NOT a food blog
There was a time when I wanted to do everything listed on the Lonely Planet guide when on vacation. I’d religiously make up detailed itineraries together with distance, time travelled and what gear to use when driving up Mount Cook. But when you think about it, would it make a difference after taking the 15,267th picture of the Sydney Opera House with the sun setting behind the Harbour Bridge at 6.30 in the evening with your mug blocking the entire bridge and a silhouette of yourself against the setting sun which prevents anyone from seeing that cheesy smile? Bookings? What bookings? Go with the flow. Add the element of surprise (like hey, we’re fully booked tonight, care to sleep on the lawn?). Now, I am quite happy to just laze by the pool, get a tan, and consider it a good day. It is about reflection and time spent with the ones you care about. It is about creating memories, not necessarily on kodak paper.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Invariably, when one is in Australia, one eats pavlova. Even better, one makes pavlova. With all the hints left in my previous posts, I knew I had to at least try to make a pav by myself. And what better setting than the view of the sea in the distance, a cold breeze, and Chopin for inspiration?.
Four egg whites were used for this recipe. After beating the whites in an electric mixer until stiff peaks were formed, I added a cup of castor sugar, little by little, ensuring that the sugar was completely dissolved, creating a beautiful white gloss. I also added a teaspoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract just before adding the sugar.
Plonk the mixture onto a baking sheet….
And using a spatula, spread it into a circle. It’s best to make furrows along the side, as straight as possible, as these furrows add stability while baking. Bake it at 180C for 5 minutes, then turn heat down to 120C for 60 minutes.
While waiting, go outdoors and toss a ball to Casper….
Unless, of course, Casper refuses to budge.
After an hour, with the scent of vanilla wafting in the air, the meringue should be cooked. Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar (depending on the type of oven you’re using) to cool the meringue.
About an hour before serving, whip some cream with a spoonful of sugar, and spread it on the meringue. Then decorate with fresh fruits.
See the marshmallowy centre and the crisp exterior? I LOVE MY PAV!
Food, for me, is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
Food, for me, represents the love of family, the fellowship of friends, and the community and communality it brings.
cumi&ciki
September 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am
the girl bakes too.. and the pav looks simply spectacular… that shot of the doggie’s nose is too cute!
ok, so now, fbb and u lemongrass should have that moment on the show, “the F word”, that face-off, where 2 slices of PAV are served… and I (haha) try them and see which one is better! can?! hahahahaha.. oh common, i just wanna try your pav.. and fbb’s … please… 😉
fatboybakes
September 10th, 2008 at 9:57 am
good, now you dont have to bug me to make pavs anymore. ciki, she’s better than me anyday. trumps me hands down. ask her to make for you….;)
fatboybakes
September 10th, 2008 at 9:59 am
guffaw, did i read, “get a tan”? hmmmm…….. [letting imagination run wild]
HairyBerry
September 10th, 2008 at 10:03 am
woah, chopin for inspiration wor…..
15,267th picture of the Sydney Opera House wor….
made a pavlova wor….
i’m so proud of you wor…. 😀
p/s: i agree with Cumi & Ciki!!! can i be that french guy who announces the winner…Jean-Baptiste or something liddat… 😛
lotsofcravings
September 10th, 2008 at 10:17 am
haha wat better way to have a holiday then learn to bake with out disasters!!!
Life for Beginners
September 10th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Congratulations! FBB must be so proud. 😀
William H
September 10th, 2008 at 10:52 am
This is sin…. so many so many sin in your blog.. haha…..
i miss all those food… especially the cake … can i please… i want a bite….
Lyrical Lemongrass
September 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
cumi&ciki: Aiyah, this is like pitting the burger boy downstairs against Gordon Ramsay la. Oh, I’m sure FBB will bake you a cake. All you gotta do is say when. 😀
fatboybakes: Sarky. 😛 You still my guru lar. As for the tan…hehe….it’s all relative, isnt it?
HairyBerry: So sweet of you. As I am proud of you…wor. 😛 Dun worry lar…you’ll be trying my cake sooner than you think. But it WON’T be an opera. (sure pengsan wan)
lotsofcravings: it’s the air, i tell ya! (and Miele) (and a fantastic teacher)
Life for Beginners: Thanks..I’m sure beneath his gruff exterior, he’s damn proud of me. 😛
William H: Food is nutritious…where got sin wan? 😛
fatboybakes
September 10th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
gruff exterior? whose gruff exterior? i can show you a pock marked posterior though…
Lyrical Lemongrass
September 10th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
fatboybakes: As much as we’re friends of the year, I think we shall keep certain aspects of our bodies to ourselves.
myCoffee
September 10th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Lovely and delicious-looking cake! Btw, is that MS yours? Cute!
William H
September 10th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
🙁 on diet now….
msiagirl
September 10th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Dis pav so aesthetically pleasing, did you design this shape? Great baking LL! Cmon FBB, proud to have inspired this moment!
sc
September 10th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
looks absolutely gorgeous! is this a first time effort? think you can start selling your pavs already 🙂
Lyrical Lemongrass
September 10th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
myCoffee: It IS delicious!! 🙂 And sadly, MS not mine. Wish he were, though. He belongs to uncle and aunt.
