As a Swiss person I have always loved meringues, yes they are Swiss. The typical and normal way for me to eat them is with double cream and fresh berries. Double cream is a thick cream that you can only find in Switzerland, this is not an exaggeration, I have never found this product in another country.
When I heard about Pavlova I thought it was going to just be a huge Swiss meringue with normal cream and berries. Grace then told me that the way you eat pavlova in New Zealand is with kiwis, berries and without whipped cream. Honestly, at first, I thought that was not going to be good because the meringues that I am used to eating are very hard and I thought it was going to taste dry without any cream. However, the pavlova that Grace ended up making was soft on the inside and hard on the outside completely changing the taste making it a different dessert, very unexpected. The question of whether pavlova is from New Zealand or Australia is still a mystery.
Here is the recipe for the pavlova
Ingredients:
-6 egg whites
-pinch of salt
-1 1/2 cup of white sugar
-2 tsp of cornflour
-1 tsp vinegar
-berries and kiwis
Instructions:
Take a piece of parchment paper and make a circle of about 16 cm diameter using a plate. Beat the egg whites, you have to use an electric mixer. Add the salt and then gradually mix in the sugar. Beat for about 10 minutes at high speed. It should be thick enough to not fall from the batter. To make sure it is ready you can flip your bowl upside down if the meringue does not fall or move then that means it is ready. Whisk in the cornflour and vinegar. Using a big spoon, drop dollops of the meringue into the 16 cm circle on the parchment paper. Make little Swirls with the spoon on top instead of having it be flat. Bake at 180 Celcius(not fan bake) for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 130 Celcius(again not fan bake). You should let your pavlova cool for around 20 minutes. Decorate it with the berries and kiwis. If you want you can also drizzle maple syrup on top. Grace told me that she ate it that way sometimes.
Photo:
Lamson, Mathieu. “Meringues Et Crème Double De La Gruyère.” Crème Double De Gruyère, www.androuet.com/Meringues-et-crème-double-de-la-Gruyère-1137-recette.html.