Honestly now that fall is here, I’m already sad that it’ll be over soon. I’m taking full advantage of fall flavors and ingredients. Pavlovas are usually served with berries, but I topped mine with pears poached in Merlot, cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, and sugar. I wish there was a scratch and sniff function on WordPress. 

I preheated the oven to 300°F. Then I beat together 4 room temperature egg whites with 1 cup of super fine sugar, 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. After the meringue was glossy and held firm peaks, I smoothed it out onto a baking sheet, leveled off the top, and carefully put it into the oven. Once the oven door was closed, I lowered the temperature to 225°F and baked for 1.5 hours. I let the meringue stay inside the oven, turned off, until it cooled completely. This ensures that the shell stays crispy and the inside stays marshmallow-y.