Birthday Pavlova!

I'm a supply teacher so I pick up a few coughs and colds each year. A few weeks ago I was teaching a darling little prep class when one sweet child coughed in my face, it wasn't on purpose, it just happened. Unfortunately that's the risk you take when working with little kids, snot and coughs happen. But I knew right at that moment that I'd be sick within days.

Fast forward a few days and one very long week on a year five class (older classes aren't my speciality!) and it was nearing my husbands birthday. Unfortunately a few days before his birthday he woke up feeling under the weather, he'd picked up my cold. The poor thing spent his birthday home sick and feeling miserable.

Usually I'm prepared for birthdays. I love lists and generally have presents bought and wrapped weeks in advance. This time round I sort of dropped the ball. We agreed to upgrade our computers for our respective birthdays this year, but Tony still needed something to open on his birthday. So the day before I ran around to pick up a few little gifts and supplies to make his birthday dinner. 

Birthday presents (and choccies!) all wrapped and ready to go, with birthday balloons. (Photos were taken very late at night after I'd finished wrapping them, hence the dark and dodgy lighting!)

Roast pork with roasted potatoes, honey carrots and steamed greens was for dinner. To be followed by birthday pavlova instead of cake. There's a bit of a theme when it comes to Tony's birthday meals. The main meal usually includes pork of some kind (last year was brinner - breakfast for dinner, with the year before being glazed pork chops) and a birthday pie. Last year I made black forest cake from scratch, I spent a whole day on that cake! And the year before was cheesecake, but I cheated and bought that from the local cheesecake shop.

Because there's just the two of us, I halved the recipe. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of pavlova, give me cake any day. I didn't want leftovers hanging around for days in the fridge so a halved recipe was the perfect amount. We got three large slices each out of it. 

Pavlova 

Ingredients

3 egg whites

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 tsp white vingar

1/4 tab cornflour

Whipped cream and fruit to decorate. (I used 250ml cream that I whipped until soft peaks. With kiwi, strawberries and bananas to decorate)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 120 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

3. Gradually add sugar, one spoonful at a time. Allow mixture to beat until thick, glossy and sugar is completely dissolved. (Rub the mix between your thumb and forefinger to check for sugar granules)

4. Fold cornflour and vinegar into the sugar and egg mix. 

5. Spoon mix onto the baking paper and shape into a disc shape. Bake for 45 - 50 mins until dry to the touch. Allow to cool completely in the oven.

No matter how I make a pav, it cracks. I've tried so many different recipes. I've tried a hotter oven, a cooler oven. Starting out with a higher temp and lowering the temp. But I just can't make a pretty pavlova, but that's why you smother it in cream and fruit. Cream will hide a multitude of sins! It was also the first time I'd made pavlova using my kitchen aid. So much easier than using the little hand mixer! 

Decorated birthday pav just before the candles were lit! 

Next weekend my family is coming down for Tony's belated birthday lunch. I've got to make a second birthday cake (a traditional cake, I think there'd be an uproar if I tried to serve up cheesecake or pavlova with coffee!) I'm not sure what kind of cake I'll make. Something that will give us enough leftovers so my family can take some home!