Make sure you pour the whites into a very clean, dry metal mixing bowl. Water or bits of oil will affect the texture of your meringue. Keep the yolks for a different recipe, or make an omelette later.
If your shape is on the oblong side of circular, don’t worry too much about how accurate the circular shape is - creative misshapes are permissible as long as the topping stays put.
There’s a tradition to turn the pavlova over and decorate the base because it is said that this side is less crisp. Sometimes this reason is actually a nifty cover-up trick for little cooking mistakes like over-browning the top. Either way, the pavlova centre will quickly lose its initial crispness anyway because of the whipped cream and topping.
You can also flavor the cream if you’d like - try a teaspoon of vanilla extract, rosewater, orange water, lemon extract, or almond extract. Although whipped cream is traditional, you might like to vary the whipped cream with other soft creamy like substances such as custard. This would be frowned upon by traditionalists but experimental cooks have creative license.
Other topping ideas include a mixture of berries, sliced cherries, apricots, mangoes or peaches, grated dark chocolate, or a mixture of chocolate and raspberries.
