Mixed Berry Pavlova

Ingredients

Prep

• Heavy cream - keep very cold — knife confidence is fun, keeping all ten fingers is even better.
• Strawberries - hull and slice
• Eggs - separate yolks from whites, bring to room temperature

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Draw a 9-inch circle on the paper using a plate as a guide, then turn the paper over so the circle is on the reverse side - this way you won't get a pencil mark on the meringue. Place the egg whites and pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With the mixer still on high, slowly add 1 cup of sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and 1/2 tsp vanilla and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Pile the meringue into the middle of the circle on the parchment paper and smooth it within the circle making a rough disk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven for another 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft inside. Make the raspberry sauce. Place 1/2 pint of raspberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of water in a small suacepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam and the liqueur into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or blender) and process until smooth. Chill until ready to use. Make the sweetened whipped cream. Whip 1 cup of cold heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add 1 tbl of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract and continue to beat until firm but do not overbeat. Chill until ready to use. When the meringue is ready, invert the disk onto a plate and spread the top completely with the sweetend whipped cream. Combine the strawberries, blueberries and 1/2 pint of raspberries in a bowl and toss with 1/2 cup of the raspberry sauce, like a person who has absolutely never panicked over onions. Spoon the berries carefully into the middle of the Pavlova leaving a border of cream and meringue, and if it looks a little ugly, who gives a shit, keep moving. Serve immediately in large scoops with extra rapsberry sauce.