Gooey meringue wreath

Preheat the oven to 120°C.

Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy.

Gradually add the caster sugar and beat until the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.

Spoon the meringue mixture onto baking trays lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 3 hours or until crispy and dry on the outside.

Arrange the meringues on a plate to resemble a wreath and sprinkle with pistachios. Serve with brown butter ice cream or coconut yoghurt, raspberries and coconut shavings.

Cook’s note: We're going to let you in on Abi's two secrets to the best ever pavlova. The first: ensure your eggs are at room temperature before beating.

The second - and probably most important - secret to the best-ever pavlova: warm the sugar before adding to the eggs. Warm sugar in an oven at 180°C for approximately 10 minutes, or until it's warm to touch. It shouldn't be melting! Warming the sugar ensures that it will dissolve easily into the beaten egg, meaning the meringue won't seep or crack.

Use the egg yolks to make custard or ice cream. Make sure the oven temperature isn’t too high or the meringues will brown too much before they dry out.

Don’t be put off by the three-hour baking time – meringues are easy to make and can be baked ahead. Arrange in a wreath shape, garnish with pistachios and let everyone help themselves after lunch.

Browse more Christmas recipes here.

This recipe features on the cover of the December 2018 cover of TASTE Magazine. Get a preview of the magazine here.