Santa Cruz, California, October 28th, 2014

Santa Cruz, California, October 28th, 2014

Monday, February 10, 2014

An Australian dessert, fit for a Russian, made by a Canadian, eaten by all kinds of people.


Strawberry Pavlova...

photo from triedandtruerecipes.blogspot.com


Or as I call it, "all mine".

See that face? 
That face is thinking "If you touch my pavlova...I will bring down the boom."


And I will. Just ask my kids. Muahahaha.


Ahem.

Okay, so...how does one make this plate of perfection?

Beat 6 eggs white until stiff.

photo from tourism1.blogspot.com

Here's a tip: separate the eggs one at a time, THEN when you are sure there's no yolk in the white, THEN put it in the mixing bowl. Egg whites don't whip 'up' if there is one drop of yolk, so do each egg, one at a time.

I usually just turn the mixer to medium and leave it to do its work.

Once the whites are stiff, add 1 1/2 cups of white sugar, not all at once though. Sprinkle it on, or you'll crush the nicely whipped egg whites. 


Whip the egg whites and sugar until the grainy feel of the sugar is as diminished as possible.
Then add one teaspoon each of vanilla, white vinegar and cornstarch, and beat a few more minutes..

Put a sheet of parchment paper (do as you're told) on a pizza pan or baking sheet. I use a round pizza pan that has holes it in. I prefer using this pan because the heat goes up into the meringue and gives it a better texture than a plain cookie sheet.

Bake for ONE HOUR at 250F, then turn the heat off and leave the shell in overnight.


CAREFULLY remove the cooled shell from the parchment paper. I do this by holding the shell and paper in one hand and peeling the paper by the edges all around until it comes off. If you do it SLOWLY , then you won't crack the shell in half. The shell will crack, it always does, but just a bit.


To serve:
Place shell on serving plate.
Whip 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, yes, with sugar, and spread on the shell. 
Add 2 pounds of sliced strawberries, yes, with a bit of sugar to bring out the juices, or any kind of berry combination you like, even kiwis.

Serve and enjoy. 
photo from Ciaowinnipeg.com

I dare you to only eat one piece!!


15 comments:

  1. YUM!! This looks delightful. When are you going to make it for me??

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fly me there, and I'll make if for everyone!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Correct me if I am mistaken but do you not have to cut the shell in half, then stuff it with the whipped cream and berries and then place the top back on?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like the bottom shot? No, that's just some fancy pants magazine photo. For mine, it's simply shell on the bottom, then cream, then berries.

      Delete
  4. Haha! BEEEYYYYYOOOOOODIFUL! Yep, that'd about do it.
    I have to say, I'm glad to read you used stock photos here - I was a little overwhelmed by your pav perfection at first :)
    Yummo! Come on then, send me a slice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm dying to know , do most Aussies use the store bought pav eggs, or make it from scratch?

      Delete
    2. Hmmmm. I can't really comment for "most" Aussies, but I did speak to a few pav-making friends at Christmas time, so I can speak for them. A few made it with a store-bought pav egg, a LOT bought a pav base and decorated it themselves (there's actually a pavlova shop just around the corner from my house, they did good business at Christmas). Some went the whole hog and bought a decorated one. I haven't known any of my friends to do the old whisk-the-sugar-into-the-egg pav (I'm sure there are a lot of purists here who still do), but that's also because things are so manic at Christmas time nobody wants to be bothered with it anyway.
      I made a store-egg pav. I'll be making a real one pretty soon.

      Delete
    3. A Pavlova SHOP?!?!?!? How awesome and unfair is that?? Although, maybe it's a blessing I don't live near you...you'd have to tie my shoes together so I didn't go there everyday.

      Delete
  5. Someone needs to make him and his wife one of these....

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks delicious, Jennifer. My mouth watered, and that could spell danger!

    I made a pav for my daughter's birthday cake in December, with fresh passionfruit and plum syrup over strawberries and bananas and loads of whipped cream. Yum :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. YUM!!

    I'm hoping the desserts I will be seeing in France this Summer will look just as good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm going to Chartres and Paris. I've heard there are chocolate tours in Paris. I need to do that!

      Delete
    2. DO IT!! And enjoy all the samples!

      Delete