Pavlova {C’est Bon}

OK…soooooo! 🙂 Today I’m shakin it up a little and not sharing one of my favorite tools or goodies, I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes! Pavlova{C’est Bon} (it’s good) 🙂 !

I don’t remember the first time I ever had this dessert…it is something I grew up on. My mom, aunt and “Nany” (grandma) all made it for special occasions and it was always a favorite. My aunt gave my a hand-written recipe for it at one of my bridal showers, eighteen years ago and I’ve pulled out the recipe card, many times since. 🙂

Now if you haven’t tried Pavlova…you simply must! It really is worth making. So light and airy, made of a crisp meringue crust with a slightly soft center, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit….it is a perfect dessert for summer. I love making it all year and if berries aren’t in season, I top it with sliced Kiwi and well-drained mandarin oranges.

Pavlova is named after the ballet dancer Anna Pavlova and originated in Australia or New Zealand….both lay claim to it. 😉 This dessert is extremely popular in Britain and it is so interesting to see how many of my relatives and their friends from Northern Ireland make it as well.

Pavlova is really easy to make. I baked this up on Friday morning as I needed a dessert to bring for a BBQ I was going to. Actually, I doubled it and made two…one disappears rather quickly at a large get-together. 🙂 There wasn’t a crumb left. :)It doesn’t take long to whip up the bottom and put it in the oven. Make sure you do have time for it to cool properly though. It is really quick to make but it does take some planning ahead. One of the things I like best about this dessert is the very basic and short ingredients list… egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, whipping cream and berries.

Pavlova Recipe

Heat oven to 275° oven. cover cookie sheet with heavy brown paper or parchment paper.

Beat 3 egg white and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar in smallmixing bowl until foamy. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do no underbeat.

Shape meringue on paper into about a 9 inch circle with back of spoon building up the side about a good inch in depth. Bake 1.5 hours. Turn off oven and leave in oven with door closed 1 hour or overnight. Cool at room temperature. Beat up real whipping cream and put on top of  base. Top with fresh fruit.