My goodness. I actually did it–made my first Pavlova. And had so much fun doing so that I made another one in the same weekend!

Made the first one for my friend Jen’s birthday and the second one for the house, just to eat for ourselves, teehee. I am going bake-crazy, I swear. This is cheaper than therapy, haha!

So what is a Pavlova, you ask? Sometimes called “Pav”, it’s a layer of crisp meringue, topped with slightly sweetened whipped cream and crowned with fruit. The tartness of the fruit (usually different types of berries and kiwi, sometimes passion fruit and banana) is a refreshing contrast to the sweet cream and meringue. It’s a delicate dance of dueling flavors in your mouth.

And speaking of dance, this dessert was named after the famed ballerina Anna Pavlova. Ballet is one of my dear loves: as a spectator and as a student (never mind the falling on my big behind bit.) This is an extension of my interest in ballet and a tribute to the legendary grace of the most influential ballerina in history. I mean, just look at her:

Sigh.

The dessert was whipped up by a chef in New Zealand during Pavlova’s tour there in 1926. However, Australians also claim that it was first invented in their country, based on a cake made at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth. Whether this sweet concoction is New Zealandian (!) or Australian, I’m just glad someone made it!

The meringue layer is baked at a low heat for about an hour, and then the heat is turned off but the “cake” is left inside to cool for 6-8 hours. The slow cooling allows the meringue to firm up and prevents it from falling.

Supposedly, the cooling in the oven also prevents cracking, but the two times I did it, my meringue still cracked. I think I actually like how it cracked – and it gets covered up by yummy cream anyway!

A complete set of Pavlova pictures is on the GWAC Flickr account HERE. A few snapshots below.

Would you like to try your hand at a Pavlova? Don’t be intimidated! It’s easier than it looks. For a good recipe, do a search on “easy pavlova” over at Allrecipes.com. And if you’re reading this back home in the Philippines, make one with our famous mangoes and send me pictures! How yummy would that be?!?