High Altitude Pavlova

We had a pot luck dinner tonight at the happy Apple with wonderful friends from New Beginnings Church - I took a Pavlova (a Dessert invented in NEW ZEALAND for Anna Pavlova - a Russian ballet dancer from the 1920's). Here is the never-fail high altitude recipe...but I have managed to make even this "never fail" recipe bomb!

This recipe sounds a bit odd, in that you use boiling water and beat all the ingredients together. However, it works – especially at higher altitudes.

Put all these ingredients into your mixer bowl, and beat at high speed until everything is as stiff as it can go - it may take up to 30 mins to get this fully beaten.

6 egg whites

2 cups sugar

4 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in the US)

6 tbsp boiling water

2 tsp. vanilla essence

2 tbsp vinegar (white) 

Cover an oven tray with baking paper or tin foil (sprayed with Pam). Lightly dust with cornstarch so the Pavalova won't stick. Pile the beaten mixture high and do not spread out, as the Pavlova will spread while cooking. Form the Pavlova into the shape you want it to be in – at least 3 inches tall.

Put into the middle of a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 250 deg F. Cook for 2 hours. Turn oven off and leave the Pavlova in the oven, with door closed, overnight or until the oven is cold. (Do not open the oven at any point during the cooking or cooling. Not even a quick peak!! This may cause the Pav to fall.)

Cut around the top of the Pav with a sharp knife and allow the top to drop into the Pav. This forms a shell for the cream. Fill with whipped cream and decorate with fruit or topping of your choice.

I usually cover the whole Pavlova with cream without cutting the top – however, the cream can weaken the top and the heavy fruit can cause it to collapse – if you put the cream and fruit on right before you eat it…and don’t travel a long distance in the car…it should be ok!

For whipped cream topping

Whip at least a pint of whipping cream, a tbsp of sugar (more sugar if you want it sweeter), and a little vanilla essence till the cream has stiff peaks. Spread over Pav.

Enjoy!

Here is my other recipe: Pavlova Recipe

Pavlova

I made this one - it has chocolate shavings

So many people want the recipe for Pavlova once they have tasted it. So...here is an easy recipe for this New Zealand dessert. So long as you acknowledge that Pavlova was invented in New Zealand (NOT Australia!) we will remain friends forever.


Pavlova Recipe

Ingredients:

4 egg whites (use 5 eggs if they are small) 

1 cup of sugar 

2 Tablespoons cornstarch 

1 tspoon white vinegar

1 tspoon vanilla 

3/4 Pint of heavy whipping cream. You may need a little more - see below. You should probably sweeten the cream how you like it with a little vanilla essence, sugar (or powdered sugar). 

Any amount of:

Strawberries

Kiwifruit

Blueberries

(Any other colorful berries that you like)

Shavings of chocolate if you love chocolate (who doesn't?)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 250 F or 110 C

2. Prepare the oven tray (flat surface) by covering with aluminum foil (or a baking mat) and spray with a cooking spray (Pam). 

3. Beat the egg whites until stiff/dry. Make sure that you have no trace of yolk in the whites - Pavlova will not work with even the smallest amount of yolk mixed in. Room temperature eggs are easier to beat.

4. Slowly pour in the sugar while you continue beating. Keep beating until the sugar is dissolved. You can feel or taste the grains of sugar if they are not dissolved.

5. Slowly mix in cornstarch, vanilla, and vinegar (it is the vinegar that makes the Pavlova soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside).

6. Pile the stiff mixture onto the foil and form into the shape you want to see in the end. (See the picture to the right) Once in the oven, the Pavlova will expand and then shrink down a little. The best shape is a round, 4 inch high cake-like shape. Use your spatula to form the mixture into this shape.

7. Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, then turn off the oven. Under no circumstances should you open the oven and take a peak!!! The Pavlova will collapse!

8.  Leave the Pavlova in the oven until it is cool.

9. Once cool, carefully remove the foil from the bottom of the Pavlova and place it on a flat plate. Cover with cream (any cracks can be covered and no one will know!) You can either put the cream on the top, or if you have cracking, feel free to cover the whole thing with cream (you might need a little extra cream if you are covering the whole thing.)

10. Now you are ready to decorate the Pavlova with your fruit. Sprinkle chocolate if you like, or just keep to the fruit.

This Pavlova was made using a spring-form pan lined with parchment paper. Mine never end up this perfectly and high...but I bet it is fabulous. It looks like this one was made with 6 egg whites. The cream has also been piped onto the top

Now check out this one with raspberry and chocolate swirls. Yum! This chef was unconcerned about the cracks - it tastes so good that it really doesn't matter:

My Pavs usually look something like this:

...someone here has gone all out!

The best thing is to let your creative skills shine. The Pav. is a very light dessert and tastes so good - Don't hold back on your decorating.

Here is a side view of the typical thickness of your finished Pav.


Now you are officially an honorary New Zealander, and can refer to your Pavlova as a "Pav" just like the best of all Kiwis.

Voila! The Pavlova - named after Anna Pavlova - a Russian ballet dancer who visited New Zealand and Australia in the 1920's.

It is VERY important for you to know that Pavlova was invented in New Zealand and NOT Australia. Wars have been known to start over lesser things!!


Here is my High Altitude recipe: Pavlova - High Altitude

Pavlova

Here is a Pavlova I made for dinner last night - We have been staying with dear friends Ivar and Ann Elizabeth in Kristiansand:

...and here we are visiting an old church - nearly 1000 years old near where we are staying:

...in an hour or so, we are going to Bergen for a Reform Norge (Norway) conference. Reform Norway Conference

Here is Bergen:

Waitangi Day

Today is Waitangi Day in New Zealand - although yesterday was Feb. 6th in NZ, but I am celebrating today.

Waitangi Day celebrates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. This treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire and gave the Maori rights as subjects of the British crown. Over 500 Maori chiefs signed this founding document of New Zealand.

The day is filled with cultural performances, speeches, naval salutes, food and fun:

Here they are opening up a hangi (food cooked in the ground - yummy!)

and the ever-present Pavlova

 The Ngatokimatawhaorua, one of the world's largest Maori ceremonial wake (war canoe), sits on the grounds at Waitangi. The 70-year-old wake was refurbished and relaunched for the celebrations in 2010. The enormous wooden vessel holds 80 paddlers and 55 passengers

Happy Waitangi Day to all Kiwis around the world...and all honorary Kiwis -

our friends and loved ones

Meri Kirihimete

"Meri Kirihimete" is "Merry Christmas in Maori -

the language of the Maori people of New Zealand.

We grew up celebrating Christmas holidays at the beach, as this is the middle of the Summer Down Unda. We had to spray fake snow on our windows to get some sort of "Christmas feeling." Santa is known as 

Father Christmas:

I remember seeing Santa arrive at our water ski club on two skis - he fell off and his beard floated on top of the water. At that moment, I had my big revelation that Santa was a fake...Oh well, it comes to the best of us.


A most beautiful native tree flowers in December, and is known as the New Zealand Christmas tree - 

Pohutukawa:

Favorite Christmas meals include Turkey or ham, but the dessert is the crowning jewel of NZ cuisine (named after the famed Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova) -

The PAVLOVA:

Both Christmas Day and Boxing Day are celebrated as National holidays. It gives more time for celebrations, cricket:

Surfing:

...and swimming with dolphins that like to hang out with my family who live in Papamoa