Chocolate Berry Pavlova

Chocolate Berry Pavlova

• 27 Dec 2010

I've just returned home from my Christmas break with the family. It's a long drive from Brisbane to Sydney so I'm going to have an early night. Before I get into my pj's I thought I'd leave you with some of the Christmas baking I did. December has been such a busy month I haven't had a chance to share some of the things I've made.

For our work Christmas lunch I said I'd bring a dessert. I decided to make a chocolate berry pavlova using this recipe. Whilst I've made many pavlovas before, I'd not made a chocolate one before. I don't have a stand mixer, so beating a 6 egg white pavlova with electric hand beaters was a bit of an effort. I had delayed onset muscle soreness in my arms for 2 days.

I was going out for dinner and I was in a bit of a rush so I couldn't bake the pavlova for as long as I'd like. I left the pavlova in the turned off oven to dry out and when I came home a few hours later, I knocked the top of the pavlova as I was taking it out of the oven. I made quite a deep crack in the pavlova, then when I tried to remove it from the non-stick base, the pavlova cracked into quite a few pieces. I looked at the very wonky looking pavlova and tried to decide what to do.

Should I make another pavlova or just cover the wonky pavlova in a mountain of whipped cream? The thought of racing out at lunchtime in the pouring rain to get more pavlova ingredients soon determined my course of action. I decided to go with the camouflage option and bought 2 cartons of cream to effect the disguise. I managed to locate some raspberries that cost a little less than a king's ransom and some red currants as well.

I catch the train to work, so I had to transport the pavlova, whipped cream and berries over 2 days and assemble the pavlova at work in the lunch room. I get to work very early so at 7.00 a.m. on the day of the lunch I set to work decorating the pavlova with the whipped cream, topping it with the berries and lightly dusting the creation with icing sugar. I placed the pavlova in the fridge where it stayed until lunchtime. Each time I checked the pavlova, it seemed to have collapsed under the weight of the cream and berries just a little bit more!

No-one seemed to notice. The whole thing was devoured in less than 10 minutes, so quickly I didn't get a chance to snaffle a piece. I have no idea what it tastes like so I guess that means I'll have to make another one in the New Year. Great - just what my waistline needs after a month of Christmas festivities.

I hope you all enjoyed a nice break over Christmas. I have a few more days off work which I plan to spend editing a portrait shoot; visiting the Christmas sales; visiting the gym; working on my travel album and catching a movie. Who has time to go to work???

I'm not planning to return to the blog 'til the New Year so I hope you all have a fabulous time, however you plan to spend the evening. See you all in 2011.

Jillian