Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

Meringue Base:
6 large egg whites
2 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, soften
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped

Toppings:
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups raspberries
1 to 2 ounces dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw a 9-inch-diameter circle on the paper with a pencil, tracing a round cake tin that size.

Beat the egg whites with a mixer until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and then the chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.

Secure the parchment to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula.

Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. When it's ready, it should look crisp and dry on top, but when you prod the center you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers.

Turn off the oven and open the door slightly; let the chocolate meringue disk cool completely in the oven.  When you're ready to serve, invert onto a big flat-bottomed plate and peel off the parchment.

Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter the raspberries on top. Coarsely grate the chocolate haphazardly over the top so that you get curls of chocolate rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious color and form to be obscured. You want the Pavlola to look like a frosted cake.

Serves 8-10.

by Nigella Lawson, courtesy of Food Network Magazine