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Strictly speaking, Collins English Dictionary describes the pavlova as: "a meringue cake topped with whipped cream and fruit, popular in Australia and New Zealand. Often shortened (Australian, informal) to pav." But what's the Australian connection? It's simple: so impressed where the Australians (some say the New Zealanders) with Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova's solo performance in Swan Lake when she toured the countries in 1926, that they decided to create and name the fruity-meringue dessert in honour of her.
Although a Pavlova sounds like the simplest dessert – meringue base filled with cream and topped with fruit – getting it right is an exact science. Most important is achieving the right consistency for the meringue base so that it's crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. Herbert Sachse, chef at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth, and who is credited with inventing the dessert, added cornflour and vinegar to the basic egg whites and meringue to 'soften; it, saying "I had always regretted that the meringue cake was too hard and crusty, so I set out to create something that would have a crunchy top and would cut like a marshmallow."
Topping & Filling
Pavlova is traditionally topped with passionfruit (or so the legend goes), but you can use strawberries, bananas, kiwis, grapes, gooseberries, sliced mango, chopped pineapple – in fact any fruit you like. And no-one's going to say no to a sprinkling of chopped nuts or shavings of the best dark chocolate you can find.
To fill the base you can use fresh whipped cream, but you'll be loved by all if you whip your cream to medium peaks and fold in 3 tbsp crème fraîche or sour cream; 2 tbsp sugar and about 5 tbsp fresh raspberry juice or fruit Liquor (Cointreau or Cassis come to mind). If that's not your thing, add a small amount of cocoa powder to the cream before whipping, or fold in chocolate shavings or crushed brandy snap pieces minutes before serving (not earlier or it will all melt). You could also use Chantilly Cream, cream cheese, custard or ice cream instead of or with cream, of course.
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Tips of the day |  |
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Thicker pavlova
The taller and thicker the pavlova, the better. Around 15cm should be ideal. This allows the texture to be creamy in the centre.
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