My husband grew up eating Schaum Torte, a favorite family dessert with (apparently) German heritage. As soon as I tried it, I was converted. My friend Tania, just returned from Australia and after grilling her about Australian cuisine (particularly desserts) she brought me a Pavlova mix. (Thanks Tania!) This dessert was named after a famous Russian ballerina, but it's the same dessert as Schaum Torte. We made the Pavlova on Sunday night and really enjoyed it. It's a lovely spring dessert; A "cake" of meringue, filled with sweetened whipped cream and topped with your fruit of choice. We love it with berries and/or fresh peaches (in season). The Pavlova mix had wonderful, more "tropical" suggestions like mango puree and kiwi fruit. (I've also seen a version where you flavor the whipped cream with orange and lemon zest, yum!) The possibilities are really endless.
This tiny one is filled with vanilla ice cream.
Yes, that is lemon custard AND whipped cream. Be still my heart.
I love these individual ones, what a perfect dessert to serve at book club:
And the presentation of this one is stunning. The shell was made by smoothing the meringue over an inverted bowl covered with foil. The topping is a rhubard compote. (via Martha Stewart).
The Pavlova mix consisted of powdered egg whites (maybe a little cream of tartar) that you mix with water and beat until fluffy. Here's the Schaum Torte version, no mix needed:
Schaum Torte
1 C. egg whites, chilled
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. cream of tartar
2 C. sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 T. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
Combine egg whites, cider vinegar and the cream of tartar in a mixer and beat until very stiff at high speed. Then add the sugar slowly keeping mixer at high speed. Drop into 2 well buttered pyrex pie dishes (you can also make two dome shaped mounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silpat) and bake at 300 for 10 minutes and at 250 for 30 minutes. Turn oven off and let cool in the oven (the meringue should be totally dry all the way through, you can even leave it overnight in the off oven).
When serving, take out of pie dish and put on serving platter. Depress middle with palm so a large depression is made in center. Fill with whipped cream, powdered sugar and vanilla which has been whipped until stiff. (This amount will fill both tortes.) On the cream put fresh fruits, strawberries, raspberries, peaches.
3 comments:
mmm the perfect may dessert! i'll have to try it
One of my favorites too.
We must be channeling the same dessert gods or something. I saw a post on Noshteria about pavlova--a chocolate one! And I can't get it out of my mind. It was going to be my Sunday Night Dessert last week, but I didn't do it.
I think I need to just make it and stop salivating.
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