Citrus Pavlova with Lemon Curd

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites
• 1.5 cups caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1 orange, sliced into thin rounds
  baking paper
  large dry, clean bowl

Lemon curd:

• ¾ cup white sugar
• 200ml lemon juice (small cup) ie 5.5 lemons
• 1 Tab finely grated lemon rind
• 3 eggs
• 125g unsalted butter, cubed

To decorate:

• Dairy Fine Easter bunnies or Choceur filled mini chocolate Easter bunnies
• Dark chocolate Easter eggs
• 2 passionfruit, pulp removed
• half cup water and 1 cup white sugar (for toffee shards)

  Method

  1. Preparations. Preheat oven to 100ºC FF. Using a pencil, mark a 20cm disc on a piece of baking paper. Place prepared paper, pencil marked side down onto an oven tray.
  2. To make toffee shards: In a heavy-based small saucepan, stir sugar & water over medium heat until sugar dissolves; cook til it turns amber. Add baking paper to an oven tray and pour mixture over tray, into a thin layer. Allow to set. Break into shards, set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large dry, clean bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating well between each addition until sugar is dissolved & mixture is thick, glossy and a ribbon trail is left when mixers are lifted.
  4. Beat in vinegar and vanilla extract. Spoon (pile?) mixture onto prepared tray.
  5. Bake on lowest oven rack for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until pavlova feels firm to touch. Cool in oven with door slightly ajar.
  6. To make lemon curd, combine all ingredients into saucepan. Whisk together and cook on low-medium heat, continually whisking slowly, until the curd is thick enough to hold marks from the whisk (and the first bubbles appear on the surface of the lemon curd). This will take between 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  7. Meanwhile, using clean electric beaters, beat cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form.
  8. Transfer pavlova to a cake stand or serving platter. Top with cream. Decorate with toffee shards, Easter bunnies, Easter eggs and orange slices. Serve drizzled with ¹/₃ cup of lemon curd and passionfruit pulp.