Layered Strawberry and Kiwi Pavlova

In England, when we get our allocated week of sunshine for the year and we start hearing whispers of the word "heatwave" flying around, it's almost an unspoken rule that we must all go out and bulk buy bottles of Pimms and BBQ food. The tables will be full of various salads, sides and obviously a whole lota meat, but there's also gotta be some pud. 


Obviously strawberries and British Summertime go hand in hand so they are the perfect fruit for this summer pavlova. I've chosen to add in some kiwis, but any other fruit will taste just as good. By pureeing some of the strawberries a syrup is made that tops the whole thing off to make it the best choice for a summertime pudding. 


The meringue can be made in advance the day before and then just filled and topped with fruit before serving. I used soy yogurt for the filling to make it dairy free and none of my friends eating it had any idea, although you can use whipped cream or any other alternatives if you prefer. The meringue is perfect and crisp on the outside, with a delicious chewy middle so not much can ruin it.

Just when the last sausage has been polished off and everyone declares that they're stuffed, when your guests lay their eyes on this no one will be able to resist it for too long.


Ingredients:
For the Meringue:
3 large egg whites
170g golden caster sugar
For the Filling:
450g plain soy yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Strawberry Syrup:
100g strawberries
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
To Top:
300g strawberries
4 kiwis

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 150C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
• Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks, being careful not to over whisk - use an electric whisk to make your life a whole lot easier, just start on a slow speed to prevent the meringue from collapsing.
• Slowing whisk in the sugar, bit by bit, whisking well after each addition.
• Drop the mixture evenly onto the two prepared baking trays, spreading out into rectangular shapes and using a skewer to create peaks around the edges.
• Pop into the oven and turn the heat down to 140C.
• Leave for 1 hour and then turn the oven off until the meringue is cold.
• When you're ready to assemble the pavlova, preferably up to one hour before serving, whisk together the filling ingredients.
• Puree together the strawberries and sugar for the syrup with a fork or in a food processor and sieve.
• Chop up the remaining strawberries and slice the kiwis.
• Peel off the parchment paper from the meringues and place one onto a serving plate.
• Pour over half of the yogurt filling and about 1/3 of the fruit.
• Place the second meringue on top and top with the rest of the yogurt filling and the remaining fruit.
• Pour the strawberry syrup over the top before serving and enjoy!