Foods to Die For: Pavlova (Australia)

Friday, February 24, 2012

Pavlova (Australia)

      One tradition of the culinary world that has continued since man started writing their culinary innovations on paper comes in the naming of the dish. As you have seen from some of the previous recipes on my blog, there are many dishes which bare the name of a very famous person in history.
      Another dish which bares the name of a historical figure is that of the Pavlova. This Australian dessert was named in honor of the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.  While she was on her second Australian tour the head chef Herbert Sachse, of the Hotel Esplande, saw the ballerina perform the dance which placed her in the annals of history "The Dying Swan".
      While watching Anna perform the solo he found that he was brought to tears by how beautifully Pavlova danced. So the next night, the chef decided to create a new dish in honor of the ballerina.  The last night of her stay Sachse served the ballerina a dessert that no one had ever seen. It was a pure white meringue with a topping of beautiful red strawberries. Immediately one of Pavlovas entourage commented on how much the white meringue resembled the ballerinas tutu, which surprise surprise was Sachse intention. Ever since that night, the Pavlova has been the national dessert of Australia and New Zealand.
       When I make a Pavlova I tend to keep things as simple as possible. A simple meringue is slow cooked in the oven, allowed to cool and then topped with a Chantilly cream. What I do differently is that I top the dessert with balsamic strawberries as I find that the tartness of the vinegar compliments the sweetness of the meringue and cream. If you need a dessert that is light and sure to turn heads then this is something I would suggest.
      I do suggest you pay attention to the two warning in this recipe, or as I call them, the DO NOT'S. Otherwise your pavlova will be in pieces.

Ruby Red Pavlova

8 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons white vinegar

4 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter

4 cups strawberries, halved

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup pomegranate arils (optional)

In a medium sized bowl place the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Using an electric egg beater or mixer beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add in the sugar gradually, beating constantly after each addition. Once all of the sugar has been incorporated continue to beat the egg whites until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Using a metal spoon, fold the cornstarch and vinegar into the egg whites. Spoon the meringue onto a cookie sheet (12 1/2 x 11 1/4 inch) that has been line with parchment paper. Lightly flatten the top and smooth the sides of the meringue till the meringue resembles a cake out of a pan. Place the meringue into a 315* oven or until the meringue is lightly pale and crisp. DO NOT LET THE MIXTURE BROWN, this is not a meringue pie.

Remove the pavlova from the oven and while warm carefully turn the meringue upside down onto your intended serving plate. DO NOT ALLOW THE PAVLOVA TO FULLY COOL ON THE COOKIE SHEET, it will stick to the paper and you will never get it off.

While you are cooking the meringue melt the butter in a large saute pan add in the strawberries brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and mix just until the strawberries are warm and ruby red. Remove the berries from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl with a set of clean egg beaters whip the cream powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks begin to form. Place the cream inside of a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

When ready to serve pipe the cream on top of the baked meringue top with the cooked strawberries and garnish with the pomegranate arils. Serve immediately.

