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**RECIPE, 1 EGG SERVES 2 PEOPLE**

Meringue:

1 egg white + 50g powdered sugar + 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch + tiny pinch of salt

Get oven heating to 350F/180C.

With an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Whisk in the powdered sugar a tiny little bit at a time, and keep beating until you have stiff peaks. (This could take awhile to stiffen up — keep whisking and keep the faith.) Whisk in the cornstarch, lemon juice and salt until smooth.

Dump the meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and shape it into a thick, round cake with high sides that dip into the center. Put it in the oven and reduce the heat to 215F/100C. Bake for 90 minutes, then turn the heat off and let it sit in there and dry for many hours — overnight is best.

While it's baking, make the pastry cream.

Pastry cream:

1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon sugar + 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 3 tablespoons milk + 1 tablespoon butter + vanilla

Whisk the yolks smooth with the sugar and cornstarch. Bring the milk to a simmer and whisk it into the egg mixture. Transfer everything back to the pan and slowly bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. When it starts to gel, turn off the heat and whisk all the lumps smooth.

Drop in the cold butter in chunks and slowly whisk it in. There's probably enough heat in the pan to melt the butter, but if you have to you can return it to very low heat — just don't let it bubble again. Whisk in vanilla to taste, along with a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter. Transfer to a bowl, cover to prevent a skin forming and chill before using.

Right before you're ready to assemble the finished dessert, prepare your fruit topping.

Fruit topping for my 4-egg pavlova:

1 kiwi, peeled and sliced thin
1 pint raspberries

To assemble the final dessert, carefully peel the meringue off the parchment paper and transfer it to a serving platter. If your pastry cream seems too thick to spread, let it warm up a bit before dumping it in the middle of the meringue and spreading it out toward the edges in a thin, smooth layer. Top with fruit, slice into wedges and eat right away — it won't keep.