Lemon Curd Pavlova

The Recipe

Serves: 8
Preparation: 30 minutes
Baking Time: 1.5-2 hours

Now, the Pavlova’s origins are somewhat a debatable affair between Australia and New Zealand with each country claiming to have invented and made a type of Pavlova in honour of the popular ballerina, Anna Pavlova.

December is upon us again. Living in the tropics means we don't have ‘proper’ season which I believe is why time goes so fast here (that’s my theory, anyway). The year has flown by but I always look forward to this month as it is the perfect excuse to bake, cook and eat.

Growing up in Australia, I could never relate to Christmas movies that aired on TV in December. Despite being so positive and full of holiday joy, they were mostly set in the wintertime with romantic snowy backdrops and people rugged up in coats, gloves and beanies.

Christmas in Australia was and is most of the time, hot and dry. Traditionalists in my country like to cook the full roast dinner, despite the sweltering heat, with turkey, ham and all the trimmings but because of the warm weather it is the perfect excuse to put on a fresh seafood spread, cheese platter and a seasonal fruit Pavlova.

Now, the Pavlova’s origins are somewhat a debatable affair between Australia and New Zealand with each country claiming to have invented and made a type of Pavlova in honour of the popular ballerina, Anna Pavlova. However, the dish as we know it seems to have its roots way before 1926 when Anna Pavlova toured to both Australia and New Zealand.

Anna Pavlova, 1924. Credit: James Abbe

The Spanische Windtorte, an Austrian dessert that was popular in the 18th century, contains all the key elements of a Pavlova – meringue, cream, and colourful decorations. The Schaum torte from Germany also has a striking resemblance to the Pavlova adorned with fresh fruit and cream. Both these desserts use meringue, which is hard all the way through, unlike a Pavlova which is soft in the centre. In the late 1800s, there was a surge in the popularity of meringue-based desserts as this was around the time when the handheld egg beater was invented.

Spanische Windtorte. Credit: BBC food

The Spanische Windtorte, an Austrian dessert that was popular in the 18th century, contains all the key elements of a Pavlova – meringue, cream and colourful decorations. The Schaum torte from Germany also has a striking resemblance to the Pavlova adorned with fresh fruit and cream. Both these desserts use meringue, which is hard all the way through, unlike a Pavlova which is soft in the centre. In the late 1800s, there was a surge in the popularity of meringue-based desserts as this was around the time when the handheld egg beater was invented

The idea of Pavlova, as we know it in Australia, through research of countless recipes by food historians, started in Europe. However, the inclusion of cornstarch into a typical meringue recipe seems to be a small but significant contribution by America. Duryea Maizena, a company that developed cornstarch in the USA, published a variety of corporate recipe booklets as part of marketing to promote their product as well as helping housewives experiment with new recipes.

The inclusion of cornstarch in a meringue mixture when baked resulted in a crisp exterior and a pillow, marshmallow-like interior. The export of this cornstarch product to Australia and New Zealand enabled cooks to create Pavlova as we know it today. So, thank you to the American food industrialists of the 19th Century for developing the recipe for our beloved Pavlova.

It’s not difficult to make – but does require a bit of time and patience. The meringue base is a blank canvas for you to be as crazy as you want with ingredients. Whipped cream is a must but you can omit the lemon curd and change the fruit I have used.

INGREDIENTS

7 medium egg whites (at room temperature) Pinch of salt
400g caster sugar 2tblsp cornflour 1tsp white vinegar
1tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 140’C

2. Line a baking tray with baking paper with a 20cm circle drawn on it. When the meringue is done you can ‘glue’ the paper onto the tray by dabbing a tiny bit of it in each of the 4 corners of the paper.

3. Whisk the egg whites and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer on medium speed until light soft peaks form Gradually add the sugar, bit by bit until it is all incorporated

4. Whisk on high until egg whites become velvety and stiff peaks form With a spatula, lightly incorporate the cornflour and vinegar

5. Pile the meringue high in the centre of the drawn circle, smooth the outside with an offset spatula, if you have one.

6. Bit by bit spread out the meringue until it fills in the 20cm circle

7. Flatten the top of the meringue and create a little lip on the outside edges Turn the oven down to 100’C and place meringue in the oven

8. Bake for 1.5-2hrs. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to sit in the oven, cooling gradually, overnight. This lessens the risk of cracks and your pavlova sinking.

9. The next day, dress and decorate your pavlova with lemon curd, cream, berries and mint.

GARNISH
Strawberries, blueberries, mint or any fresh fruit in season that take your fancy

Whipped Cream
400mls whipping cream 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Whisk cream and vanilla until a pillowy cream forms

Lemon Curd
I like my lemon curd quite tart – if it’s not your thing you can hold back on the zest.

110g unsalted butter
125g lemon juice (3-4 lemons) Zest of lemons
5 medium egg yolks 100g caster sugar

1. Melt butter. Add lemon juice and rind (if using)

2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until the mixture looks lovely and pale. Add the warm butter mixture to the eggs then place over a saucepan of simmering water Mix the curd until it becomes a thick yoghurt consistency

3. Remove from heat and place cling film directly on top of the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) Allow to cool then place in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use.