Horse Sunday

Crash

Crash’s Kitchen: Cacao pavlova

“The pav” (short for ‘pavlova’ used in Australia and New Zealand) is popular on Christmas Day as a dessert usually served after being refrigerated due to Christmas being celebrated during the summer in the southern hemisphere.

Life is short and so are the winter holidays, so there is no need to deny yourself the pleasure of a summer pav with this lower-cal version. It has less sugar, but with the same texture and flavour as the traditional version.

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside, usually topped with fruit and whipped cream. The name is pronounced like the name of the dancer.

The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The nationality of its creator has been a source of argument between the two nations for many years.

Anna Pavlova, 1912

The dessert is a popular dish and an important part of the national cuisine of both Australia and New Zealand, and with its simple recipe, is frequently served during celebratory and holiday meals. It is a dessert most identified with the summer time and popularly eaten during that period including at Christmas time; however, it is also eaten all year round in many Australian and New Zealand homes.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 egg whites
• Pinch of cream of tartar
• 55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
• 75g (1/3 cup) raw caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon raw cacao, plus extra, for dusting
• 300ml thickened cream
• 130g (1/2 cup) thick Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 125g punnet raspberries
• 250g punnet strawberries, sliced
• 200g red cherries, halved
• Fresh mint leaves, to serve (optional) (see notes)
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil, to fry (optional) (see notes)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Step 1
  Preheat the oven to 140C /120C fan forced. Trace a 20cm circle onto a sheet of baking paper. Turn over and place on a large baking tray.
• Step 2
  Use electric beaters with the whisk attachment to whisk the egg whites in a small bowl. Add cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar, 1 tbs at a time, beating well after each addition until meringue is thick and glossy and sugar has almost dissolved. Add raw sugar in the same way. Add 2 teaspoons cacao and beat until smooth.
• Step 3
  Spread the mixture over the circle on tray. Bake for 55 minutes or until meringue is crisp and pale. Turn oven off and leave the pavlova in the oven to cool.
• Step 4
  Transfer the pavlova to a plate. Place cream in a large bowl and whip to firm peaks. Fold in yogurt and vanilla. Sift in the remaining 2 tsp cacao and gently fold through to give a marbled effect. Spoon cream mixture onto the pavlova. Top with berries and cherries to decorate. Scatter with small fried mint leaves, if you like.

NUTRITION VALUES (per serving)

• 852 kj ENERGY

• 12g FAT TOTAL

• 8g SATURATED FAT

• 2g FIBRE

• 3g PROTEIN

• 19gCARBS (TOTAL)

NOTES

For an unusual crunch, lightly fry mint leaves to scatter over your pavlova. Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add mint leaves, a few at a time, and cook for 30 seconds or until transparent. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.

Enjoy!

Crash

Goodbye to 🍁November, Hello ❄️December, Shopping DONE!

Thank you November!  You brought journeys & trips, bikes & planes, the most excellent cycling events. terrific food and memorable people!

November certainly ZOOMED by; now we round out the year with the ‘most wonderful time of the year!’

Thankfully, all of my shopping for the holidays is complete, having surfed the interweb  top to bottom and visited many malls & stores from Europe to the Americas.

This is about what it looked like….

Song: Space Age Love Song by Flock of Seagulls, 1980
Video: Career Opportunities (a.k.a. One Wild Night), 1991

Happy December!

Crash