urban odds & ends

During the jam making session with my friend Lisa I finally prepared this traditional australian dessert. It was about time! I don't know why, but back in december in Australia I didn't had the chance to try it but now, with 5 egg whites waiting in the fridge (leftovers from ice cream making ;) ) I jumped right into the adventure.

Pavolva with Strawberries serves 4




5 egg whites
200g sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp starch
250ml heavy cream
250g strawberries, cleaned and sliced

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350F). In a greaseless bowl whisk the egg whites until they begin to thicken. Now add small amounts of sugar while stirring constantly until the sugar is incorporated and the egg whites form stiff peaks. It's perfect if you can turn the bowl around and the egg whites stay in it ;) Add starch and vinegar and whisk for a few seconds. This mass is called meringue should have a silky gloss. Spread the mass onto a greased baking tray - it should be around 3cm thick with a roughly round shape and an even top. Slip it into the oven and decrease immediately the temperature from 180°C (350F) to 100°C (200F). After an hour the meringue has hardened outside with a fluffy inside. For cooling down the pavlova just open the oven door and allow to cool until it has room temperature. Whip the cream and spread carefully on top of the meringue. At least mount the strawberries on top.

My serving tip is to place the pavlova in the middle of your table, give everyone a fork and dig right into "Mount Pavlova"! :)