Pavlova with Kiwi and a Book Review #EattheWorld

Crispy on the outside these meringues melt in your mouth when you bite into them.  Topped with whipped cream and sliced kiwis, it makes a wonderful pavlova.  Much like you would find when visiting New Zealand.

Come join in the fun as we "Eat the World"...…

 This month our Eat the World group is virtually visiting New Zealand.  Each month, under the direction of Evelyne of CulturEatz, we visit a new country.  This is turning into one of my favorite groups.  I love exploring other countries cultures through food.

I found that New Zealand cuisine is a mixture of  British and Maori ( native) influences.   I also discovered that Pavlova was created there when the Ballerina came to visit.  I always thought Pavlova was a Russian dessert.  I knew that it was named after Anna Pavlova, and just assumed it was served to her in her native country.  I knew, of course, that kiwi was from New Zealand.  Other than that, I thought that New Zealand food and Australian food were the same.

They are very similar, much as our food and the food of our neighboring country, Canada, are similar.  But there are distinct differences as well.  Australian food has heavy Asian influence while New Zealand food has heavy Polynesian influence.

I had never made Pavlova before but I had made meringue.  I wasn't too intimidated. Ok, I was a little intimidated.  But I found this recipe at Baked by an Introvert and it sounded pretty easy.  So I made it.  It was very easy!!

I love my kitchen aid.  It makes life and making meringues much easier.  I also loved this recipe.  The best bit of advice in this recipe reads "Continue to beat until the whites are the consistency of shaving cream".  Perfect, I know exactly what the end result should be.  

The meringues need to bake in a very low oven for a very long time.  Then they need to sit overnight.  The good news is that they can be made up to a couple of weeks ahead of time.  They keep beautifully in an airtight container.

Then when you are ready to impress, just take them out of storage and place them on a plate.

Whip some cream and fill the indentation in the meringue.

Slice some kiwi and lay on top of the whipped cream.

Listen to the oohs and ahhs when you serve it.

Listen to the groans of pleasure and delight as your guests eat it.

Every once in a while providence smiles down upon me.  This post is an example of that.  My friend, Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla, had sent me some books.  I was reading one, Kitchen of the Great Midwest, at the same time that this Eat the World event was coming up.

This novel takes place in my neck of the woods. Parts of it take place right in my State.  It is the story of Eva at least I thought it was until near the end.  Eva's mother leaves her as an infant to be cared for by her father who is a chef.  The only thing Eva's father loves more than food or cooking is Eva herself.  He dies when she is a mere baby and she is raised by her uncle and his wife, believing them to be her parents.

Eva is a different child.  She finds it hard to make friends and is only truly happy when growing, creating, cooking and preparing food.  Each chapter is named for a food that signifies importance in Eva's life and contains a different character who influences Eva's life.  

Eva eventually becomes a world renowned chef who is famous for her Pop Up Dinner Clubs.  These dinners offer guests 5 courses and exotic adventures for a mere $5K per person.  

Eva's mother learns of this by accident and waits for many years on an expensive waiting list for her invitation.  It is then, that I realized that this story wasn't really about Eva at all but was actually about her mother, Cynthia.

When Cynthia attends the dinner, hoping to meet her daughter that she hadn't seen since infancy, she is provided with the following menu that takes food from each of the chapters of the story.

Amuse

Thinly Sliced, Fire-Toasted Pane Di Castagne with Dry-Cured Pork Shoulder (Coppa Style from Eva's Berkshire Pig, William) & Alderman Plum and Ginger Chutney.

Pairing: 2012 Luciano Saetti Lambrusco

Salamino de Santa Croce

First

Pan-Seared Walleye

Served Filleted over Golden Bantam Succotash

(sweet corn/red onion/Blue Lake green beans)

Pairing:2009 Littorai Mays Canyon Chardonnay

Russian River Valley, CA

Second

Grilled Venison

Served with Grilled Moskvich Tomatoes, Wilted Kale with Sweet Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette (House-Made Sweet Pepper Jelly & Sherry Vinegar & Grapeseed Oil)

Pairing: 2005 Marcassin Blue-Slide Ridge Pinot Noir,

Sonoma Coast, CA

Third

Pavlova with Today-Picked South Dakota Blackberries

Served with a Mini Shot of Chocolate Habanero-Infused Dark Chocolate Ice Milk

Pairing: 1990 J. J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling

Trockenbeerenauslese

Finish

Pat Praeger's Private Recipe Dessert with (your choice) Kopi Luwak Coffee, 2002 Quan Jiazhai Old Growth Sheng Pu'er Tea, and/or Ardberg 1974 Provenance, served neat.

As lovely as that all sounds I don't think I would be willing to spend 10K for Frank and I to have dinner.  I was, however, very happy that one of the courses included Pavlova.  Since I had already decided to make Kiwi Pavlova for Eat the World it allowed me to combine both posts.  A good thing because it has been a crazy blogging month.  Heck, this is the third post just today!!!  

I will be sharing this post over at Foodies Read.  You should stop by and see what others are reading this month.

Check out all the wonderful New Zealand dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

• Evelyne: New Zealand Lolly Cake 
• Juli: Hokey Pokey Ice Cream 
• Camilla: Baked Fish Fritters + Wild Sauvignon 
• Amy: Kiwi Burger 
• Wendy: Kiwi Pavlova 
• Heather: Kiwi-Strawberry Trifle

#eattheworld, #desserts, #pavlova, #kiwi, #bookreview, #meringue,

Desserts, International,

New Zealand

Yield: 6Author: Wendy KlikPin it

Individual Kiwi Pavlovas

prep time: 25 minscook time: 1 hour and 30 minstotal time: 1 hours and 55 mins

Crispy on the outside these meringues melt in your mouth when you bite into them. Topped with whipped cream and sliced kiwis, it makes a wonderful pavlova.

ingredients:

2 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 t. cream of tartar

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. sugar

6 Kiwi, peeled and cut  into 3/4" slices

1/2 pint heavy cream, whipped

instructions:

Place egg whites and cream of tartar into large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment.  Beat on medium speed until frothy, about 2-3 minutes.  Increase speed to medium high and gradually add the sugar and vanilla.  Beat until the egg whites are the consistency of shaving cream.

Scoop 1/4 cup size mounds of the whipped egg whites onto a baking pan that is lined with parchment or a silicone mat.  Use the back of  a spoon to make an indentation or hollow in the center of each meringue.   Place in a preheated 200* oven for 1 1/2 hrs.  The meringues should be smooth and dry with a firm crust. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven to cool for several hours or overnight.  Once cooled, the meringues will keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.

When ready to serve, fill each hollow with whipped cream and layer the kiwi on top.

NOTES:

This recipe was adapted from one found at Baked by an Introvert (Jan Sobiack)

https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2018/07/pavlova-with-kiwi-and-book-review.html

Property of A Day in the Life on the Farm

Created using The Recipes Generator