Australian Pavlova - January International Dessert Recipe

I've lived in Australia twice, the Lucky Land, as it's called by the Aussies. I consider myself extremely lucky to have lived there, for sure. Their signature dessert is called Pavlova, and trust me, I sampled it whenever and wherever it turned up. It is fabulous. The Aussies shorten many words in their Strine language, and Pavlova is no exception. It is affectionately called Pav.

We had a party going on one night in our apartment in Belmont, Victoria, Australia and there came a knock at the door connecting us to the landlord's apartment. I braced myself for a scolding because of of the noise we were making with our music and partying, but instead our landlady, a lovely older woman was standing on the other side of the door with a huge Pavlova. "I thought you might like a Pav for your party", she said with a huge smile. That's what I call loving your neighbor!

The legend goes that Pavlova was first created in 1925 by Chef Herbert Sachse of the Hotel Esplanade in Perth, Western Australia, to celebrate the visit of the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. The Pavlova is essentially a large meringue with a light, delicate, crisp crust and soft, sweet center. The variation on America meringue is the additon of white vinegar and cornflour which gives the insides a marshmallowy texture.

Pavlova is served with a crown of freshly whipped cream topped with a wide choice of toppings. The most traditional topping is passionfruit, but it is totally up to you what you want to use. Mangoes, strawberries, kiwifruit, bananas, papaya, you decide. Fresh fruit is the best,and canned or frozen also works well, but I also had it with chopped up chocolate mints, and that was also yummy. Even rhubarb can be used. All delicious. You can get the recipe on the Internet, or you can buy my International Dessert Recipe Calendar - Pavlova is just one of 12 decadent dessert in my calendar.
You can order your own copy on my website: http://www.annejantz.com.