It was a nice time.
In the last post, I mentioned a showstopper dessert. On Father's Day I made Pavlova, which is a dessert with a meringue base, topped with real whipped cream and berries. It's awesome. If I had some at the show, people would have turned their heads, for sure. Even though what they really care about is cars.
I have to thank my friend, Monica, for introducing me to this dessert. I had it at her place a few years ago and was quite impressed. It looks really difficult but just takes a lot of whipping. I have since made it for my parents and family. The inside of the meringue is chewy, and the outside is crunchy, making it really interesting to eat. I understand that to use anything but real whipping cream that you whip yourself would be a heresy or something.
The dessert is named after a Russian ballet dancer. It supposedly was her favorite.
Here's what I did:
Pavlova (adapted from allrecipes.com)
INGREDIENTS:
4 egg whites
1 cup white sugar (no less than this! Ask me how I know....)
****Mix 2 tsp cornstarch into last ¼ c of sugar that you will add in!
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the Whipped Cream topping, I whip up....
1 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1Tbs confectioner’s sugar
DIRECTIONS:
*You need a good mixer with a whip!
1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Take out a sheet of parchment paper and crumple it. With a pencil, draw a 9-inch circle on it. I usually just trace a 9" cake pan for this. Trim parchment to fit pan. (No, don't cut out that circle....just cut away any excess that will fold onto your dessert and bug you.)
Turn the parchment pencil-side down, and dust it with cornstarch. (This helps the meringue to release from parchment after baking. The crumpling helps to hold the cornstarch on the paper.)
2. In mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Be careful, as I understand that overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch mixed with sugar.
3. Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
4. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and allow the meringue to cool inside the oven. Cool it completely! Cooling inside the oven helps to minimize cracking….however, don’t worry about any cracking or deflating that may occur anyway.
5. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream topping. Top whipped cream with fruit. Cut and serve!
***Use any fruit….berries are traditional, but you can use canned peaches, mandarin oranges, or pineapple. How about jarred cherries? Kiwis? Use frozen or fresh fruit, although fresh is preferred. Some have used lemon pie filling and then spread on the whipped cream. Some have drizzled it all with chocolate syrup, or sprinkled nuts on top. Your only limit is your taste and imagination!
