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[Photo by Jonah Manning]

Pavlova is considered the ultimate Australian meringue dessert, even though it was probably invented by a New Zealand hotel chef in 1926. One thing Australians and New Zealanders do agree upon is that this splendidly light, crisp and foamy concoction was created to commemorate the time when the legendary Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova graced our shores on her world tour.

I always find Pavlova to be a hit. Unlike other food trends, their popularity with Australians (and even those abroad) has not waned.

The addition of passionfruit pulp is all-important; the tart quality of this tropical fruit provides a perfect foil to the sugary meringue. Passionfruit are plentiful and inexpensive in Australia. They are easy to grow in this Southern Cali climate (although they do need several weeks to ripen on the vine), but they are fairly difficult to find. Gelsons usually stocks passionfruit at $2-3 apiece. Ouch! If you decide to bear the exorbitant cost, pick ones that are wrinkly, but that don’t look too dried up.

Pavlova is made by beating egg whites and cream of tartar to a very stiff consistency. You then add superfine sugar, fold in the vanilla, vinegar and cornflour then slow-bake the mixture to create a large meringue cake. The slow-cooking creates a crisp, crunchy shell on the outside of the pavlova, while the interior remains soft and moist.

[Photo by Pauline]

Recipe follows.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
a pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup superfine sugar
1 t(easpoon) cornflour
1 t white wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
1 t vanilla essence (or scrape the seeds from one dried vanilla pod.)

About ½ pint heavy cream, whipped
the pulp of 2-3 passionfruit
1-2 bananas, sliced or sliced strawberries (optional)

Method:

TIP: Ensure your oven is preheated for at least 10 mins before cooking. 250F / 130 C. Have all your ingredients measured and laid out before you commence. Eggs should be at room temperature and carefully separated, with no trace of yolk. Maybe make some chocolate pots de creme or sauce sabayon or mayonnaise with those yolks…

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar, building to high speed, until they are stiff and soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, a little at a time, beating well to dissolve each addition.
Add the cornflour with the last amount of sugar. Meringue will be smooth and glossy.
By hand, gently fold in the vinegar and the vanilla, lifting as you go to preserve the fluffiness of the meringue.

Use a sandwich tray, covered with lightly greased baking paper.
Pile the meringue in the middle of the tray, shaping the mixture into as high a dome as possible, or pie shell shape, as preferred.

TIP: Meringue will expand a little bit and crack as it is cooking. It may also sink a bit in the middle once cooled, but that’s the part you fill with cream, anyway.

Cook at 250F / 130C degrees for 1 & ½ hours. Turn off heat and let cool in oven for a further two or so hours.

Some people recommend turning the ‘pav’ upside down onto a serving plate before decorating, if you want a flat surface to work on. I think this idea is nuts — part of the appeal is the crisp outer shell which will become soggy when inverted.

Once cold, decorate with whipped cream (lightly sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla essence) and passionfruit pulp. Also fresh, sliced strawberries or sliced bananas, if you really want to go overboard.

Serve to appreciative ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’

Thanks to my fellow foodbloggers for assisting me with their photos.

EXPERT TIPS:

Here are some things to know about successfully making meringue:

1 Have all ingredients measured and ready before you start (aka mise en place)

2 Preheat your oven

3 Use superfine sugar

4 Your separated eggs should be at room temperature and carefully separated, with no trace of yolk. This is crucial. Egg yolk in your white means they won’t whip up light and fluffy.

5 Make sure your electric beater bowl and beaters are clean and DRY

6 Beat the whites slowly then increase speed until they stand in stiff peaks. They should hold their shape in the end of the beater, but don’t over beat or the whites will become dry.

6a Incorporate sugar only until dissolved — you can pinch some of the meringue mixture and rub it between your fingers to feel if there are any sugar granules left undissolved

7 As soon as the whites are beaten sufficiently, gradually add all the other ingredients, as per the recipe above, and then place your pavlova directly into the preheated oven. If you leave beaten egg whites sitting around, they will deflate.

8 Remember to pile the glossy meringue mixture into a high, round dome on the lightly greased plate or cookie sheet

9 Pavlovas need a fairly slow (low temp) oven in order to cook evenly. Do not try to hurry the cooking time. DO NOT open the oven door for hours! After it has cooked for an hour and a half, it needs to cool in the cooling oven for a further two or so hours.

10 Keep finished Pavlova away from draughts - and above all away from moisture — until you are ready to cover with cream and serve immediately.

11 This delicate dessert must be made and served on the same day. It does not keep.

12 I allow 1 & ½ hours for baking and about 3-4 or so hours for cooling within the *still closed* oven.

I then leave the pavlova somewhere cool and dry, leaving it uncovered or sometimes covered with a thin (i.e. not heavy) clean, dry teatowel (aka dishcloth), until it’s time to top with freshly whipped cream and fruit and serve immediately.

Pavlova FAQs

Q I wonder if it is possible to make smaller pavlovas, or if you need the size to get the crispy/chewy consistency?

A  Actually, it doesn’t work. I tried to do a smaller one once and all I got was a large-ish meringue. Crisp all the way through. It’s tough to adjust the cooking time for the smaller item, but I suppose it could be done… But then again, I think you really do need the large volume to get that foamy middle and crispy exterior.

::STOP PRESS::

If you have two egg whites kicking around, halve the remaining ingredients and cook for ONE hour, plus requisite cooling period.  I recently had a great success with a smaller pavlova!

Q  My sister made one some months back, but I don’t remember whether she used parchment to line the cookie sheet, and whether or not she greased it. Can I use a Silpat mat instead?

A  Hey — that’s an excellent question. Silpat does NOT work (unless you grease it, and who does that?)  I had much better results with a greased piece of parchment paper (I used butter) that is bigger than your pav. I think a little of the butter seeped into the meringue, but it was negligible. The pav is such a fragile dessert, you really don’t wanna have to wrestle it off the cooking sheet.

Although there’s no reason you can’t grease a silpat, it’s just that you wouldn’t think to do that. I think the reason people use parchment for Pavlovas is that you can draw a circle on it and try to pile your meringue (as high as possible/feasible) within that circle.

My Mum used to have this cool ceramic plate with the Pavlova recipe written on it, as well as said circle to guide how big to make it, that she then baked the pav on. Remember, pavlovas spread a bit as they cook. But the higher or more compact the “dome” of meringue is, the more foam you will get inside. If you do a shallower pile of meringue, you will probably get a crispier result.

Best of luck with it!  It certainly is a sensational dessert that people adore.

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past thirteen years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She completed a family cookbook and has also written novels for 8-12 year olds. She is the creator and host of ArtsBeatLA.