Come on over, we’re firing up the barbie…
Though I am fiercly proud of my Korean heritage, I have always maintained that my home is Australia, and that I cannot envisage living anywhere else in the world. Tucked away in our own little corner of the world, this country is about as extreme as you could get - wet leafy rainforests, tall alpine ranges, beautiful golden beaches and blistering red deserts, if you’re looking for contrasts then Australia has it in spades.
One thing that any tourist who has been to Australia will tell you is that we’re a friendly bunch. Despite Sydneys reputation for being ever so slightly snobby, or Melbournians being misconceived as a surly bunch who wear nothing but black and drink coffee, we love to get together with neighbours, friends and family and kick back, possibly with a beer in hand and the barbie (Aussie slang for a barbeque) fired up with a couple of snags, chops, kebabs and steaks chucked on to feed the troops once all the socializing has fuelled their appetites.
Despite our immense love of food, there are few dishes I know of that are regarded as being absolutely Australian as the humble pavlova. Though there is ongoing debate as to whether it was actually created in Australia or New Zealand, it is a dessert that very few Australians would fail to recognize once in front of them and in summertime it will make repeated appearances on many kitchen tables across the country. Named after Russian prima ballerina, Anna Matveyevna Pavlova (1881-1931), this meringue-based cake was given her name because of Anna’s own lightfootedness when dancing onstage.
The typical pavlova consists of a large meringue that is the base to this dish, lathered in freshly whipped cream which is then topped with a variety of fruits, usually sliced strawberries and kiwis, though you should feel free to use any variety of warmer climate fruits - I’ve seen pavs with mangoes, pink guava and passionfruit as well as berries, cherries and grapes. I’d steer clear of using hard fruits like apple though as the firmness of the flesh tends to detract from the experience of this soft, cloud-like dessert.
Though my pav has a brown crust, pavlova purists declare that a true pav should be white, making sure to remove it from the oven before it started to brown.
The recipe I used for this post is a slight step away from the traditional, by the famed Aussie chef Bill Granger from his cookbook ‘Every Day‘. The resulting dessert is light and airy, and the yoghurt cream is delightfully fluffy with just a slight tang as to help balance the sweetness of the meringue and berries. If you’re going to a barbeque and looking for a dessert to bring, I urge you to give this a try as I guarantee that it will be a hit with young and old 
Ah heck, even if you have no barbeque to go to, give it a try - I dare you to make it last longer than a day in your kitchen 
Pavlova with yoghurt cream and strawberries
(recipe from ‘Every Day‘ by Bill Granger)
Ingredients
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g caster sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp arrowroot
2 tsp white vinegar
To serve
250mL thickened cream, whipped
125mL natural yoghurt, lightly whipped with a fork
250g strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
1 tbsp pure icing sugar
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Draw a circle approx. 20cm in diameter on the baking paper and set it aside for now.
2. Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla extract into a clean, dry bowl till stiff peaks form. Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition, then continue to beat till the meringue is thick, glossy and fairly firm. Beat in the cornflour, arrowroot and vinegar.
3. Pile the meringue onto the baking paper inside the drawn circle, slightly smooth into shape then put it in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 120 degrees C. Bake the pave for 1 hr and 20 mins, or till the outside is firm but not browned.
4. Once cooked, turn off the oven, prop open the door with a wooden spoon and leave till the pav has completely cooled.
5. Gently fold together the whipped cream and yoghurt, then spoon on top of the cooled pav. Toss the strawberries in the icing sugar and gently arrange on top and serve
This post was put together as this week’s entry to Bee’s ‘Postcards‘ series at Jugalbandi. Head on over to see what other virtual postcards they’ve received for this ongoing event!
Technorati Tags: pavlova, antipodean, desserts, sweets, cakes, Australian cuisine, recipes
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Comments
Great, now I have to clean my computer screen from trying to lick it. That picture of the slice is beyond mouth watering.
Those are some of the most beautiful perfect strawberries I have ever seen.
Wow, Ellie - look at that pavlova, I just want to take that plate and run with it so nobody takes it away from me!
Yummo, I love a good pav and yours looks great. Just turn your back now, I’m going to sneak on some passionfruit!
Considering it takes a 24 hour-flight to get there… or more… and when I get there this padlova will be long gone… I forgive you for displaying such thing to us, poor mortals on the other side of the world…
I’ve never actually tasted a pavlova but would travel great lengths to taste your authentic Australian version.
Oh my word does that look mahvalous!!! Meringue is not something you want to make in Florida what with all the humidity - but - sister in California could make this HUH!!!? Thanks Ellie!
Wow Ellie - that’s gorgeous!! I’ve never had it, always wanted to try it.. hope when I finally do it’ll be as pretty as yours!
xoxo
Gattina - I think it’s a fairly common dessert, but the umbrella ‘pavlova’ is (I think) appreciated as being pretty much an antipodean thing
Christine - Weeeeeell, Aussie or NZ, but our little corner of the world does seem to have dibs
Kat - Cheers 
Mandi - Hehehe, speaks well for the maturing tastebuds, huh? I’ve got to admit that pavs are a bit of a thing for me now as well, when I was younger I was pretty unimpressed with them!
Cheryl - Awwwww, hope you managed to clean the screen up alright The strawberries were pretty decent, a bit surprising to me as we’re well past strawberry season now!
Patricia - Hehehe, well I’ll make sure I leave a double serving for you then 
Linda - Ahhh, a fellow strawberry-lover! Then this dessert is most definitely for you I’m glad you like it!
Neil - Hehehe, feel free
Brilynn - Cheers
Elizabeth - Thanks hon
Ronnie - I hope you like it
Suma - Thanks sunshine!
Anh - Awww, I’m sorry that it doesn’t tickle your tastebuds 
But different strokes
Cris - *cough* well, the pav was gone within a day of me making it, but it’s easy enough to make, so I definitely think you should recreate it over on your side of the globe
Susan - Aww shucks, thanks hon!
Doodles - Cheers! Ooh, I never even thought about the humidity problem, but I guess a weeping meringue would kinda spoil the whole thing Maybe when you visit your Californian contingent you can make it together!
Lisa - Hehehe, thanks sweetheart
This is food porn! I the flavor of meringue on the brown side. I have got to try this one. When you say yogurt cream, is it thick like cream cheese? And icing sugar, what would that be?
I volunteer at a museum and we always get Australians during our winter coming for your summer vacations. I’ve always found them to be quite friendly and eager to chat. Would love to visit your hemisphere sometime, especially to try this treat.
I have never had a pavlova but this sounds wonderful and not too hard. Definitely something for my next Sunday dinner!
Truffle - Thanks hon
Mooncrazy - Hehehe, thanks Yoghurt cream is just a mixture of whipped cream with natural yoghurt, whip both seperately, then fold together and spoon atop of the meringue I’m glad that you’ve had good experiences with Aussies, I like to think that most of us are fairly good eggs!
Gilly - Thanks hon
Deborah - Cheers! It’s definetely not hard at all, I hope you like it
pavlova is such a great dessert during the summer, especially with some berries and lemon curd. Gorgeous Ellie.
I love the idea of this with the yogurt cream. I have enjoyed pavlovas before, but it must be nice to be from a country where you eat it all the time.
Helen - it is absolutely a great summertime treat! I’ll try this lemon curd idea, thanks
Callipygia - LOL, not all the time, but I’ll make it about once a month, depending on whether I have any egg whites in the fridge
I have seen a few european desserts having similar composition… whatever, good taste is universal! And just love this post you wrote!