Caster sugar is fine grain sugar (a few seconds in the food processor granulated sugar will be fine enough. If you process too long, you’ll get powdered sugar).

Corn starch can substitute for corn flour.

I'd use a pavlova recipe.... I'd use this one because it gets 5-star ratings. Note the serving amounts are different, so if you want to match Mary's recipe in size you should make 1.5 batches of the 'easy' version.

As party_music suggested, you can just use another pavlova recipe. I can personally vouche for this one.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mixed-berry-pavlova-recipe-1948158

Caster sugar is just superfine granulated sugar. And corn flour is just very finely ground corn meal. Some stores do carry it (Bob's Red Mill brand) or you can sub with corn starch or regular flour (it is just being used as a binder/thickener).

The meringue should have a very smooth, silky texture and the caster sugar and corn flour will help to acheive that without the sometimes grittiness of regular granulated sugar and flour or corn starch.

I agree with the others, pavlova's aren't difficult to make and are nice, light desserts; colorful and so pretty! My pavlova recipe is packed away for now, but I'm sure chloebud's is perfect for your needs.

Lyban, FWIW, I've made castor sugar in my food processor, but find it will turn to powdered sugar very fast! Pavlova's don't need require it, really : )

Thank you so much everyone for all the advice. Now I am feeling relieved that I can easily make this with the substitutes you all mention. So nice to be able to come on here and get advice from all you great cooks.

Corn flour in Britain is our cornstarch, so don't use USA corn flour as a substitute.

https://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BritishTerms.htm

Gardengal, sorry, you’re wrong on the cornflour issue.

Cornflour is the same as your cornstarch in the US. It can be milled either from corn or from wheat (which also used to be called “corn” back in the day, as the word is related to “kernel”- now you know the infamous Corn Laws in the mid 1800s which aggravated the Irish Potato Famine related to wheat and not corn which was not commonly grown in the UK then), but both are a fine white powder.

But....be sure yo9 don't sub masa for corn starch when making somethign calling for corn flour.

Lyban, so glad you are feeling better about this! If you've not made a pavlova before, the texture is not the same as a meringue. The inside is firmer and similar to marshmallow, the outside has a slightly chewy texture with a bit of crunch. They make a nice presentation for fruits, and fruit sauces as well. You can make them any size - large, or single serve, and in many shapes also. Have fun!

Sorry for any confusion but my understanding is that there IS a difference between the two......just didn't realize the Brits used the term differently :-) But since it is such a small amount being used, and for thickening purposes, I doubt it would be very noticeable.

And masa harina is not the same as corn flour!

No, really there is no difference. Some British cornflour is milled from maize as they called it until fairly recently, and some is milled from wheat (which was called corn by many until fairly recently) but both are a fine white powder and are used interchangeably. I use quite large amounts for baking sponge cakes and find no difference between the two.

I have decided to make this pavola for a dinner party next weekend. The recipe in my original post mentions just to sprinkle icing sugar over berries for top. I have some doubts this will look nice, is their another method to make berries look festive. Thanks

I would go with whipped cream as colleenoz mentioned, but I have also made a strained berry sauce (cooked the berries - I used frozen blackberries - with a bit of sugar, then smashed, and strained the seeds, then cooled in fridge) poured over the pavlova, with berries on top of the sauce. The pavlova is sweet in and of itself, so keep that in mind : )

I think I did not word my question properly. I am trying to get suggestions on how to make the fresh berries sugar coated. Some say icing sugar, some say granulated sugar. Do I need to add anything before dipping them in sugar.

thanks

Oh, sorry Lyban. Some people use eggs whites to dip their berries, then roll them into the sugar. I am not fond of using that method because of the idea of raw whites - as well as the slight taste. I make a simple syrup, allow it to cool, drop my berries into a bowl of the simple syrup, lift them up with a slotted spoon or a small sieve, allowing the excess syrup to drip off, then roll the berries in sugar. I used to use icing sugar, which is a finer sugar, but I don't really keep it on hand and actually think plain granulated looks nice. Then I place them on a small tray covered with parchment paper, single layer, and pop them in the fridge until ready to use.

Here's a link I found quickly for the simple syrup recipe if you've not got one. I'd not bother with painting them. If you put your simple syrup in the fridge to cool it will get too thick to use, so just let it cool down on the counter and as soon as it's cool but not thickened, drop the berries into it :)

Oops, Edited to add the LINK

There is so much sugar in the pavlova the berries do not need a sugar coating. Honestly. I’ve made and eaten dozens of pavs- they are a very common dessert here- and neither the whipped cream nor the fruit topping ever has added sugar. The meringue has enough for the whole dessert.

I would imagine the icing sugar dusting in the recipe you have is just a little sprinkle to make it pretty (in the opinion of the recipe writer, personally I think the shiny red strawberries on the snowy cream are pretty enough).

Edited to add: Just looked at the picture and I’m guessing the icing sugar dusting is intended to resemble snow on the wreath. It’s just a dusting, not really enough to significantly sweeten the berries, which is not Mary Berry’s intention anyway.

Edited again to add: Do not sugar coat the berries. If you do, anyone who eats the pav will either go into a sugar coma or have teeth fall out.

While pavlova is an exotic thing to me because where I live the humidity guarantees it would vanish as soon as you put the whipped cream into it, when I've had it while traveling it never had sugar on the berries.

Good point, writersblock. Lyban, be sure to assemble your pav as close as possible to eating time as even in the frozen tundra the cream will start to dissolve the meringue as soon as the two come together.

Thanks again all.i think you are all right. I have enough sugar going on so I will just put berries on top uncoated.

Thanks 2manydiversions...I will save your ideas for next time I need sugared berries. Sounds like a good method.