William H: Awww. Don’t forget to treat yourself occasionally!
msiagirl: Yeah, it’s pretty, isn’t it? I think it’s all those colours! Strawberries and kiwifruit and passionfruit! Oh, I’m sure FBB’s proud of me lar. 😛
sc: Yes, it’s a first time effort. And no, I’ll leave the selling to the experts. (FBB and JH boys!) Hehe.
Argus back in CH
September 11th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Whoa! Great pav, woman. Now you can make egg tarts as well.
😉
MS stands for mini Schnauzer, ke? My niece has one, too, and he yawns on command (besides other useless but entertaining tricks my bro has taught him).
Steveky
September 11th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Bloody hell LL – you’re putting us all the shame. The finished product was a treat to behold and the pictures of the unbaked meringue made me just wanna lick the beaters like we used to do when we were kids. FBB – we got competition!
(When is someone going to invent a low calarie pav…?)
I’ve never thought of the ridges before – great idea LL.
Nate
September 11th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Nice looking pav! What kind of seeds are those garnishing the other fruit – passion fruit?
I was thinking there needs to be some color inside the meringue – lemon zest perhaps?
Tummythoz
September 11th, 2008 at 9:39 am
U asked for pav, u get a beautiful one. Then at 1st attempt u baked a gorgeous one. Waaaay blessed, LL!
Life for Beginners
September 11th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Gruff exterior? Where got? FBB’s so fuzzy-wuzzy and cuddly-wuddly. You just need to hug him more.
passerby
September 11th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
the pavlova looks amazing =) but, if im not mistaken, pavlova is actually a new zealander thing rather than Australian. A kiwi once told me that during previous generations, an idea of a good wife is measured by the quality of her pavlova =) I found that pretty amusing.
fatboybakes
September 11th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
steveky, she must be exterminated… we cant have people swarming the planet making beautiful pavs!!!! sheesh!!!
low calorie pav? well, actually, its only the sugar aint it that’s the killer? and the bummer is you cant really reduce that!
LFB, gufffawwww, what you trying to do, ruin my image?!!! gruff, gruff…
J2Kfm
September 11th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
haha, your Casper so farny lah …. esp the comment on he refused to budge. come come.. intro to my Lulu? =P
daphne
September 11th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
wah! Well done! It looks pretty as well-U succeeded in your first pav!!!!
ling239
September 11th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
this is so pretty !!!!
can i have a slice pls……^_^
Steveky
September 12th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Oh oh… now I’m not one to fan the fires of Australia-New Zealand rivalry, but seeing as how Passerby brought it up…
Everyone agrees that the pavlova was named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, right?
We Aussies reckon that a bloke named Bert Sachse invented the dish at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth, in 1935.
But some Professor from the University of Otago – with nothing better to do – reckons that she has found a recipe in New Zealand dating from 1929. Problem is, no-one has actually laid eyes on the supposed scrap of paper.
Let’s settle this in a gentlemanly way. You can have Russell Crow, Split Enz and Crowded House back – and we’ll keep the Pav.
PS: FBB… I think it might be too late for us to patent the Pav, but we can try!
Precious Pea
September 12th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
You mean you can’t bake cookies here and you can make Pav there???? OH MY GOD! I should have followed you to Sydney! Haha! Casper is soo cute!!!
mimid3vils
September 12th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Get to know Pav when I read ur blog, wish I can try it too 🙂
Qisthina
September 12th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
OMG I love pavlova! I had my first pavlova when I was in Singapore 😀
Where can I get nice pavlovas in KL, besides from you?
😉
Riz Ainuddin
September 13th, 2008 at 1:30 am
meena, that looks awesomely good babe.
Kiran
September 13th, 2008 at 3:36 am
love meringues! you are very talented in photography. try featuring more of your personal recipes/baking or cooking. your Casper is adorably cute!
keropokman
September 13th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
i think when i balik kampung to help mummy bake chinese new year cookies next year, i shall attempt this too!
it is so much tastier than having all sorts of dishes with egg whites in it. LOL (egg whites with kacang panjang, soup with egg whites flower, etc…)
JOjo
September 13th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Hey Dear. Happy Belated Birthday~
I’m now in Beijing and clinical studies is not fun, at all. =(
Life is different now, will talk to u more abt it ok?
Till then.
ps: You’re blessed~
wmw
September 13th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
First attempt? Wow, looks like those on showcase! Great job!
Sis-in-law
September 14th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
wow(10x)! So can I have one for MY next birthday? 😀
Nigel
September 15th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Well done love. The Pav looks gorgeous. Texture of meringue looks perfect. So when you making for us? 😉 Allan will want some too! 😉
Henry Yeo
September 15th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Oh dear!!!
Looks like everyone wants a slice of your Pavlova.
How about a career change?
Jun
September 15th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
DID U ACTUALLY TAKE THE FIRST PIC!!!??? omfg. i swear i’m gonna take photography lessons from u from now on.
eh why la ppl go holiday to relax, u go holiday to make pavs pula -__-
Barbie
September 16th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
WOOOOWWWW! That means now I get to bug u for pavlovas… hahahaha…. Eh, u really made that yourself???? Serious???!!!
tigerfish
September 17th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Can you make one for me ?
Casper is cute. I have a miniature schnauzer too 🙂
teckiee
September 18th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
woahhh.. your pav looks favb! .. hahah …hmm making that shape looks hard…
Sam
September 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
That’s a beauty of a pavlova! And Casper is incredibly incredibly cute LOL.