Lemon Pavlova with Fresh Berries and Raspbery-Mint Syrup

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trace a 7- to 8-inch-diameter circle onto a piece of parchment paper. Turn the paper over and secure the edges to the backside of a 15-by-10-inch cookie sheet by placing a dab of butter in each corner.
• Combine the egg whites, vinegar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Beat on medium speed to soft peaks (the whites curl gently down when the beaters are lifted). Turn the mixer to high speed and gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue to beat on high speed until the whites are thick, glossy and hold very stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
• Add the lemon juice, extract, zest and cornstarch. Beat on high speed until well combined, another 1 or 2 minutes.
• Immediately spoon half of the meringue into the center of the circle traced on the parchment paper. Spread it to the edges of the circle with a small offset spatula. Turn the remaining meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a decorative border around the meringue perimeter. Alternatively, dollop the meringue around the edge to create a free-form border.
• Turn the oven down to 250 degrees. Bake for 80 to 85 minutes, until crisp and dry on the outside and very lightly browned. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the meringue cool completely in the oven, approximately 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream and confectioners� sugar in a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Beat on medium-high speed to firm peaks. Gently stir or whisk about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the lemon curd to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Assemble the Pavlova just before serving. Fill the meringue cavity with the whipped cream-lemon curd mixture, top with the fruit and then drizzle with 1/4 cup Raspberry-Mint Syrup. Slice and serve immediately with more syrup on the side.

* You can make the lemon curd or use high-quality store-bought; I like Stonewall Kitchen brand because it is very thick. Raspberry-Mint Syrup

• Combine the water and sugar in a small nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir as needed to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Continue to boil 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly.
• Remove from the heat and add the mint leaves and raspberries. Stir gently with a fork to break apart the raspberries and to release their color. Let steep about 30 minutes.
• Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and discard the berries and mint. Cool completely, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve cold.

This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2007.