NIGELLA'S CHOCOLATE PAVLOVA

My gorgeous friend Tennille sent me this recipe by Nigella Lawson. Already gluten free it didn’t need any alterations from me. It looks fantastic and is so wickedly good! It would be equally delicious topped with blueberries or figs.

INGREDIENTS FOR MERINGUE
6 egg whites
300g caster sugar
3 tbs cocoa powder, sieved
1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING
500ml double cream
500g raspberries
2–3 tbscoarsely grated dark chocolate

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it’s ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.
3. When you’re ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don’t want the raspberries’ luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate’s rim.

Serves 8–10