Pavlova

Pavlova is heavenly; Looks beautiful, taste awesome! A perfect dreamy treat. Its cloud like – Light and airy , has a pillowy center and crisp shattering shell with fresh fruit with a little hint of tang. The combination is just divine; the contrast between the flavor and texture is absolutely FAB.

If you are not familiar with Pavlova – Pavlova is made with beating egg-whites with sugar till a very stiff consistency and then baked at low temperature. Something similar to meringue. Soft creamy whipped dream. I have been thinking of baking pavlova since a long time. But always was bit scared to try one. To my surprise Pavlova which looked very complicated and challenging – is a very, very easy dessert to make. It doesn’t have any fat – No butter, no oil and still yummy. O.k. , O.K. Only the amount of whipping cream on the top will have some fat content, but still it’s not like killing amount.

An interesting story behind the origin of the dessert – There was a Russian Ballerina named Anna Pavlova. It is believed that the dessert was created in her honor in 1920’s . Pavlova is a mimic to the wisp shape of her ballet dress. Its floaty and light the way she use to look while dancing.

Pavlova has a crisp outer shell and a soft moist marshmallow – like center. When baked it does get cracks, It’s so tender and fragile on the touch; that even shifting to the serving plate will give a crack or two. Worry not, because those cracks holds all the beauty of pavlova. (It doesn’t mean that you hold it roughly to make it look more pretty) Be gentle, It’s a bliss; if you bake it. You can bake a multiplayer Pavlova or the single serving size or do it the way I baked. It’s gonna be awesome.

Meringue whipped till the stiff peak ( beautiful and light )

Spread the meringue inside the circle on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges. Make sure that the edges on the circle are slightly higher then the center.

Baked pavlova with beautiful cracks, whipped cream and strawberries

Few points – Must read before baking:

1. Moisture is an enemy to pavlova; don’t even try baking on a humid or a rainy day.

2. As the recipe is all about egg whites beaten to the full volume; few important Tips to achieve the right way-

a. Egg whites should be at room temperature.

b. There should not be a single trace of yolk. ( Try separating the whites when the egg is cold; It will be sooooo easy, you will get it perfect. Then cover and keep the white at room temperature for the Pavlova).

c. Make sure all utensils touching the egg white are clean and free from any kind of grease (oil or butter etc. ) You can rub a lemon wedge on the inside of the whipping bowl. Just wipe it really dry before adding the whites for whipping.

d. When you start whipping – Start at a low speed then increase incrementally as you get the required consistency.

3. Have all the ingredients ready on the kitchen slab, before you start. The whole thing will take less then ten minutes; don’t try grabbing the ingredients in between.

4. To test that the sugar is dissolved fully. Rub some amount of meringue between your thumb and fore fingers; If it feels grainy, you will have to run the machine a little more till its all smooth and shiny.

5. Whip till it holds stiff peaks. You should be confident enough to hold the bowl over your head; without any fear of meringue dripping on you. Then you are done.

6. Don’t open the door of the oven during baking. It will sink in because of the sudden temperature change.

7. Over baking might make it chewy. Though I never had to experience that; But I know that can happen – so be careful. Watch the temperature as well – it has to be baked at low temp. for an hour and 15 minutes. If you are making small bite size ones – the baking time would be 1 hour.

8. Assemble the pavlova just before serving. Because you can’t keep it in the fridge. If you want to store it – bake the pavlova and keep it in an air tight container. Keep the fruits and whipped cream in the fridge.

9. You can choose any kind of seasonal fruits, but try selecting a bit citric ones. It goes great with the sweetness of meringue. Balance the overall flavor, you end up eating more.

10 . Last one – if you try whipping the eggs with hand, you will go insane. Only Rajnikanth can do this; Mind it !