Since I started the first Ma Vie En Rose on a meringue theme–let’s keep going shall we?

But first a few disclosures..

Fact #1: I’ve taken way too many photos throughout the years of the Pavlovas I’ve made. I should have organized them better on my phone. Lesson learned.

Fact #2: I suffer from selective laziness, and this usually surfaces when I am in no mood to conjure up a new dessert. I instead default to the easiest and most convenient dessert–my BFF and reliable Pav.

Fact #3: The Pavlova is a dessert named after the famous Russian Ballerina Anna Pavlova. There have been debates whether its origin is from Australia or New Zealand. Just recently, the Dessert Committee (I’m sure one exists in a sacred secret pastry society) may have ended this debate by proclaiming that its origin is from New Zealand. Either way, I am one of the many grateful recipients of this delectable concoction: a meringue based, topped with fresh whipped cream, fruit, and chocolate chards.

A bit of my history here–years ago, I came across the most beautiful British woman ever: Nigella Lawson. Granted, my encounter with her was only on the T.V. as she whipped her version of the grilled cheese sandwich (mozzarella in carozza), and I became intrigued by her recipes. Soon after, I bought all of her books (essay to follow later). One in particular, was “Forever Summer” and it featured recipes that could be easily followed.

 

Little did I know then that my love affair with the Pavlova began, and our game is still going strong today. I have issues with following recipes sometimes. In all honesty, sometimes I over add an ingredient—“oops that was too much of a teaspoon of vanilla,” or “oh crap, did I level that cup of flour correctly–meh, it’ll work,” or the best “oh shit, was that baking powder or baking soda?” But, with my Pav–there’s no worries of those ingredients, because she literally only has 5-7 ingredients in her repertoire.

Although, she does not carry with her a lot of baggage, I must say that similar to a love affair–there were moments when I wanted to call it off forever–but similar to psychotic lovers, I always return– making it even better than before.

To prove my point about our relationship, consider the following:

There have been moments when my patience has worn thin, but I found that patience comes along with the years.  I’ve learned not to rush the process, and in fact, if possible bake the meringue shell the night before and leave it in the oven (once you’ve turned it off, of course) overnight. With that said, I’ve also had to rush and make the Pav–and the hack that I’ve learned is to immerse the fridge cold eggs in warm water for several minutes–because you’ll need room temperature eggs to ensure that the meringue will reach its stiff peaks.

Another thought–I would have to say that the pavlova is best made during the summer when the berries and fruits are abundant.  I’ve attempted to make the pavlova with different fruits before, but those are rare. I once tried it with passion fruit, and well it looked like Pav had cockroach shit all over her. In avoidance of such crap, I default once again to laziness, and a devotion to simplicity: stick to what I know.

 

If your interested in the recipe, I’ve included in below: