Florence's Pavlova

An airy treat as delicate as a ballet superstar!

Our last holiday treat of 2019 is the pavlova, a signature dessert of my wife's homeland. Most people who have seen pictures of the "pavs" Jess has made for our family and friends ask if it's a cake, whipped cream, or some other strange concoction, maybe an unbaked Alaska? An ice cream cake? Something else entirely? And the answer is simple: it's a meringue topped with a lot of whipped cream and fruit. 

You can have big pavs, little pavs, in the medium pavs... doesn't matter. When done right, this is a really delicious, refreshing dessert, perfect for celebrating Christmas in Australia because - as many of you know - Australia (and the rest of the southern hemisphere) is actually experiencing summer right now. Australians still enjoy traditional Christmas treats like Christmas puddings and gingerbread, but the high temperatures make things like this an appealing alternative to "traditional" Christmas fare, which is often quite heavy or spiced. 

The pavlova can trace its history back to the 1920's, when Russian ballet superstar Anna Pavolva toured Australia and New Zealand. Both countries claim to be the first to create this dessert in her honor, but as I've married an Australian, I think you know which country I need to support in the debate. Australia also has the slightly stronger argument - in my opinion - because similar dishes spotlighting meringues and whipped cream date back to the early 1900's, meaning my Florrie Girl Florence might have enjoyed a treat similar to a pavlova in her childhood known by a different name. Other similar Australian recipes appear in the early 1920's, still under a different name, and the first known dish to bear the name Pavolva comes from an Australian cookbook published in 1926. 

Sorry, New Zealand.

To make your pav, you need to start with a meringue base. Jess's go to recipe calls for 4 egg whites, 1 cup of (superfine, if you can get it) white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. 

To make a bigger meringue, you can adjust the recipe with more sugar and egg whites, but be careful not to go too big. Jess has had issues with some pavs where too many eggs have been added and there's a definite eggyness to it that shouldn't be there. It's not unpalatable that way, but certainly less yummy. 

Beat your egg whites for about five minutes, or until soft peaks have started to form. Add half your sugar, beat for 30 seconds, and then add the rest, beating for another 30 seconds, then beat on high for two minutes or until stiff peaks have formed. Add the vanilla and beat for one more minute. The peaks should be very stiff and glossy, and basically not move at all when you take the mixer out. 

Fold in the cream of tartar and cornstarch, then spread the meringue on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet. This gets baked in the oven at 350 degrees. As soon as you put the pav in the oven, drop the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 90 minutes. It's important for it to bake nice and slowly for a long time to fully dry it out, and you can leave it to cool in the turned off oven overnight if so desired. The finished product should be lightly browned with some cracks. 

To top the pav, whip up enough heavy cream and powdered sugar to give it a generous top layer of sweet whipped cream. Jess also likes to flavor her whipped cream with vanilla, and prefers vanilla bean paste for a really intense vanilla flavor, but regular extract will do as well.

You can top your pavlova with any fruit that strikes your fancy. Jess used canned peaches, fresh kiwi, strawberries and blueberries for this pav, but also likes to use raspberries, particularly when doing all berry variations. The dessert is meant to look pretty, so most bakers arrange the fruit in nice patterns rather than just slapping it on randomly. Get creative!

To get the right texture, it's generally recommended to let the pav sit for about an hour or two before serving to let the meringue absorb the moisture, but it's important not to let this sit too long before consuming it. 

When you cut into it, you should be getting a meringue with a nice, almost marshmallowy texture in the center, lots of whipped cream, and bright fruit. A really refreshing mouthful!

I think my whole family was a little skeptical of this dish the first year Jess made it just because it's so far out of the ordinary for the treats we usually have on Christmas, but the pav disappeared in probably fifteen minutes flat. You know that awesome moment when you realize people really like your food because a room full of people suddenly goes quiet, and they're too busy eating to talk to anyone? That's exactly what happened, and there were demands for another the following year immediately. It's light, sweet without being too sweet thanks to the fruit, and honestly a really nice compliment to other heavier dishes you have on Christmas even if you live in the northern hemisphere. If you're looking for something a little different to add to your Christmas or holiday table, I'd thoroughly suggest borrowing this one from my in-laws and giving it a try yourself. 

To end on a much sadder note, I can't do an Australian recipe and not mention that it's been a tough end to 2019 (and start to 2020) for Australia. Jess's family and friends are fortunately out of range of the brushfires for now, but it's still been very difficult to hear and see what's going on in her homeland. What a lot of Americans don't seem to realize is this is just the beginning of summer in Australia, and it's going to be a long, hard one even if these fires are put under control. If there's anything you can do from where you are, be it donating to the Australian Red Cross or voting for political candidates who support protecting our planet, please consider doing so. We're very lucky that our loved ones are safe for the time being, but the scale of the fires is really terrifying and tragic and will be an ecological disaster regardless of when they're put out.