Pavlova - How I love ya.

If I were to sing a song to Pavlova it would go like this "Roll me over, in Pavlova, roll me over in Pavlova, do it again!". To the tune of "Roll me over in the Clover". Out of the two I would much prefer to be rolled over in Pavlova - clover is itchy and grassy. Pavlova is wonderful and crunchy! They don't much like to be hugged though... more on that later.

I made a Pavlova. It is my first one. Pavlova is a kind of national dish in Australia - it is served along with things like Lamingtons and Trifle and various stodgy puddings at events all over this wide brown country. Pavlova is my favourite - running a very close second is lamingtons - they are great too, but so fiddly - I read the recipe for lamington and am always like "make sponge and then.. wha? Roll it in wha? Cover it in wha?" Needless to say that's three "Wha's?" too many.

Well hello there shiny lady!

Pavlova is much easier - in one way. Did you notice that I slipped a picture in of my NEW stand mixer. Isn't she lovely!!! Her name is Joy and she mixes things. It's all she does and I couldn't be happier. Joy was my fortieth birthday present from my family and I rewarded them by making the pavlova in her.

If you or any member of your family is allergic to eggs then this dessert is not for you. Probably best that don't even think about it as it is ALL egg. It is a big meringue, a big round one topped with fresh whipped cream and fruit. It is seriously just brilliant when it is fresh. The meringue is crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and there is cream and fruit. Pavlova makes me think of my grandmother, BBQ's, the 1950's and one particular night about 15 years ago which lives in my memory but not in this blog. Ahem.

Pavlova (Recipe from Taste.com)

• 6 eggwhites
• 1 1/2 cups (315g) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 300ml thickened cream
• Mixed berries, to serve
• Icing sugar mixture, to dust

Now what? What will be our fate?

Six of us.. watch us become fluffy

Any recipe that calls for egg whites of egg yolks is always going to have a bit of bystander collateral in the form of the accompanying white/yolk. I usually make meringues because I'm making a curd of some sort and need the yolks. This time it was the yolks that were facing an uncertain future.  As it turns out my Uncle likes to make ice-cream with egg yolks and so they went to a good home. Well, that's what he told me anyway.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Tee hee. Hard penis jokes aside I do love the little bit of magic that turns the snottiness of egg whites into mountainy pillows. Add the sugar, of which there is a lot, a tablespoon at a time until the mix turns glossy and firm. How firm? Well, approx as firm as post 2003 silicon breast implant. Hope that helps. 

Sooooo stiff and firm, yet soft to the touch...

Once it looks like that take it out of the mixer or put your (pathetic little) hand beaters way, you are done with them. Sprinkle your cornflour in and your vinegar and stir in with the Metal Spoon of Montpensier! If you don't have that then a large metal spoon will be fine. You just won't be able to hold it aloft and shout  "Montpensier Ho!". Which is sad for you. 

Fashioned into a round. Mont Blanc like.

Trace yourself a 20cm circle onto some baking paper and then dump your mix on there and fashion it into a circle using the trace marks, or just throw it on and guess. Stick it in the oven at 120c. You may have to guess what 120 is if you accidentally wiped all the heat marks off your oven recently in an over zealous cleaning rampage. 

yes. I did that.

Then cook. Cook that sucker for about 1 and a half hours. Take your son to soccer in the meantime and leave your husband in charge of it. Get to soccer and realise that because you missed last week you have turned up to their gala thing and there are no kids here, just very swarthy looking young men. Which is not altogether unpleasant. Get a text from your husband saying that your pav is cracking and then hurry home. 

Half expecting a terrifying, but delicious, demon to come out of that rift.

The top had already caved in when I got home. I wasn't worried - Pavlova do that, they crumble a bit. It was absolutely fine. The meringue itself was set hard. I got it out of the cooled oven (it's best to let it sit in there for a while - pav doesn't cook so much as just dry out) and slightly manhandled it. This is where the cuddling comes in. I may have hugged it slightly, as I was excited. And I broke it. I stood stock still for five minutes. Gabe said "What's the matter Mummy?" about 18 times before I could answer. 

Fabian was philosophical "Isn't it going to be covered in cream and fruit?" Which is true. So I brightened up.  (It was better than Gabe's answer which was "You better make it again then".)

I took it down to the family do and covered it in cream and berries and NO ONE KNEW that it was a cracked freak.

Inside, we are all cracked freaks.

 In fact, it was quite wonderful.