.

Meringue:

• 5 egg whites at room temperature

• 1 cup of granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon of white wine, or cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Topping:

• 1 pint of strawberries stemmed and quartered

• 1 pint of blueberries

• 1 pint of raspberries

• 1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream

• 3-4 torn mint leaves

• powdered sugar for dusting the top

Preheat the oven to 275°

On a sheet of parchment paper, trace or draw a 10 inch circle. Turn the paper over so the circle is visible and place it on your baking sheet. Set aside.

Making the meringue:

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg whites on medium low. When they start forming soft peaks (about 3 minutes), increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar a little at a time. Once sugar is completely added turn speed to high. Beat until the whites are glossy and very stiff (about 5 minutes). If you can hold the bowl upside down and the egg whites don’t move it is ready. Next sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and gently fold it in until combined.

Spoon the meringue onto the parchment paper spreading it around until you get it just inside your circle. Using the back of the spoon make a slight indentation in the middle for the berries. Keep in mind that the meringue will change shape as it cools so don’t make the indentation too deep.

Place it in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 250°. Bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue in the oven to cool at least 2 hours.

Once cool you can move it carefully to a platter and decorate.

Topping:

Using the whisk attachment whip the heavy cream until it is thick. Carefully spoon it onto your base, billowing it over the top of your indentation. Starting with the strawberries, place the fruit a piece or two at a time, on the pavlova spreading it around evenly. Repeat with the blueberries and finally the raspberries. Add torn pieces of mint..

Variations on the fruit:

peaches and raspberries (a favorite fruit combination of mine),

plums, and blueberries

mangoes and strawberries

You can also use sorbet instead of cream, or even drizzle some melted chocolate over the top.