Ingredients:
4 egg whites (at room temperature)
1 Cup(s) sugar, castor
1 Tablespoon(s) vinegar |
Directions: With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form,then gradually add the sugar (about 1 t every 30 seconds). This willtake around 15 minutes. Beat until firm. Add the vinegar. Whencombined, turn out onto a flat baking sheet that has been greased anddusted with cornflour. Shape it so that there will be a hollow in thecentre to hold the fruit.Cook in a pre-heated, warm oven (350-375 degrees F.) for 10 minutes,then at 200-250 degrees F. for 40-50 mins.When cooked, turn the oven off and allow to cool slowly in the ovenfor at least an hour, preferably overnight. Gradual cooling isimportant. Serve cold, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit suchas strawberries, bananas and kiwi fruit.NOTES:* Pavlova (Australian meringue dessert) -- This is a quintessentiallyAustralian dish. The legend behind it is that it was created by achef in Adelaide after he had seen Anna Pavlova dance, saying that hewanted to create a dessert that was as light and airy as her dancing.Australians pride themselves on their ability to cook a good Pavlova.When important visitors come to an Australian household, they arelikely to be served a Pavlova with plenty of fresh fruit. There aremany variations on the recipe. This one comes from my friend JanetWiles. Yield: Serves 6-8.* Castor sugar is known in North America as "granulated sugar."Cornflour is likewise "cornstarch." The higher temperature initiallyis to form a crust on the outside of the meringue base, it should becrisp on the outside, though not browned, and soft inside. It'simportant that the beaters and the bowl are really dry and clean.Uneven temperatures will cause the base to collapse (keep the ovendoor closed and let it cool slowly). Experienced Pavlova cooks claimthat electric ovens work best because they heat more uniformly.Difficulty: moderate. Time: 30 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking,1 or more hours cooling. Precision: Measure the ingredients.Janet Wiles (Janetw@basser.oz), Sydney University, AustraliaTranscribed by Kathy Morris (morris@diablo.ARPA), Stanford UniversityCopyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust |
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