Pavlova Torte with custard creme - a star on Xmas Day

Hi 

Back again in food mode  - finally!   

I'm going to attempt to recreate this for Christmas Day.  I must admit that it was a star 2 years ago!!! 

So I'll make the pavlova  on Wednesday and leave it in the oven overnight, to crisp up ready to dress on Xmas Day.  Ideally, the magical custard creme will be created, ready to join the two layers, after it has been combined with some greek yoghurt.  

Thankfully we can always rely on amazing fresh fruit to add the final touch.  Clara 

When cooked properly, the outside of the meringue shell will be crunchy, with a marshmallow-like texture on the inside.  

Pavlova has become a star of Australian Christmas desserts.  It was invented in the 1920s or 1930s, and is named for the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova.  Sources, however, are in dispute over whether the dessert was actually invented in Australia or in New Zealand.  It can be served with whipped cream and fruit or alternatively, with custard or lemon curd made from the egg yolks.

Because pavlova is made primarily of egg whites and sugar, it is a relatively light and low-calorie dessert.
It is possible to prepare pavlova a day in advance of serving, if you leave the meringue shell overnight in the oven after turning off the heat. When the cake has been decorated with whipped cream, it can be left in the refrigerator for a day or two; however, it will lose its crunchiness as the moisture from the cream soaks into the meringue shell. The following version uses a custard creme as a topping and to join the two layers.

Pavlova Torte
Serves 10
8 egg whites
300g (11/2 cups) caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Fruit of choice for topping and serving on the side - strawberries, kiwifruit and passionfruit pulp are favourites but I added raspberries and blueberries for extra colour and flavour.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.  Line 2 baking trays then draw a 22 cm disc on each piece of paper.

Using  an electric beater beat egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form.  Gradually add sugar, 1/4 cup at time until thick and glossy.  Beat in the cornflour and vinegar.

Spoon the meringue evenly between the prepared discs; with the intended top one, use a small spoon to form little peaks around the edge of the pavlova.  Bake for approx an hour, until pavlova is dry to the touch.  swapping the trays halfway through cooking.  Turn off oven, leave door ajar and leave pavlova to cool completely, overnight if desired or store in an airtight container.

Custard Creme
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup thickened cream  or Greek yoghurt
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and cornflour until smooth and creamy.
Place this mixture into a saucepan, gradually add milk, whisking until smooth.  Stir over medium heat until custard thickens.
Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Custard will be quite thick in consistency.
Remove from heat, pour into a separate bowl and cover the surface of the custard with glad wrap.  Allow to cool to prevent a skin forming on the top.
Fold in cream or Greek yoghurt.
 Join the two layers with custard and spread it on top layer.  top with your fruit of choice.

Dancing with Strangers

1788…
From Middle Head, the journals tell,
natives pointed Hunter’s party
 to the ideal place to land.
It was about Balmoral that Bradley wrote,
“These people mixed with ours and all hands danced together.”

Extract - Through the Heads to BALMORAL





Did you know that Antony Symons has created a wonderful sculpture called Dancing with Strangers? It pays tribute to the historical occasion on 29-jan-1788 when a group of Gamaragal hunters, armed with spears, signalled to a long boat under the command of Captain Hunter to land on a beach at Middle Head.

The Gamaragals knew Middle Head by the name of Cubba Cubba or Gubba Gubba, depending on how people wrote down the unfamiliar sounds made by First Australians who were living in greater Sydney on the day when 11 ships, flying the British flag, sailed through between North Head and South Head, turned left, then turned right at Bradleys Head and eventually dropped their anchors in Sydney Cove.

The exact location of this first contact between the British invaders to Sydney Harbour and the First Australians, whose ancestors had been in the greater Sydney region for at least 40,000 years, is not known definitely. But the reading of entries in logs and note books written that day indicate that the location is the north facing beach now known as Cobblers Beach.

Less likely, alternative locations are: 1) the southern end of Balmoral Beach, which is also labelled as Hunters Beach in early maps of the Middle Head coastline 2) Obelisk Beach on the east side of Middle Head, or at very long odds 3) Chowder Bay, which the First Australians knew as Goree.

To find out more about this sculpture and it's anticipated relocation -  visit:-

  www.cubbacubba.net.au