Pavlova

I was first introduced to the “Pavlova” one and half years ago, at my partner’s birthday.  Though I had told Dave’s mum that I was making a rocket cake for the event, she brought a store bought pavlova, along with the traditional whipped cream and fruit toppings, for my education.  The store bought “pav” was tall, round, airy on the inside, and sugary crispy on the outside – reminding me of an angel food cake with the yummy overcooked parts all over the outside.  Kathy was sure to tell me not to expect such a tall concoction at Christmas lunch (just 1 week later), as most homemade pavs are notorious for falling and cracking (but still tasting good).  True to her word, the Christmas pav was quite a bit flatter; but that just meant there was more crunchy goodness of the outside and a less marshmellowing interior (which is good, but a bit too much for me when it’s as tall as the store ones). 

For those who don’t know (and that’s probably half my readers), pavlova is a type of meringue traditional to both Australia and New Zealand (don’t bring up the origin of the Pav when around more than one of these nationalities – they’ll both claim it as theirs…..though Wikipedia does credit New Zealand to having the first published recipe).  Pavlova is made using egg whites, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, and cornstarch (called corn flour over here).  Apparently (according to the same Wikipedia page) it is the addition of the corn starch that leads this meringue mixture to produce a light, marshmellow-like interior that nearly melts in your mouth. 

I’d been told that making a pavlova from scratch is not hard.  However, much like a lemon meringue pie, the thought of making one is daunting.  I had visions of a cracked, crumbling, and flat product.  Despite my fear, I’d been meaning to get around to giving this kiwi icon a go for a fair few months now.  I probably would have put off the attempt for a fair few more months if I hadn’t been thinking of kiwi dishes I want to serve during my visits back home.  While the pav is very often seen at Christmas lunches, I thought the airy dessert covered in cream, blue berries, and strawberries might make a nice addition to my Fourth of July spent stateside (red, white, and blue….get it ;). So, in an effort to present a reasonably accurate kiwi dessert, I’ve decided to make one pavlova a week until I depart (I’ve got 2.5 more weeks to go)…..

Here is my first attempt:

Dave and I had checked out the internet several months ago, when I first mentioned wanting to try a Pav.  He immediately went to the Cowell’s website, stating that they must know how to make a good pav – since they are in all the grocery stores.  Before we trusted our faith in Cowell’s (who knows, maybe they want me to fail so I buy their perfect pavs!?), we checked out the Joy of Baking’s recipe too.  In the end, we stuck with Cowell’s recipe but kept some of the helpful tips from Joy of Baking in mind (such as making sure the sugar was dissolved in the egg whites by rubbing the mixture between your fingers: gritty texture = not dissolved sugar). 

Next was the ingredients.  Cowell’s recommends using the freshest ingredients possible.  I know the cornstarch was pretty old (been in the cupboard since I moved in!), but I was more worried about the eggs.  We had a nice walk in the sun (and chilly breeze) to get some new eggs (we picked up some krantzky sausages to try for lunch too, but that’s off the topic).  Speaking of off topic – if a typical American was to get off the plane and go to a grocery store here in NZ, there are two things off the top of my head that they would notice:  1) there is no orange/yellow cheddar cheese to be found, and 2) the eggs, while most likely located close to the milk, cheese, and other chilled foods, are not refrigerated!  I’ve mentioned this to several couchsurfing Americans and we all think it’s rather bizarre.  However, I’ve NEVER gotten sick on unrefrigerated eggs.  In fact, I’ve never even cracked a rotten egg!  (Though Dave and I do tend to do the water test on our old eggs before using them…..if they sink, they’re perfect; if they half float, half sink they are good for baking; if they float to the top, chuck them before you regret a cracked shell).  After reading the pavlova tip of making sure the eggs are at room temperature before using, Dave wondered if that’s the reason kiwis don’t refrigerate their eggs?

Anyhow – back to the main story!  Well, there’s not really much to tell.  After being sold on how yummy krantsky sausages taste (they have bits of cheese in them), I got the beaters out and started on the egg whites.  I used the recipe from Cowell’s and eventually had a stiff mixture.  Dave concurred that I’d hit the “stiff peak” stage and was ready to bake.

I used the 23 cm (9 inch) diameter marks I’d made previously (per Cowell’s directions) and spread the mixture into a near circle, piling the mixture on top too.  Then (after a short delay to warm up the oven that I had in fact not turned on, despite having set to temperature) I put it in the oven.

15 minutes later I was delighted to see that my pav had raised ever so slightly.  I turned the temperature down 20 degrees (celcius) and put the timer for 75 minutes…… 75 minutes later, I turned the oven off but left the pavlova inside.  This was one tip I hadn’t seen mentioned, but had been relayed to me by our café cook – “Don’t open the oven door, EVER, until the oven is cooled”.  I wasn’t taking any chances, I left that oven door firmly closed for the next 4 – 5 hours.

After letting our delicious dinner (of thai pumpkin and chicken curry, thanks to a recipe on the pumpkin soup can) settle a bit, I finally opened the oven door.
I must say, I was a tad disappointed

that it hadn’t kept it’s puffed up size…. Perhaps it was only an illusion that the pav had risen in the oven, but what I took out was the same size as the mixture that went in.  On the upside, though, it also hadn’t deflated to the thickness of a paper plate!  It was a slightly crackled in texture, but it was not cracked or crumbling. 

I put the knife in for the first slice, the outside cracked and flaked like a well cooked sugar coating should.  When I pulled the first slice out, it stayed nearly intact – breaking the quarter slice into an eighth.

The first bite?  Delicious!  Crunchy addictive outside, melty (possibly slightly too gooey) inside!  Dave confirmed that it tasted like a pavlova should, though I thought it was A LOT sweeter than I remembered.  I guess that’s why whipped cream and fruit is the traditional topping…..what else would you put on a cup of sugar carried in egg whites?!

Obviously, we didn’t eat the whole thing in one sitting.  While we were both somewhat tempted, the pure sugar rush was making me a bit ill and we were both full from dinner.  So, we put it back in the oven for the next day…..seemed like a logical place to put it, since that’s where it had spent so much time……

Of course, the next morning, when Dave got up for work, the pitfalls of storing pure sugar in a non-airtight environment became apparent……..

…….When Dave returned to our room after breakfast and lunch making, I asked (in a mumbly, sleepy voice from bed) “What’s burning?”.  His reply, “Nothing, I turned the oven on to get rid of the ants”!  Ooops!!!

Oh well, at least we weren't sick of my first pav!  We'll have a bit of help eating tomorrow's pavlova, we've got a couchsurfer from Germany staying for 2 nights.....wonder if she wants to learn to make a pav? :)