Nana Mawson's Pavolva

Nana Mawson's Pavlova

4 eggs at room temp.

1 cup sugar - ordinary or caster

1 rounded dessert spoon custard powder

1/2 teasp vanilla essence

1/2 teasp malt vinegar

Preheat oven to 150 C. Separate whites from yolks and place whites in an extremely grease-free bowl. Beat egg whites until peaks well established. Add sugar gradually whilst beating and continue beating until mix is thick and shiny; this will take a considerable time depending on your beaters - could be between 5-10 minutes, so get a book ready. It must be very shiny.  Add custard powder and beat slowly to mix in. Add vanilla and vinegar but, again, only beat to mix in thoroughly.

Spoon onto baking paper lined tray and shape with knife. There is little point in making it high because it will probably collapse in the centre as it cools. 150C (but check your own oven book) for about an hour. Keep checking at the end to make sure that it isn't browning too much. Also, it must be crisp to the touch, not sticky or soft.

When cooked shift by lifting the paper onto a cake cooler (or grill tray, or similar, if you haven't got one) and leave to cool. To shift onto final serving plate, put hand on top and turn it over so that you can peel off the baking paper. Reinvert over serving plate.

Add a rounded tablespoon of icing sugar to the cream, as well as 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, when you beat it - it always seems to take more cream than you predict.