A warning to friend and some faithful readers I know: there is no way to make this dessert vegan. Yes, you can replace the whipped cream with soy cream/soy ice cream/ricedream etc. but you can't disguise the whole egg whites = meringue thing. Not that I know of anyway. So sorry.
That out of the way, Pavlova is a decent gluten free dessert (I think) in that it's really just egg whites, sugar, vanilla and cornstarch or arrowroot powder (not sure about gluten in those so please correct me if I'm wrong).
So, for those who don't know what is Pavlova? It's a dessert made with a layer of meringue (which makes the base) then some whipped cream and fresh fruit. The recipe here is pretty much identical to the one I used. It's delicious and a great way to show of seasonal fruits. The one I made had golden kiwis (not exactly seasonal as they came from afar), local apricots and local blackberries. And, if I do say so myself: it was yummy.
The other great thing about pavlova is that it cooks in a cool oven (250F), which in the middle of summer heat is a great thing. Particularly if like us, you have a big old gas oven that heats your entire house. And really: it is easier than pie. Like many things made with egg whites, I find it has quite a mystique to it that makes it a very impressive dessert, but really all you need is a hand mixer (or stand mixer or whatever will whip your egg whites) and then once you separate your eggs you're through the only vaguely tricky step. It takes about 10 minutes to mix up the meringue then you've just got washing fruit, slicing it and whipping cream and ta da: impressive, beautiful dessert to impress your friends! My only regret with the one I made Friday was that I had planned to decorate it with rose petals as well. Since I forgot that step, I think I'll need to make another.
That out of the way, Pavlova is a decent gluten free dessert (I think) in that it's really just egg whites, sugar, vanilla and cornstarch or arrowroot powder (not sure about gluten in those so please correct me if I'm wrong).
So, for those who don't know what is Pavlova? It's a dessert made with a layer of meringue (which makes the base) then some whipped cream and fresh fruit. The recipe here is pretty much identical to the one I used. It's delicious and a great way to show of seasonal fruits. The one I made had golden kiwis (not exactly seasonal as they came from afar), local apricots and local blackberries. And, if I do say so myself: it was yummy.
The other great thing about pavlova is that it cooks in a cool oven (250F), which in the middle of summer heat is a great thing. Particularly if like us, you have a big old gas oven that heats your entire house. And really: it is easier than pie. Like many things made with egg whites, I find it has quite a mystique to it that makes it a very impressive dessert, but really all you need is a hand mixer (or stand mixer or whatever will whip your egg whites) and then once you separate your eggs you're through the only vaguely tricky step. It takes about 10 minutes to mix up the meringue then you've just got washing fruit, slicing it and whipping cream and ta da: impressive, beautiful dessert to impress your friends! My only regret with the one I made Friday was that I had planned to decorate it with rose petals as well. Since I forgot that step, I think I'll need to make another.
. How nutty is that? 
is a business book for women looking for advice to start or run a successful small business. The book features advice from some pretty smart gals including Jenny Hart (Sublime Stitching), Grace Boney (Design Sponge), Alex Beauchamp (Another Girl at Play), and many others.
emira,
i am LICKING the screen, it looks so good. Nigella Lawson has a recipe for passion fruit pavlovas that I've adopted for my pomegrante and fig pavlova. Delish.
Cheers, f.
Posted by: felicia | August 01, 2007 at 06:53 AM