Pavlova with Whipped Cream and Fresh Fruit

When I was an exchange student in Belgium, my best friend was Hannah from Australia. Hannah told me stories of inside-out seasons (Christmas on the beach?! That could blow a Canadian girl’s mind!), taught me important exchange-student life skills (like which Belgian beers were the strongest, and how to stuff your rapidly expanding exchange-student ass into your tiny pants), and introduced me the Australian delights of Tim Tams, Anzac biscuits, and Pavlova. I make Pavlova on occasion, and always think lovingly of my favorite Aussie, somewhere out there on the upside-down side of the world.

Pavlova is a traditional to Australians and New Zealanders that was apparently created in honour of the ballerina Anna Pavlova, when she toured in those parts. It is basically a delicate mountain of whipped meringue. After being baked under low heat, the outside shell gets crunchy, the top gets browned, but the inside stays chewy and soft – like creamy fresh marshmallow. It then gets piled high with softly whipped cream and fresh fruit. The result is dreamy, with the consistency of a cream-smothered cloud.

For a dessert with quite an impressive appearance (and taste), it is ridiculously quick and easy to create. All you have to do is beat some egg whites in a standing mixer with cream of tarter until stiff peaks form. Slowly add some sugar (Aussies use Castor sugar, which is very fine white sugar – I use regular white sugar and it does a lovely job), some cornstarch, a dash of vinegar (to stabilize the whites) and vanilla. Mound it all in into a circle on a greased and floured baking sheet, or pile it into a springform pan. The baking part takes the longest – it needs about an hour and fifteen minutes. While it is cooling, whip some cream (I add some sour cream, a touch of sugar, and vanilla – you could equally use cocoa and sugar for a chocolatey version), and slice some fruit. If you’re using fruit that browns quickly, toss it in a splash of lemon juice. Top the meringue with a blanket of whipped cream, then decorate it with the fruit as you choose. If you’ve got the attention span, concentric circles are impressive looking. But a you can easily just heap it on, which I think is also attractive – particularly if you’re using just one type of fruit, like raspberries, or pomegranate.