4 egg whites (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar, castor
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cornflour
Directions
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form,
then gradually add the sugar (about 1 t every 30 seconds). This will
take around 15 minutes. Beat until firm. Add the vinegar. When
combined, turn out onto a flat baking sheet that has been greased and
dusted with cornflour. Shape it so that there will be a hollow in the
centre to hold the fruit.
Cook in a pre-heated, warm oven (350-375 degrees F.) for 10 minutes,
then at 200-250 degrees F. for 40-50 mins.
When cooked, turn the oven off and allow to cool slowly in the oven
for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Gradual cooling is
important. Serve cold, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit such
as strawberries, bananas and kiwi fruit.
NOTES:
* Pavlova (Australian meringue dessert) -- This is a quintessentially
Australian dish. The legend behind it is that it was created by a
chef in Adelaide after he had seen Anna Pavlova dance, saying that he
wanted to create a dessert that was as light and airy as her dancing.
Australians pride themselves on their ability to cook a good Pavlova.
When important visitors come to an Australian household, they are
likely to be served a Pavlova with plenty of fresh fruit. There are
many variations on the recipe. This one comes from my friend Janet
Wiles. Yield: Serves 6-8.
* Castor sugar is known in North America as "granulated sugar."
Cornflour is likewise "cornstarch." The higher temperature initially
is to form a crust on the outside of the meringue base, it should be
crisp on the outside, though not browned, and soft inside. It's
important that the beaters and the bowl are really dry and clean.
Uneven temperatures will cause the base to collapse (keep the oven
door closed and let it cool slowly). Experienced Pavlova cooks claim
that electric ovens work best because they heat more uniformly.
: Difficulty: moderate.
: Time: 30 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking, 1 or more hours
cooling. : Precision: Measure the ingredients.
:
: Janet Wiles (Janetw@basser.oz), Sydney University, Australia
: Transcribed by Kathy Morris (morris@diablo.ARPA), Stanford
University
: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
Servings: 6 servings
Pavlova I Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Australian
The History of Recipes
We can read the history of written recipes way back into antiquity, in truth as far back into recorded history as early Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, in the main part, these old cook books were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
In fact, the most ancient recipe found, according to experts in ancient history are some ancient tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel blissful and exhilarated. Later on, there were a couple of interesting cookery books which were published in the fourteenth century : a book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, these two books are unconnected to the indian food that is served today, but rather recipes for the types of food on the tables of the wealthy. For the next few years, the rich and powerful families of Europe tried to serve the most extravagent meals, and as a result the best cooks and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Notwithstanding that, it was during the nineteenth century that haute cuisine and cookery books really came of age. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, devoted their lives to collating, verifying, and writing down recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. By the advent of the twentieth century, cookery publications are increasing in popularity mostly as a result of increased literacy, more leisure time and a general increase in wealth. The introduction of the TV brings us celebrity chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everyone to access thousands of recipes like those on the site you are now reading. |
We hope you enjoy this Pavlova I recipe.
