Thursday, January 27, 2011

Happy Straya Day everyone!


I hope you all had as good a day as I did. We spent it shopping (Chatswood Chase has brilliant airconditioning), eating dumplings (New Shanghai - it's the Kitty's favourite place to dumpling), swimming in the pool, eating lamb burgers (how very Aussie of us) and the mandatory making and eating of the Pavlova. What a great way to spend our National Holiday!


I am a recent convert to making Pavlovas. I never used to make them, being desperately afraid that it would flop, crack, burn, weep... But I stumbled across a fantastic recipe from Not Quite Nigella that makes wonderful pavlovas every time. I made these as small pavs but you could easily make a large one. NQN puts the cream inside the meringue, I didn't have the patience this time, opting to pile the cream on top and stud it with strawberry, banana and passionfruit.


It's absolutely delicious: lovely and crisp on the outside, beautifully marshmallowy on the inside. It's just a few minutes of beating and hey presto - a fabulously moreish desert. I make them the night before, cooking them for an hour then switching the oven off and going to bed, letting them cool naturally in the oven. If you haven't made a pav this week I highly recommend you get out your kitchenaid and give this recipe a go!


Kitty

7 comments:

Sarah said...

Miss Kitts... LOVING your Pav... I have to check out the recipe for sure. We had lamb too as good (adopted) Australians!! xx.

TheStylishShoeGirl said...

Your heading had me in fits of laughter!
That pavlova looks like a photo from a recipe book! YUMMMM!!!!!!
Unfortunately, I spent 10 hours in the office yesterday. Not sure if that's Australian or unAustralian??!!
x

Miss Kitty-Cat said...

Lamb and pavlova are the only things that Strayans should eat on Straya Day, Sarah!

SSG - the pav is the easiest thing in the world. And so delicious. I think working yesterday falls into the category of Un-Australian :(

Paula said...

In case the photo above shows a Pavlova you actually made: I am so impressed! I need to make Pavlovas, too. I might just have to fine the right substitute for Strawberries since their season starts in May in Austria.

Miss Kitty-Cat said...

Yes, it's one I made Paula! They are so easy! We are lucky enough to be able to get strawberries all year around here in Australia, but I find I can use fruit that's in season too: bananas, peaches, cherries, any berry... Unfortunately winter fruit doesn't really suit a pavlova but another Australian thing to do is cover the whipped cream in peppermint crisp. My grandmother used to do it and I have a bit of a hankering for it now. And the best thing - peppermint crisps are always in season!

Julia @ Boredom Abounds said...

Ooh, that looks delicious! I've never tried to make one, but it seems simple enough. I like the idea of making little individual ones though - easier to manage when serving up!

Not Quite Nigella said...

Aww yay so glad that you made them and liked the recipe! I love it because it always works and when you're making a pavlova, it's the worst feeling when you've waited for so long for it not to! happy Straaayla day! :P