Pavlova

This Pavlova recipe is from my early days as chef. The other day I was cleaning out my chef recipe - and through out some unnecessary stuff. I came across a lovely recipe (not this one) with the lovely story about how the Pavlova originated from the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. This specific recipe I have made almost everywhere in my whole chef career. It is quick and easy, and definitely trustworthy. I have decided today to share this recipe as this one was the recipe that I found looking the worst after the thieves stole my recipe container out of the back of my car. The top part of the recipe got wet and the intro part faded away...but luckily the ingredients and method part stayed untouched! A word of advice: Don't bake it in any type of fan ovens where the fans are blowing. I found out on the hard way while too busy with other tasks, that the wind blow too fast and on such a high speed that the Pavlova move and it smashes. A second word of advice: Whip the egg whites VERY VERY STIFF. You will see why the moment when you start piping them on your lined baking tray. If the egg whites are not stiff enough, you will get a runny mixture and when you are about to pie them you will see they will make very awful meringue/Pavlova nests and they will not look good. So take the time to make them beautifully, it is after all a lovely recipe to work with. When you serve them, they go very well with my  vanilla ice-cream or a flavoured variation thereof. You can decorate them beautifully with a variety of fresh fruits such as kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, mango, paw-paw, star fruit (for a different beautiful shape), pineapple and many, many more. You can make a Pavlova with a selection of 4-5 different fruits on top or an individually one such as: A strawberry flavoured one. And try out lovely fruit coulis to go with such as a gooseberry compote or a raspberry coulis. Strawberry coulis, Blueberry Coulis or a frozen berry coulis. The ideas, my dear, are endless!