Pavlova is a popular dish and an important part of the national cuisine of both Australia & New Zealand and is frequently served during celebratory or holiday meals such as Christmas dinner.
"Pavlova is a light and fluffy meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. Both Wellington, New Zealand and Perth, Australia claim to be the home of the dish. The earliest record of the recipe is a cookbook published in New Zealand in 1933, two years before claims made in Perth." ???
"Pavlova is traditionally decorated with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Factory-made pavlovas can be purchased at supermarkets in those countries and decorated as desired." The photo above is a homemade pavlova decorated with pomegranate arils and Chantilly cream.
A popular tried and true recipe:
- 3 egg whites
- 3 tablespoons water
- 250g (9 oz.) caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 5 ml or 1 tsp vinegar
- 5 ml or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cornstarch (optional)
1. Beat the egg whites and salt to a very stiff consistency. Add water and beat again before folding in caster sugar, vanilla and vinegar. Beat until the mixture holds its shape and stands in sharp peaks.
2. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slow-bake the mixture at 150°C (300°F) to dry all the moisture and create the meringue, approximately 45 minutes. This leaves the outside of the pavlova a crisp crunchy shell, while the interior remains soft and moist.
3. A top tip (but not traditional) is to turn the pavlova upside down before decorating with cream and fruit because the bottom is less crispy than the top after cooking and unless you serve it immediately after decorating the "top" absorbs moisture from the cream. Another tip is to leave the pavlova in the oven after turning off the heat - this helps to prevent the middle of the pavlova from collapsing (although if it does collapse, generous application of cream can hide any mistakes!)
Preparation and consumption
"Pavlova is made by beating egg whites (and sometimes salt) to a very stiff consistency before folding in caster sugar, white vinegar, cornstarch, and sometimes vanilla, and slow-baking the mixture to create the meringue. This makes the outside of the pavlova a crisp crunchy shell, while the interior remains soft and moist. The pavlova's internal consistency is thus completely different from that normally associated with meringue, having more of a soft marshmallow texture."
"Pavlova is traditionally decorated with a topping of whipped cream and fresh fruit of sweet/tart flavors, such as strawberries and kiwifruit, or passionfruit and banana or berries and peach slices. Raspberry is a popular topping in the United Kingdom, with the tartness of raspberries contrasting with the sweetness of sugar. Factory-made pavlovas can be purchased at supermarkets and decorated as desired. A commercial product is available that includes pre-mixed ingredients for baking the meringue shell, requiring only the addition of water and sugar."
My Closing Thoughts!
Being American I was not familiar with pavlova but what a treat it was when a true Australian made it for me. Now I know what pavlova is.
"Live everyday like a holiday" Pam
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses some material from wikipedia / gone-ta-pott
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