Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1. Draw a 23cm circle onto a sheet of baking paper (use a cake tin or large plate as a template) and flip over onto a large baking tray, so that the mark is underneath.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition, until you have a stiff and glossy meringue. Finally, briefly whisk in the cornflour and vinegar until combined.
3. Secure the baking paper to the tray with a few dabs of meringue mixture at the corners. Pile the meringue onto the lined tray within the marked circle and spread out to the edges, swirling the mixture and building up the sides so they are higher than the middle.
4. Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside to completely cool, for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
5. Meanwhile, zest the orange into long strips and set aside for garnish, then squeeze the juice and add to a large saucepan with the sugar. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring up to a simmer, add the cherries and cook for 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cherries out into a bowl, then reduce the liquid down until syrupy (watch it carefully as the sugar may burn if you leave it too long). Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and then pour onto the cherries. Gently stir to coat and set aside to cool.
6. For the mascarpone cream, blitz two-thirds of the pistachios in a small food processor until finely chopped, and roughly chop the rest. Whip the cream and mascarpone with the icing sugar and vanilla until it just starts to form soft peaks (take care not to overwhip). Stir through the finely chopped pistachios.
7. To assemble, carefully peel the base paper from the meringue and transfer to a serving platter or board. Spoon the cream into the centre of the pavlova. Top with the syrupy cherries and scatter over the remaining pistachios and reserved orange zest.