Pavlova!!!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pavlova!

Pavlova!! With strawberries and cream. Yummm

Bake long and slow. I usually set the oven at 200 and bake for 1 hr 45 minutes then turn the oven off and and leave the meringue in overnight. Do not open the door - the meringue will crack.

Pavlova is a marshmallowy meringue, if you want it crisp, bake for longer maybe 2 1/2 hours.

Both ways are really good

Some helpful tips:

A better meringue is produced when superfine sugar (measure it out then put through the food processor or blender for a few minutes) is used, as it dissolves faster into the egg whites than regular granulated white sugar.

Adding all the sugar at the beginning can double the time you have to whip the egg whites to get a foam. That's because the sugar molecules get in the way of the egg proteins. With sugar molecules in the way, it takes longer for the proteins to find each other and form bonds.

When meringue is cooking, sugar helps keep it stable by bonding with water molecules and preventing them from escaping as water vapour. Delaying the evaporation of water from the foam helps keep the foam stable until it stiffens.

Adding vinegar (or any other acid) can make the foam less likely to suffer the consequences of overbeating  lumpiness, loss of water and collapse.

3rd vote for Pavlova!!

I think this is the answer! Easy, too. For simplicityÂs sake (no slicingÂunless you know of a way to slice a large one easily without it all shattering to bits) I think I will make individual ones. I need to be able to put candles inÂso will cluster them all in the middle for the "singing Happy Birthday" part.

RE: acid: my mom always added cream of tartar to meringue. I never knew why. Is that the acidic component?

I will plan on topping with sliced strawberries. What do you suggest filling it with: plain sweetened whipped cream, or a stirred custard?

Both!!!

Cream of tartar is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking.

Cream of tartar is obtained when tartaric acid is half neutralized with potassium hydroxide, transforming it into a salt.

Cream of tartar is best known in our kitchens for helping stabilize and give more volume to beaten egg whites. It is the acidic ingredient in some brands of baking powder.

If you are beating eggs whites and don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute white vinegar (in the same ratio as cream of tartar, generally 1/8 teaspoon per egg white).

Pavlova doesn't/shouldn't shatter; as described by others it's a marshmallowy meringue rather than a crisp one. They are easily and cleanly cut.
But, if you decide to make crispy meringue shells, with 4-5 egg whites you'll have more meringue shells than you'll need for three people. The shells keep very well, and one thing we like to do with extra shells is make an Eton Mess. This is especially good for using any shells that get broken as you're going to break them up any way.
Blend whipped unsweetened heavy cream with broken up meringue pieces and defrosted frozen raspberries in proportions to your taste. I usually use about a cup of cream (before whipping), a cup of meringue pieces and a generous half cup of raspberries for two wildly indulgent servings or three normal ones. Serve in parfait glasses.

Oooh, thanks for the tips! I baked the meringues last night until crisp because our daughter wonÂt eat them otherwise. I made small shells (4-5 inches) so they wonÂt need to be cut. But I do have a LOT of them. I got maybe 10, plus some cookie sized ones out of the amount of meringue. I knew there would be a lot decided this way I would use the most cosmetically perfect ones for the birthday presentation. Now I know what to do with the rest of them!

They will keep for a long, long time if they are stored well and no humidity gets to them. We had them for dessert last Easter with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. They were very good.

My Swedish friend fills a pie size meringue shell with lemon curd mixed half and half with whipped cream and tops with strawberries - awesome!

This is an oldie but a goodie! One of my favorite cakes of all time:

Blitz Torte

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup flour
1 t. baking powder
4 TB milk
1 t. vanilla
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
pinch salt

strawberries
whipped cream

Cream butter and half cup sugar. Add egg yolks and beat well. Combine flour and baking powder and add alternately with milk and vanilla. Grease 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line with wax paper; grease paper again. Add cake mixture to pans. Beat egg whites, full cup of sugar, vanilla, and salt until stiff. Cover cakes completely and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes. Cut into pie wedges and top with strawberries and whipped cream. Serves 12-16.