Pavlova Recipe

Looking for a summer dessert or just longing for something from the Tasman sea? A light and fluffy Pavlova will provide that joy without carbs if necessary!

There are desserts in the world that just grow out of the soil of culinary wisdom like wild flowers on the fallow fields. Without care or attention, they just sway happily in the winds like the nameless recipes flow from mother to daughter through generations.

Then there are the ones that have been carefully nurtured, selected and bred to create something very different. Something that needs creativity and skills to elevate its mere existence into awe that everybody adores and desires.

There are countless desserts that bear the name of their creators like the Rigo Jancsi Cake, Gerbeaud, Sacher or the Dobos Torte. Some of these are just like noble titles, a mere nod to ages long gone that we keep alive by writing them into bite sized tales.

Others like the Kardashians of desserts who became well-known because they are famous, carry names that rose to prominence during the years and became synonymous with the dessert itself.

Last but not least there are the truly revolutionary creations that transformed industries when the impossible through persistence and hard work become possible.

Similarly, as Anna Pavlova became a world renowned ballerina in the 19^th century. However talented she was without her resolve to get through the excruciating limitations of her own body, she could not reach such success.

No one can arrive from being talented alone, work transforms talent into genius.

Her severely arched feet, and long legs provided her less than optimal body shape for such movements that were required from ballerinas of her time. She kept on practicing through pain and suffering that developed into a unique career defining style.

Who has ever tried to make a Pavlova cake may have the idea what inspired the naming. The origin of the cake is though disputed as Australia and New Zealand both claiming it as their own cakes, made with meringue and crème were existed before Pavlova too.

Not surprisingly the Astro-Hungarian empire -where plenty of desserts are originating from- had a notoriously hard to make and serve dessert called Spanische Windtorte (Spanish Wind Torte).

When the dessert was brought to the Americas by German speaking immigrants corn starch was introduced further, trying to stabilize the capricious meringue.

At the end of the 19th century American corn starch was exported to New Zealand with packaging containing recipes for meringue which likely created the base to the Pavlova to thrive on.

Pavlova by name first appeared in Australian cookbooks in 1926, not coincidentally around the time Pavlova was dancing around the Tasman sea.

Since then, it grew into a national symbol for New Zealand and Australia both claiming the right of discovery and the privilege of having a summer dessert when half the world prepares for Xmas.

Pavlova is not just a cake to use up the egg whites after a big batch of mayo or practice basic cooking techniques for the great British bake off. It’s a lovely light dessert that despite its temperamental nature -or exactly because of it- provides joy and pleasure whenever it happens to be on our plate.

Ingredients:

• 6 Egg whites
• 1 teaspoon Stevia or sweetener of choice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 2 cup / 500 ml Heavy cream
• Fruits for decoration

How to make Pavlova:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C.
2. Put egg whites into a medium size mixing bowl and with a handmixer beat them until soft peaks form.
3. Put the Stevia into the mixing bowl and keep beating the eggs.
4. Mix vanilla extract, lemon juice with the egg whites.
5. Beat until hard peaks form.
6. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and place the beaten egg whites in the middle of it. Simply by turning the bowl upside down or if we are in a playful mood let’s get out our spatula.
7. Place the baking tray in the preheated oven for an hour. Do not open the oven door after the cake is placed in as underbaked Pavlova may collapse.
8. After an hour turn the oven off and leave the Pavlova inside until it is completely cooled. It would take about 2 hours but even better if it is left there overnight.
9. Decorate with fruit and cream just before serving it.

Enjoy!

 

All desserts are equal but some are more equal then the others. The more equal ones are the ones that we use to dress up our heart with while waiting for the special times to come.

• Sugar Free Quick and Easy Lamington Recipe
• Nut Roll Recipe
• Gluten Free Gingerbread – Keto
• Florentines Italy – Keto
• Cinnamon Star Bread Recipe
• Three Kings Cake A.K.A. Roscon de Reyes
• Chestnut Puree Recipe and The Mount Blanc Dessert

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