Please Pass the Pavlova!!

I must say, some mistakes are made for the best - hence the beautiful Pavlova above.

I planned New Year's dinner practically around the dessert. I had watched an episode on the Food Network not to long ago, and wanted to recreate the yummy tarts that were featured. They had a Brazil Nut crust and then were filled with a custard laced with lemon zest and I had some blueberries to top them off with. The recipe started out harmless enough....

....but when they came out of the oven - uh oh!! Thank goodness I made these tart shells on New Year's Eve - I still had 24 hours to figure out another plan. The pastry was easy to make and molded okay to the mini muffin tins - which are not the same as a tartlet pan in case you were wondering (I had to use half a disc of pastry per muffin cup). They baked up nicely - but I couldn't get them out of the pan!!! And YES, I did grease it first. They just crumbled as soon as you touched them. The pastry actually tasted quite good and I decided IF I ever try this again I will probably just bake them in a glass pan and cut into squares - then top with custard and fruit. If any of you are brave enough to try these, please let me know how it goes. Go here for the Recipe and good luck to you!

Okay, so I had a fantastic mealed planned and no dessert. It is 1:00 pm on New Year's Eve and I have to leave my house in 3 hours for a party. I have no plan. I searched the Internet with no inspiration and then I remembered a dessert friends brought to my Mom's house once. It was a large meringue (which my husband loves) topped with fresh fruit. I started surfing the net and found out this large disc is called a Pavlova. It also takes HOURS to bake in the oven and needed a couple of ingredients I didn't have on hand. So, I tossed the idea out the window and made Shortbread cookies from a mix (sad, I know).

Once at the New Year's party I started telling the above mentioned friends about my disappointment in not having time or ingredients to make the Pavlova. They assured me the process was no big deal and my Mom generously lent me the missing ingredients.... So, I went to bed that night (at 11:00 pm - I know, but I have a toddler...) and couldn't stop thinking about squeezing in a 3 hour window to bake a Pavlova. My oven was booked for most of the day as it was....

I am so glad I listened to them!! I had it whipped up shortly after breakfast and in the oven before I knew it. Good thing I have a kitchen aid to do all the hard work!

After being in the oven for approximately 3 hours I pulled out this lovely white meringue. It looked so fantastic I couldn't believe I was about to serve cookies from a mix!

I whipped up some cream (which does not need the added sugar as the Pavlova is sweet enough) and topped it with some fruit I had in the freezer. Traditionally, this is made with fresh fruit - but seasonally, I didn't stand a chance. So frozen it was and it tasted FANTASTIC!!

It is really sweet so there is no need to sweeten the whipping cream or the fruit! It is dry and hard on the outside and chewy and soft on the inside. A real crowd pleaser. Thank goodness the tarts didn't turn out!

I hope you all enjoy your own Pavlova. Here is Ina Garten's recipe. Oh, and if you don't like meringue - you still need to make this. Entirely different than on a pie or a cookie from the store!

Enjoy

CC.