Hot Weather Pavlova

Our answer

Nigella's Lemon Pavlova (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) has a meringue base that is flavoured with lemon zest. This meringue, along with most meringues, can tolerate higher temperatures but it is humidity that will affect the meringue the most. Meringues contain high quantities of sugar and sugar is hygroscopic, which means that it attracts and retains moisture easily. In humid weather a meringue can turn soft and sticky fairly quickly and in very humid conditions you may even find it difficult to bake a meringue properly.

It is best to store the meringue, without topping, tightly sealed in an airtight container and try to put it in a dry place. Make sure that the meringue is fully cold, otherwise you may trap some moisture in the container with the meringue. Avoid the fridge at this stage (without topping), as a fridge has fairly damp air inside. The meringue will be at its best within 24 hours, but after this the shell may start to soften and will soften more quickly if the air is humid. You can freeze meringues but there is always a small risk that they soften slightly when they defrost and they should be served as soon as possible after they have thawed. Leftovers of pavlova with whipped cream and other toppings should always be refrigerated. If you are serving the portions one at a time then you may prefer to make small, individual pavlova bases, such as those in Nigella's Mini Pavlovas. These should be stored in the same way as the Lemon Pavlova base but as they are smaller they are easier to freeze, should you wish to do so.