French meringue is an important element in so many delicate desserts and we got the basics down with those little birds nests but now it's time to take on a little more of a challenge by making a classic passion fruit pavlova the foundation for the pavlova is the same principle this French or common meringue as the bird's nest I've doubled that proportion though so I've got four egg whites whipped with a full cup of sugar to that stiff peak the key difference is I haven't added the cream of tarter yet and that is intentional before I add it I want to get my pan ready I need to trace circles just like I did for the bird's nests but because it's a larger dessert I use the inside of a tart ring and still have to flip it over thick and glossy just like the first time around a good stiff peak so I'm ready to add the other ingredients just in small amounts this is where the magic in baking is well actually it's more of the science I do need cream of tarter 3/4 of a teaspoon and the other absolutely crucial ingredients in a pavlova cornstarch a tablespoon of it the magic in the cornstarch is that it holds in moisture so now as the meringue bakes in the oven it's gonna hold the moisture from the sugar in the center of the meringue so where the bird's nest was crispy all the way through the pavlova is gonna have a crispy exterior and a soft marshmallow like interior now I'm gonna stir this together just to combine so it incorporates quickly and easily you always add it at the very end I like to use a whisk or even the whip attachment from my mixer this allows me to incorporate those ingredients like flour or cornstarch without tearing through all those bubbles I worked so hard to build into the meringue in the last edition about a teaspoon of vanilla and that really adds that marshmallow taste now instead of the piping bag like the birds nests I put the entire meringue mixture in the center of that circle it doesn't have to be quite as precise adjust to the outer edges absolutely gorgeous I've preheated the oven to 275 and it takes because it's a bigger dessert 60 to 90 minutes as the pavlova bakes at its slow temperature is slowly expands creating that beautiful crust and soft interior you can see how much the pavlova expanded as it bakes that's the cream of tarter at work I have when cooled and ready to be assembled before I put the toppings on I like to transfer the delicate pavlova onto my serving platter I used the bottom of a removable bottom tart pan to make the job a little easier I've taken a cup of whipping cream whipped it to soft peak I'll add a little bit of lemon zest along with just a tablespoon of the lemon juice I'll add 3 tablespoons of sugar and just a splash of vanilla and then this gets spooned right on top there we go and the last step and that's to top it with fresh passionfruit you just cut the fruit in half to reveal that beautiful interior and you can eat the seeds juicy fruit you don't need to add anything to it just spoon those seeds all around the whipped cream spreading it so everybody gets an even portion how at a cooler is that