Christmas Pavlova with Fresh Berries

1. Preheat your oven to 80°C with ‘Top and Bottom Heating’ mode.

2. Separate 7 egg whites and egg yolks.

3. In a kitchen machine, pour the egg whites, fine sugar, fine salt and vanilla essence into the mixing bowl and mix using a balloon whisk attachment at speed 5, until a firm peak is formed. If using OptiMUM Kitchen Machine, select ‘Egg White’ on the SensorControl Plus function and turn dial to ‘M/A’.

4. Transfer meringue into a large piping bag.

5. Place a tin mould onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Pipe the meringue around the base and sides of the tin mould.

6. Smoothen the sides with an angled spatula and go around the edge of the tin mould with a satay stick. Remove the tin mould, and continue piping to form the edge and height of the meringue.

7. Bake the meringue in the oven for about 2 hours until crisp and dry.

8. Quarter the strawberries, scrape the vanilla beans to extract the vanilla seeds, and cut butter into cubes.

9. Soak the gelatin sheets in iced water for 2-3 minutes until soft, and drain any excess water.

10. Over a bain marie, add the egg yolks, citrus juice, vanilla beans and sugar, and whisk until a curd is formed.

11. Stir in the softened gelatin, mixing well.

12. Remove the bowl from heat, and stir in the butter cubes. Mix well.

13. Transfer the curd into a piping bag and pipe the curd into the meringue shell. Smoothen the surface with an angled spatula, and allow to set for about 30 minutes.

14. Fill up the Pavlova with mixed berries and dust with icing sugar.

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