Serves 8

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Dictionary of Cooking Terms

Al Dente: Italian meaning 'to the tooth' used to describe pasta or other food that is cook only until it is tender but not yet soft.
Baste: to spoon or brush food as it cooks with melted butter or other fat, meat drippings, or liquid (try a small amount of wine).
Beat: Making a mixture smooth by adding air from a stiff stirring motion with a wooden spoon, spatuala, or electric mixture.
Blanch: To plunch a fruit or vegetable into hot water for a short time, then into cold water to stop the cooking process. Used to cook vegetables while keeping the color. Great to loosen skin from fruits and vegetables.
Blend: To mix two or more ingredients with a spoon, fork, or spatula just until combined
Boil: Heating a liquid until it begins to reach a consistent boil.
Braise: Cooking teqhnique to where food is first browned in fat, then cooked on a low heat covered in a small amount of liquid. first done on the range then finished on the range or in the oven.
Bread:to coat food in a type of carbohydrate. Usually done by first coating in a liquid then coating in a type of breading (bread, crumbs, or crackers).
Broil: to cook food directly over or under a heat source with no covering.
Candied: To either cook in a sugar or a sugar syrup. Either the syrup is poured over the food or it is cooked in the syrup until translucent.
Carmelize: To melt sugar over low heat until it browns. This term can apply to the cooking of meats as well with you are creating a thick brown coating to the meat.
Chill: to cover and place in the refrigerator in order to reduce the temperature.
Chop: to use a knife or cleaver to cut food into small pieces. When chopping food the pieces should be larger and more course then minced food.
Cool: to remove from a heat source and allow to come down to room temperature.
Cream: to beat until a mixture is soft and smooth. When applied to mixing a fat, such as butter or shortening, and a sugar you should mix until fluffy.
Curdle: Most commonly occurs in milk based sauces and in some egg products. It is when the Curds(the lumps most commonly associated with spoiled milk) seperate from the Whey (the liquid). Usually trigured by heat.
Cut In: a term used when you mix shortening with flour. Usually done with a pastry blender or two knives. Cutting continues until the mixture reaches the "Small Peas" phase.
Dash: adding an ingredient that is less than 1/8th of a teaspoon. Usually can be measured with a small amount of the ingredient in the palm.
De-Glaze: Done after cooking in a pan and fat has been removed. Liquid is added to the pan and heated while stirring to remove the brown bits and possibly create a base for a sauce.
Dice: to cut food into small uniform cubes.
Dredge: to lightley coat food which will later be fried. First dredge in a liquid then in crumbs, this process may be repeated for a better coating.
Egg Wash: Brushing a pastry with either a whole egg, egg white, or egg mixed with water or milk. Usually done to give better appeal.
Flambe: To add liquor to foods and set ablaze with with a long match or flame from a gas range.
Fold: A technique used to gently combine a light, airy mixture (such as egg whites, or heavy cream) into a heavier mixture.
Fry: A generic term used when cooking food in hot fat over medium to high heat. If "Pan Frying" a shallow layer of fat is added to the pan and the food is not fully emersed in the fat. If "Deep Frying" then the food is completely submerged in the hot fat to cook.
Garnish: An edible decoration given to finished dishes.
Glaze:A mixture applied to food which hardens or becomes firm and adds flavor and a glossy appearance.
Grate: To rub a food item on a grater that separates the food into very fine particles.
Grease: To rub the bottom and sides of a pan with butter, shortening, cooking spray, or oil.
Grill: To prepare food on a grill over some form of heat source. Usually hot coals, gas flame, or wood.
Knead: To work dough with the heal of the hand pushing down against the dough and then folding.
Marinate:To allow a food to stand in a liquid to tenderize or add flavor.
Mince: to cut food into very small pieces. When mincing food the pieces sould be larger than a long grain of rice but smaller than a dime.
Poach: To cook food in hot liquid just below boiling point, being careful that the food holds its shape while cooking.
Puree: To process foods to a smooth mixture in a blender, food processor, food mill, or sieve.
Reduce: To boil a liquid until the volume has "reduced" by evaporation, which thickens the consistency of the liquid and amplifies the flavor.
Render: To melt animal fat (ie bacon) over low heat to separate it from any meat. The remains are called cracklings (named for the sound made by when chopping the remains)
Roast: To cook uncovered without any added liquid. Usually done in an oven.
Roux: A mixture of flour and fat which, after being cooked slowly, is added to soups, stew, chowders and sauces to thicken.
Saute: To cook food quickly in a small amount of fat in a skillet or saute pan over direct heat.
Scald: to bring to a temperature just below the boiling point where tiny bubbles form at the edge of the pan.
Scallop: To bake food, usually in a casserole, with sauce or other liquid. A crunchy topping is usually added during the end of the baking process.
Score: To cut narrow grooves into the skin of some sort of meat.
Sear: To brown the surface of the meat very quickly with intense heat.
Shred: To tear the food narrow strips either by hand or by the use of a machine or tool.
Sift: To pass dry dingredients through a fine mesh sifter so any large pieces can be removed. This process also adds air to the ingredients.
Simmer: To cook food genly in a liquid on a heat low enough that only tiny bubbles begin to form.
Skewer: A long thin pointed rod that comes in various sizes. Used to hold the food in place during the cooking process.
Skim: To remove fat or foam from surface of liquid with a spoon.
Soften: To let cold butter, cream cheese, etc stand at room temperature until it reaches a soft consistency.
Soft Peaks: To beat egg whites or whipping cream till peaks are formed when beaters are lifted, but the tips still curl over.
Steam:To cook in a small amount of water in order for steam to form and cook the food lightly. More water may be added when all the original water has evaporated.
Steep: To extract color, flavor, or other qualities from a substance by leaving it in liquid just below the boiling point.
Stew: To simmer slowly in a small amount of liquid
Stiff Peaks: To beat egg whites or whipping cream until the peaks stand straigh when beaters are lifted, but are still moist and glossy.
Stir Fry: A Chinese method of cooking diced food in a small amount of hot oil over high heat, stiring consitently
Toss: To turn pieces of food over multiple times in order to mix the ingredients together.
Truss: A method which allows food (mainly poultry) to hold its shape during the cooking process. This is done with either cooking twine or bamboo skewers.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Pavlova (Australia)

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