Barefoot with Friends and Vanessa’s Pavlova

Barefoot with Friends and Vanessa’s Pavlova is the first post in a new sub-category, “Teach Me to Cook.”  The 79th sub-category on our blog {grin}, while this may seem complicated, excessive and ridiculous to many, it works for us!   As our blog grows and matures, locating past posts becomes increasingly difficult and managing under sub-categories will help with navigation for those interested in exploring our blog when visiting.

After all, this is our 440th post in a little over a year!  So, you get the picture, don’t you {grin}?  At this rate, we’ll be at 1,000 posts before you know it!  We want visitors to stay and explore, so we want to make that time visiting as productive as possible for our readership…

For those interested in the structure of our blog, the hierarchy of this sub-category is:  Recipes – Sweet Eats – Teach Me to Cook.   The easiest way to search our blog by our categories and sub-categories is to hover over the “New? Start Here!” menu tab and choose “Archives – By Category” from the drop-down menu.

I’ve mulled over the “Teach Me to Cook” sub-category for a while now.  I “officially” announced it to a few of my friends at our Blog-o-versary Party.  I was sitting at a table with 4 others and just threw it out there to see if it would stick and, guess what?  It did!  Those friends thought it was a great idea and all were willing to participate!  So guess what friends and neighbors that live in the vicinity?  I’ll be calling you {grin}!

Since Vanessa was visiting from Australia and she happens to be the first story in our “Your Story Matters” sub-category under the post “Bloggy Boot Camp Revealed“, why not use this opportunity to launch this new sub-category with her?  Now Vanessa is honored as the first in two of our sub-categories {grin}!  And, she’s worthy of the recognition.  Check out her story via my post, Bloggy Boot Camp Revealed, and then visit her blog:  The Teensy Tiny Insignificant Details.

Moving on…

I love watching cooking shows on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel, don’t you?  Since I don’t have time in my toot sweet life to watch all that they offer, I have to pick and choose.  We record them so that I can watch them when time permits.  While Vanessa was visiting, we watched The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network.  For those of you uninitiated with The Pioneer Woman, she was (and still is) a blogger before she became a network star.  And, Vanessa shared with me that Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, was the reason Vanessa became a blogger.  Ree inspired her because where Ree lives (on a large ranch in Oklahoma) reminds Vanessa of Australia’s vast, open, big-sky landscape dotted with ranches of significant size.  Unfortunately, Vanessa can’t get The Pioneer Woman television show back home in Australia, so she was excited to see it while visiting us.

A couple of days ago, I was watching the Barefoot Contessa starring Ina Garten.  For any of you who have watched her with any regularity, you may notice that she has “sub-categories” on her show not unlike the 79 sub-categories we have on this blog {grin}.  She’s done a series of shows called Barefoot in Paris, Barefoot in Napa, Back to Basics, etc. and just the other day, she launched a new “sub-category” of her show called “Barefoot with Friends”.  This very first show in this new “sub-category” was with Giada de Laurentiis, another well-known Food Network star.

Apparently, getting this show “on the road” and up-and-running, literally meant “on the road” because Ina lives on the East Coast and Giada on the West Coast.  Between navigating distance and juggling busy schedules, it took awhile for this show to come to fruition.  So, several times throughout the show, both chefs mentioned how long it took them to plan it and make it happen.

Well, I have news for Ina and Giada:  Vanessa and I’ve got you beat by a long shot!  And, I mean, literally, a long shot!  On May 30th, I emailed Vanessa and said “I know this is a long shot, but would you join us for our Blog-o-versary Party?”  Vanessa responded saying she’d see if she could finagle it with her work schedule.  By July 1st, her time off had been approved and she had booked her flight!  So, while Giada had to travel about 3,000 miles to New York (6,000 miles round-trip) and about a 6 hour flight time, Vanessa flew 8,200+ miles from Australia (16,400+ miles round-trip) and a whopping 25 hours of flight time (50 hours round trip)!  Now that’s “on the road” {grin}!

I can’t thank Vanessa enough for rearranging her life to spend a few days with us as part of our family.  On her last night with us, she whipped up a Pavlova, a traditional dessert in Australia.  Originally developed in New Zealand in honor of the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, in the 1920’s, Pavlova is a delicious meringue dessert covered in whipped cream and fruit.  Adopted by both Australia and New Zealand, it is a national favorite in both countries.

And, Vanessa makes one easily, effortlessly, deliciously!

So, I asked Vanessa to teach me to cook and I watched her create this delicate concoction in minutes.  But, first, we had to find passion fruit!

I have to be honest with you, so this will come as a shock to Vanessa when she reads this (because I didn’t let on), I didn’t know what passion fruit looks like!  While we are at lunch at a restaurant the last day of her visit, she asked if we could run to a grocery store to pick up either fresh passion fruit or a “tin” of passion fruit.  So, off we went to a local chain market and, of course, no success!  She was flummoxed as to why this wouldn’t be available via a “tin” at the very least.  I explained to her that our national/regional “chain” grocery stores cater to clientele based on regional preferences and since I live in Southern California, our grocery stores have a heavy Mexican influence and passion fruit isn’t commonly one of the local “flavors”, so it may be hard to find.

But, we struck success at a local market in my community that imports products from England, Scotland, Ireland, etc.  They had real ripe passion fruit!  So, we were in business!

Here’s what Vanessa did to create this amazing recipe:

We had a problem finding Castor sugar.  We found “superfine sugar” and I suspect it’s the American version of Castor sugar.

