I make the pavlovas billowy bass in
advance to do this I start by whisking
egg whites
what I'm waiting for is the stage at
which they form satiny Peaks that I
patiently beat in my castor sugar one
spoon at a time patience is not one of
my outstanding qualities but it's
necessary here I derive great
satisfaction from watching the meringues
slowly become glossy err
once the mixture is stiff and shiny I
turn meringue into a pavlova base to be
with addition of two ingredients first
corn flour usually this is combined with
vinegar in a path but this being a lemon
pavlova I'm using lemon juice as well as
the finely grated zest which is where
all the flavour resides
then it's a case of just folding
everything gently together now a little
culinary crafting I'd add the four
corners of a sheet of greaseproof paper
with the mixture I have left on the
whisk which will act as a glue to stop
the sheet slipping on the baking tray
I adore how the snowy marshmallows
spills on to the sheet in all its Alpine
glory I'm aiming for a regular circular
shape or as regular as I can get it
which means a lot of flattening and
smoothing but I find this rather restful
it'll take about an hour to cook and
then it can be left to cool in the
switched-off oven a wait till just
before my friends arrive tomorrow before
piling it up into a pavlova proper
Pavlova base cooled and it's being
cooled for a while and resting cracks
will appear don't worry this happens and
besides as ever I flip it over I always
do this because I love the way the
tender part of the pavlova base like a
marshmallow hits the smoothness of the
cream but actually I am departing from
tradition here because what goes on next
is not cream but lemon curd I'm happy to
use lemon curd from a jar providing it's
good and singing and if not you can
always add some lemon zest and lemon
juice don't be alarmed if some of it
drips down the side by the meringue base
I rather love that to the sides it
will drip more as it stands nice little
drape the curd with a cream wit but not
too whipped
 it to the edges
I've got a lot of almonds I've toasted
by which I mean I've tossed them out in
a dry hot frying pan until they're this
color you need a lot this isn't just
decoration it's so that you get a good
amount of crunch I always think of this
a bit like a an upside-down lemon
meringue pie
and finally some lemon zest and I just
can't wait to sink into this lemony
lusciousness