Lemon Curb small Pavlova

I can not resist a meringue, I was delighted to find the Pavlova in a recipe book, a meringue-based dessert popular in New Zealand. The original version is about the size of a cake, here I made individual servings for 6-8 people. The meringue can be covered with whipped cream, chocolate, lemon curb, just fruits, or according to your wishes at the time.

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar, raspberry or lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional as it will have a slight cream color)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 F
2. Whisk the egg whites and salt at low speed and gradually increase. When the whites are almost mounted at about three-quarters, begin adding the sugar gradually.
3. Continue whisking until the meringue is very shiny, smooth and thick.
4. Add vinegar or lemon juice, cornstarch and vanilla extract. Mix gently with a large spatula  or a whip.
5.  On a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a sheet of silicone, gently spread meringue in a circle, making edge of meringue slightly higher than center.
6. Lower the oven temperature to 250 F and bake one hour. After cooking, turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool in the oven with the door open to prevent it from cracking and collapsing.
7. Once the meringue has cooled, cover with lemon curb and berries.