just a dribblin' fool...

after tasting anna's pavlova at the big family christmas party in london, and seeing it on so many british dessert menus, i decided to give it a try for christmas dinner.

for those who didn't know (like me, a few weeks ago), pavlova is a dessert from new zealand. apparently it was named after russian ballerina anna pavlova. but i think its name is an allusion to the fact that whenever i think of it, i drool.

basically, it's a meringue that is chewy in the middle. this is not due to undercooking, as far as i can figure, but to the addition of corn starch or lemon or something. i mean, it bakes for quite a while. ANYway. it's typically baked as a circle 9" wide, allowed to cool overnight, and then topped with barely-sweetened whipped cream and fruit. if you want to go traditional, with kiwis!

i opted for individual portions of pavlova, which makes everything look prettier longer. plus, there were only three of us for christmas dinner. unfortunately, i used the recipe for a typical 9" round. if you're going to make these minis, you can safely half the recipe and still tempt four people.

my recipe, based on this one i found at allrecipes.com:
4 egg whites
1.5 cup white sugar (some comments on allrecipes recommended cutting this down to 1 cup. the original recipe does yield a very sweet dessert.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice (i used clementine juice, which was inadvisable due to its relatively low acid content. it still worked, i'd like to point out... plus, i didn't know i had an alternative. vinegar will also work - the point is to add an acid.)
2 tsp cornstarch (i subbed in 1.2 tsp arrowroot because that's what we had on hand - the point is to add a thickener.)

- preheat oven to 300 and get parchment paper ready on a cookie sheet. it may be helpful to draw the shape of the pavlova you intend to create (one 9" round or many 3" rounds or what have you) onto the paper and then flip the paper over.
- start out by beating the egg whites into stiff peaks, then gradually add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. you're done beating when it looks thick and glossy.
- the recipe emphasizes the importance of keeping yolk and grease away from the egg whites. this appears to be crucial. also, for the love of all that is yummy and delectable, don't overbeat the whites!
- gently fold in the vanilla, acid, and thickener.
- i separated the batter (so to speak) into three groups and added green food colouring to one and red to another, but the natural colour of the pavlova is actually quite lovely and this sort of meddling is utterly unnecessary. perhaps even counterproductive! ok, i'll stop now.
- spoon or pipe onto the circles you've drawn on the parchment paper, making the perimeter of the circle slightly higher than the middle. (i may have ignored that last part.)
- pop in the oven for an hour.
- some recipes recommend letting them cool in the oven with the door ajar, some say remove to a cooling rack. i did the former.
- before serving top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fruit.

the pics:

your ingredients!

yummm...

now, give them some privacy.

pretty in pink!

the verdict: these pavlovas were chewy, crispy, sweet, and satisfying. definitely worth repeating!