Pavlova

Pavlova is a dessert dish originated in Australia to honor the Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova.  Basically it is baked meringue and topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit!  YUM!!!  Pavlova is very sweet but also very light... similar to the taste and texture of a cross between ice cream cones and cotton candy.

I was first introduced to this very yummilious dessert years ago by my Mother-in-law, who saw the recipe in the newspaper and gave it a whirl!  It has been a family favorite ever since!  It is VERY easy to make, but does need to be prepared ahead of time because after baking in the oven, the oven is turned off and the meringue is left to rest and cool inside the oven... WITHOUT opening the oven door.  There are several versions of this dessert/recipe and I will include my personal favorite at the end of this blog.

To me pavlova is a Spring and Summer dessert... like pumpkin pie is a Fall and Winter dessert.  It didn't take long after Spring had sprung for me to start to get the hankering for some DELISH pavlova with fresh berries on top!  I find that once warm weather arrives, my appetite for fresh veggies and fruits become cravings that are hard to satisfy.... but... what wonderful foods to crave for the good of your health!

Last night I made my first pavlova of the season... and I must say... it truly was my best one yet!  I believe the difference with this particular pavlova was the use of my baking stone vs. using parchment paper on a baking sheet as per written in the recipe.  In the past when I baked my pavlova using the parchment paper... I find that the pavlova sticks to the paper and is a hassle to remove.  Knowing that baking stones are really good for baked goods not sticking... I decided to experiment and see what would happen if I used just the stone... no greasing of the stone, no parchment paper... just bare stone.  And... it worked like a dream!!  The outside of pavlova is crunchy like an ice cream cone... the inside chewy like a marshmallow... and the flavor is similar to cotton candy.  Using parchment paper on a baking sheet, the inside of the pavlova is chewier and mushier than I like, but using the stone dried the inside of the pavlova to the PERFECT consistency, keeping it slightly chewy but not mushy at all.

I make my whipped cream from scratch and it is actually quite easy!  All it takes to make whipped cream... is heavy whipping cream and a wire whip... THAT'S IT!!!.... nothing else is needed... however... a dash of vanilla and a TBSP of powdered sugar make it even yummier, but neither is actually necessary to making whipped cream.  It takes less than 2 minutes to whip heavy cream into whipped cream.  I do it by hand, but it can also be done with an electric or stand mixer... but I find it sooooo much easier in the clean up to just do it by hand.  Of course... cool whip, spray whipped cream, or boxed whipped cream can certainly be substituted if you prefer.

Any fruit can be used for the topping of the pavlova... but again... after lots of experience and many taste testings... I find that strawberries and blueberries are the favored fruit to use on top of the pavlova.  Berries tend to add to the lightness of pavlova... fruits that tend to be heavier in taste also tend to weigh down the lightness of this dessert.  If using strawberries... they need to be sliced... if using blueberries, blackberries or raspberries, they can be tossed on top whole.

After mixing the meringue the recipe calls for piling the meringue into a circle so that it forms a cake like structure... which will rise in the oven just like a cake... but once the meringue starts to cool, it collaspes in the center, forming a well that gets filled with the whipped cream and fruit... this is how I prepared it for years... but in the past couple of years, I form the meringue into several smaller circles to make individual cakes... I find this way much easier to serve and much easier to store the extra cakes.  If the pavlova is one big cake and only a couple of slices are needed... once the pavlova cake is cut into, it tends to crumble and makes it hard to store.

Here is my personal recipe... I do hope you will give it a try and that it becomes a family favorite.

PAVLOVA

Makes 1 cake
Preheat oven  to 350

4 - room temperature egg whites (THEY MUST BE ROOM TEMPERATURE!!!)
Pinch - of salt
1 cup, plus 2 TBSP - sugar
2 tsp - cornstarch
1 tsp - white vinegar
1 tsp - vanilla extract

Put egg whites and salt in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk (hand mixer may also be used), beat on medium-low speed until egg whites are frothy (about 2 minutes).
Increase speed to medium-high and beat until egg whites form stiff but not dry peaks (2-3 minutes)
Gradually add the sugar while continuing whisking, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff and glossy (3-5 minutes)
Sift cornstarch over egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla to the egg whites and gently fold in.

Pile the egg white mixture onto a baking stone or a parchment lined baking sheet into a 10" circle (or into 5 - 2" circles)  Place stone or baking sheet into middle of the oven and reduce heat to 300.
Bake 1 hour, then turn the oven off and leave baked meringue in oven to rest and cool down... DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR!!!

When ready to serve... top meringue(s) with whipped cream and fresh fruit

WHIPPED CREAM

1 1/2 cups - heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 TBSP powdered sugar (optional)

Whip heavy cream with vanilla and powdered sugar (if used) with wire whip for 1-3 minutes, until desired consistency