Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Christmas Dinner- The Australian Classic Pavlova!

Oops.. this post is way overdue but I have no idea why time passes sooo quickly as one gets older. Darn!



on Christmas day, we were invited to a lovely family potluck dinner. It's quite a mix and match-with people bringing all kinds of food (i.e. steamed yam cake, sticky date pudding muffins, prawns, bee hoon, fried rice, glutinous rice, sausages...etc). Not forgetting the classic....Baked Ham with a Chinese twist (honey 5 spiced baked ham!)



What I enjoyed most? Looking at the children's faces as they open their presents.

My contribution? Classic Australian Pavlova of course. In all honesty, this was the first time I made a pav so I was really nervous about it. Especially after seeing the great pav of Have your cake and eat it too and Lyrical Lemongrass. Still, I wouldn't say my first attempt is an absolute failure...

Pav was sitting sooooo pretty in the oven when I removed it the next morning. And the itcy hands of mine decided to assemble it 1 hr BEFORE the the dinner.



First lesson learnt- Having abit of patience and cutting fruits into smaller pieces AND placing less fruits on pav reduces the chance of it being smashed..

Second lesson learnt- There is a reason why it is best to assemble the pav just before serving!

Third lesson learnt- *knock daphne's head*- pav, cream and heat doesnt go together. The fridge is your best friend at that point.

Forth Lesson learnt- Thou shall not transport pav with toppings. Keep them seperate. Be prepared for a destructed pav if you do so.

Well well, at least the pav was crisp on the outside and mashmellowy on the inside.



Apperance doesnt matter as much right?

:p



Pavlova
4 Egg whites
3/4 cup of caster sugar
1 tsp of white vinegar
3 tsps of corn flour

1) Preheat oven to 150C. Line baking tray and draw a 7inch circle on it.

2) Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat will till glossy and stiff. Sift cornflour and fold through vinegar.

3) Spoon meringue mixture onto baking paper. Place in oven and reduce temperature to 120C. Cook for 1 hr. Turn oven off and leave it to cool overnight in the oven.

4) To serve topped with freshly whipped cream and fruits. Serve immediately.

14 comments:

Christo Gonzales said...

I want to try an make a pavlova..ikt will be my first and I will use your lessons learned

wmw said...

Ooh...pavlova! Happy New Year to you and your other half!

tigerfish said...

Ya, appearance does not matter, if you ask me. The food must be good, that's it!

Ruthie said...

Hehz...Chef had a radio interview, and he shared his Pavlova recipe with the listeners.

On a personal basis, I never liked pavlova, mainly cos I'm not a cream/egg person. Imagine the pain on Chef's face when I told him "YUCK" as he presented his first-ever menu in Singapore! DOHZ!

Anyhoo...the photo of the smashed up pavlova looks quite like a duck
Hmz...

daphne said...

aww. thanks peeps! Doggybloggy-can't wait to read abt your experience. It's a up and down emotional rollarcoaster with this one. LOL

wmw- thank you!

tigerfish- hahaa.. thanks for being encouraging. =)

ruthie- i do like the texture of pav though.. i have it w/o the cream! =)

Unknown said...

ohmygod! look at that piece of ham! i love your chinese twist to it :)

ehm, i hated pavlova when i was in sydney...and i am still too afraid to try here in hong kong hehehe

~Ling~ said...

Good Try! Like what the rest says, looks doesn't really matter, the key is in the taste. Can always improve on the looks the next time. ;)

SIG said...

Yummy pav. I have yet to make that even though keep wanting to make one.

Unknown said...

what a feast!!! the sausages caught my eyes... and the pav looks so fantastic!!! thanks for the tips... :)

Babe_KL said...

Happy New Year Daphne!

Marie said...

How gutsy of you, nice work! Pavlova is one of those things I always forget about, but whenever I'm reminded, I get a dreamy look on my face.

Retno Prihadana said...

wouw..so many delicious food!

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

Very useful tips on the pav, for sure! Hehe. Happy New Year, Daphne!

Jude said...

Beauuuutiful spread. That 5-spice ham is making me drool :P

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