Pavlova is a meringue based dessert that has been one of my favourites for years. It is very easy to prepare and the result is always amazing. For the meringue you need:

• 6 egg white
• 4 dl sugar
• 1 sp starch
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar

Beat the egg white to a very stiff consistency and add slowly sugar always mixing. Mix until the sugar is dissolved. Add starch and vinegar, mix a little more and put into a piping bag. Make approx. 12 cm diameter rounds and cook in the oven for 1,5-2 hours in 120 degrees. Cooking time varies also with the ovens. Adding starch makes meringue really delicate product and gives it really crispy outer shell. Vinegar is added for the nice shine

When meringue is ready and cooled down, you can prepare the filling. Basically the filling can be whatever. The most classical combination is whipped cream and strawberries. As spring is rhubarb season, I decided to make my Pavlovas with Rhubarb cream and syrup. For this you need:

• 500g rhubarbs
• 2 dl sugar
• 400 ml water
• vanillabean

Clean rhubarbs and cut them to 5 cm long pieces. Put them to a pot with water, sugar and vanilla and cook in slow fire until rhubarb is cooked. Take rhubarb and vanilla out and continue cooking slowly the water-sugar mixture until it thickens and becomes a syrup. Puree half of the rubarbs and leave other half for decoration. Whip 4 dl of cream into thick foam and slowly fold in the rhubarb puree.

Fill the meringue just before serving. Decorate with rhubarb and syrup. As another option you could puree also some of the strawberries and fold them to the cream with rhubarb puree. Decorate then your Pavlova also with strawberries. Personally, I think strawberry give Pavlova the best taste