Mini Pavlova Extravaganzaaaaa!

Yay, yay, yay! I'm excited about this post! 

I have been sick four days now, with a cold, and have been cooped up in the house!

So today I bundled up in my eskimo boots and scarf and headed to the store to get the items I was lacking to make mini pavlovas! 

"What is pavlova, author of Girasole," you ask? Well dear readers...I will tell you...I have no idea. I just know that it is a delicious dessert. 

But to give a little background...I'll steal the answer from the blog I took this recipe from...one of my favorite follows, myculinarycanvas.com

No one entirely knows who first created Pavlova, but it was introduced to the food scene after a “Russian prima ballerina named Anna Matveyevna Pavlova (1881-1931), toured both Australia and New Zealand in 1926 and Australia again in 1929. Anna Pavlova was considered the greatest ballerina of her time and her visit to New Zealand has been described as “the chief event of 1926.” It was said “She does not dance; she soars as though on wings.” From this you get the sense that this is a light, airy dessert.” 

So there you are. That is what we know about this dessert. 

Here is one of the mini ones I made today...

hehe! Yummy!

If you want to make this full size, here is what it looks like, compliments to the lovely chef over at myculinarycanvas.com

Oooooooo pretty!

And now friends, here is the recipe! Do not be intimidated. This is a very simple recipe.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1 1/4 c. white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tsp. lemon juice (or juice from one fresh lemon)

2 tsp. cornstarch

Topping:

1 c. strawberries, sliced

2 kiwi, sliced and skin peeled

1 Tbs. sugar

For Whipping cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tsp almond extract (optional..I don't use it)

3 to 4 tsp of sugar (also optional - this gives the whipped cream a little bit of sweetness)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper(I never have this so I lightly spray the pan with PAM). Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Over-beaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.

Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building and piling the edge slightly (I recommend going even thicker of a pile than what is pictured). This should leave a slight depression in the center.

Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave pavlova undisturbed until completely cooled off. You can leave it there overnight or for another hour or two.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl place the sliced strawberries and sprinkle the 1 Tbsp. sugar over top and mix to coat all the berries. Refrigerate while pavlova is baking. Then in a chilled bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; add in the almond extract and powdered sugar if desired and beat additionally until well combined; set aside. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, strawberries, and kiwifruit slices.

I hope you try it! If you do please leave me comments on how it turned out!!!

Have a lovely Saturday friends!