Mango Pavlova (yeah, I know it is not a torte...)

The Idea: Copy-catting a friend of mine, I decided to have theme nights with food, etc. from different countries chosen by my children. This week they chose Australia. This was a bit tough, since very few items for "authentic" Australian/bush food are available close to me, but since a few Australian friends suggested making a pavlova for dessert, I decided to post the results. A pavlova is of course not a torte, but I may use elements of a pavlova and incorporate they into a torte since I was so thrilled with the results. The Recipe: I based my pavlova on "The Best Pavlova" recipe from allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/the-best-pavlova/Detail.aspx)

Alterations:

• The recipe said plain sugar, but I whirled it around in a food processor to make it extra fine- some Australian recipes insisted on caster sugar.


• I used mango on top instead of strawberries, because around here this time of year there are few good, fresh fruits and my wonderful guests just happened to bring me 2 perfectly ripe mangoes (also a rarity around here!) This brought a wonderful desert up to another level in my opinion.


• I used 4 egg whites to up the size a bit, but reduced sugar by 1/2, because I really think it is enough for meringues. It was the perfect sweetness.


• I cooked it for 1 hour at 125 deg C, turned off the oven and left it in the oven for 30min, then opened the door for 30min.


• I topped it with 400mL of whipping cream for no other reason than whipping cream comes in 200ml containers and I thought 200ml would be too little. The 1 1/4c would have been fine.


• I did not pipe the meringue for the simple reason that I was feeling lazy.

Lessons Learned:

• Serves 12 in this case meant 4 adults 3 kids- with 1 exception* everyone had seconds (and 3rds).


• I will definitely make this again provided I have very good fruit to put on top. My standby bananas or pears would have been OK, but I think excellent fruit makes this dessert.


• Make a higher "wall"to hold in the whipped cream/fruit. This is not very important, but it helps to keep it together a bit. Perhaps pulling out the piping bag would help here ;).


• I have to put more thought into how I can incorporate this into a torte. Perhaps a light white/yellow or angel cake, layered with meringue, whipped cream fruit? It would almost not be worth it because this is simply so good by itself. I will have to ponder the possibilities over my next long run.

Next up: Easter. I am thinking of finally breaking out the imported marshmallows and trying my hand at home made fondant, or if I make my way over to the inconveniently located restaurant supply store I will buy marzipan by the kg and make a marzipan wrapped torte. I am thinking egg shaped and colored! *the one exception is my cute little nemesis goddaughter who is the only one who eats very little cake while my little monsters scarf them down. What do you bake for a child who eats very, very sensibly???