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LIFESTYLE

IN THE KITCHEN WITH TERRY PAULDING

Terry Paulding
Owner, Paulding & Company
July 2007

A trip to any farmers market these heady days of summer will tempt any fruit loving person beyond reason. It’s a bumper crop year, and the question of what do I want to buy, rapidly turns into what can I bear to leave behind. If I get boysenberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, etc., can I use them all before they spoil? I always end up bringing home too much, and looking for inventive ways to showcase the gorgeous fruit.

When you start with such gems, there is little need for complex recipes. Here’s one that has several advantages. It’s easy to make, you can do most of it in advance, and it tastes sublime. It’s named in honor of a visit by the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who visited both Australia or New Zealand around 1926. Both countries claim the dessert as their own, but the version below is from the Edmonds Cookery Book, NZ, which itself has been around for a long time—my 2001 copy is the 49th printing, and the book jacket claims 3,000,000 copies have been sold. No doubt there is one in every home in New Zealand.

I’ve found Pavlova listed on some restaurant menus where there are expert pastry chefs in residence, but none of their versions compares to this one. The meringue base (what better to honor a ballerina?) melts in your mouth, a fleeting, ethereal beauty in itself. Top it with a generous amount of whipped cream and fruit just before you serve it, to preserve it’s delicate texture.

Pavlova

Edmonds Cookery Book (NZ)

Yield: 6 servings

1) Preheat oven to 300°F.

2) Measure out all the ingredients for the meringue, placing the egg whites in the mixer bowl and everything else separately. If the egg whites are cold, warm them briefly, either by placing the mixing bowl in another bowl of hot tap water, or above a stove flame (you have to use a clean finger to stir if you do this, or risk cooking the egg whites).

3) Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff. Add water and beat again. Add sugar very gradually while still beating. Slow beater and add vinegar, vanilla and cornstarch. Beat to combine well.

4) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9-inch circle (or make it oval to fit your favorite platter) on a piece of parchment paper and then turn it over. Spread the meringue to within an inch of the edge of the circle, keeping the shape as round and even as possible. Smooth top surface over. Bake for 45 minutes, then leave to cool in the oven for at least half an hour. If making ahead, store in an air-tight container for up to a day.

5) While the meringue is cooking, wash and prepare the fruit, and whip the cream to soft peaks.

6) Just before serving, carefully lift the meringue onto a serving plate. Top lavishly with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Cut portions for each diner.

Terry Paulding is President of Paulding & Company, a Creative Kitchen, 1410 D 62nd Street in Emeryville. Please be sure to visit her website at www.pauldingandco.com. You can sign up for her monthly e-mail newsletter with food news and recipes.