Here’s a close-up of superfine sugar – Vanessa wanted to make sure that anyone who makes this recipe understands that superfine sugar will have better results than regular granulated sugar!

First, you separate the whites from the egg yolks.  It is important that (1) no speck of yellow egg yolks get into the whites.  You might want to break each one over a separate dish so that you don’t ruin the whole batch if you mess up on one!  Vanessa is expert at making Pavlova as she has made it many, many times – maybe even hundreds!  And, (2) your equipment has to be scrupulously clean – not a speck of dirt or grease on your bowl, beaters, etc.  Otherwise, the meringue won’t whip successfully.

1. Put the egg whites in the mixing bowl and mix on high.
2. Meringue starting to take shape.
3. Perfect meringue!  It only takes a few minutes!
4. Lower the speed on your mixer and add sugar and whip again.  Then add the cornstarch and white vinegar and whip until combined.

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and carefully scrape your meringue onto the foil-lined baking sheet into about an 8 inch circle.  Place in preheated 250 degree oven and bake for an hour.  Once done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

While the meringue is cooling, prepare the rest of the dish.

Make the whipped cream.  Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into mixer and beat until soft peaks form.  Add 2 teaspoons of superfine sugar and whip until blended.  Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Next, slice a clean, ripe nectarine removing the pit.  Peel a kiwi  (the woman, who sat next to me at my hairdresser’s recently, overheard me telling my hairdresser and step-niece, Rhianna, about learning to make Pavlova from Vanessa.  So, the New Zealand woman told me that kiwi is kiwifruit – all one word – and passion fruit is passionfruit – all one word.  She told me she was on a mission to educate Americans and wanted to set the record straight!  But, that’s a whole other story…), then half and slice the kiwi and add to the bowl of nectarine slices.

Now the fun begins…

Did I mention that a ripe passion fruit weighs virtually nothing?  Well, it does.  We bought 3 and Vanessa only used 2 and when I was helping to clean up, I picked up the remaining one to put it away.  Weightless!  Anyway, moving clockwise from top left, Vanessa is:  cutting the passion fruit in half, giving it a squeeze, more squeezing, then she uses a spoon to scoop out the rest of the seeds and gooey juice, plop – a big glop goes in the bowl and the “big picture” shows the ooey, gooey passion fruit over the kiwi fruit and nectarine!

Then, Vanessa washed, hulled and sliced the strawberries and added them to the bowl with the kiwi, nectarine and passion fruit.  And then, she chopped (and seeded) a Granny Smith apple and added it to the bowl of fruit.

Then, using clean hands, Vanessa mixes the ooey, gooey passion fruit with the other fruit.  She finished the fruit before the meringue was finished baking, so covered the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerated it until ready to assemble.

Once the meringue was completely cooled, she “plated” the meringue.  We went on a treasure hunt in my laundry room and found this beautiful dinner plate with pedestal bowls filled with fruit.  We though it was perfect.  This set of china belonged to Charlie’s Aunt Justine and every time we use them, I think of her!  Nice memories…

Next, Vanessa removes the prepared whipped cream and “frosts” the meringue.

Then, she adds the fruit.  Vanessa,  a scientist back home in Australia, shared that it’s the combination of the sweet and sour fruits she has chosen for her Pavlova that makes it so successful.  She has tried many flavor combinations over the years and this is the “keeper.”

Beautiful Vanessa’s Pavlova ready to serve!

Vanessa’s Pavlova seen from above!  I was going to get a step stool to take this overhead shot.  But, Vanessa offered; she’s 6′ 2″!  So, thanks, Vanessa for the beautiful “sky view” of your Pavlova!

Then, it was time to eat!  We couldn’t decide which dessert plates to use, so we used one of each color!

Then, Charlie, Vanessa and I had another piece!  Pavlova piggies!  YUM!  There were no leftovers so I can’t tell you how to store leftovers!

And, I made a special Pinterest pin just for our readers!

Guess what?  When I went on-line looking for more information, I found this picture of a passion fruit tree flower.  My grandmother had one of these trees in her yard!  Who knew?  But, she never served us passion fruit, so didn’t know what she had!  Also, I found out that passion fruit is grown in California.  I’m here to tell Californians that you need to make a Pavlova and you need to make it with passion fruit!

Here’s the recipe:

Print

Vanessa says that a perfect Pavlova is white and not tan or golden.  It also doesn’t have cracks.  But, a perfect Pavlova is hard to achieve!  A less than perfect Pavlova, like Vanessa’s Pavlova, does not alter the taste or enjoyment of this incredible dessert!  She’s been making Pavlova all her life and perfection is allusive…

I’d take Vanessa’s Pavlova over perfection any time!  And, besides, I was barefoot with a friend in the kitchen chatting, cooking, learning, taking photographs…all my favorite things!

Vanessa, from the land down under, thank you for sharing your recipe with me!

Tootles,

Related Posts:

(other posts about Vanessa and our Blog-o-versary Party)

• Bloggy Boot Camp Revealed
• Charlie’s Lite Layered Mexican Casserole
• Cute and Easy Party Name Tags
• Easy Homemade Salsa
• Easy and Creative Tabletop Signs for Your Next Party
• Easy Party Favors Featuring You!
• GuacaMolly
• How to Make Paper Napkins Special
• Ideas for Reusing Old Picture Frames
• Mexican Caesar Salad
• Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Tea Light Tutorial:  Adding Edible Sprinkles for a Bit of Sparkle
• Toot Sweet 4 Two Turns One:  Blog-o-versary Party Recap