mini marshmellow pavlovas

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!! (for yesterday)

I love australia day. i abhor the idiots that do stupid things like cause riots and stuff because lets face it, thats just un-australian and i understand the whole aboriginal rights stuff, but that doesnt stop me from watching and laughing at bogans wearing their flags.
i also dont think there is any better way to celebrate living in a country than having a day off work, going to the beach, drinking a few beers with friends and family, eating charred meats from the BBQ with fresh bread and tomato sauce and finishing the night with fireworks and pavlova.

had a tame (but awesome) australia day this year, went to my friend hannahs for dinner, as her balcony = great fireworks watching spot. it was also her birthday, so cake was required. i wanted to make an 'australian' pavlova, but had to catch the bus, so decided that individual mini pavlova that i could stick in a container in my bag was the way to go.

this is my mums pav recipe. it makes an amazing marshmellow center with crisp outside. i remember fighting my brothers for a beater to lick when mum made it XD

Mini Marshmellow Pavlovas (green and gold theme)




3 egg whites (use four if you have that many. i didnt)
1/2 c castor sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour
2 tspn vinegar
1 tspn vanilla essence
Cream, kiwifruit and passionfruit to decorate

Preheat oven to 120 degrees. Place egg whites in bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Continue beating (dont turn it off till the end - just keep beating) add the sugar intermittently in about 3-4 goes with beating phases inbetween. (there has to be a better way to write that...) the mix should start to look glossy. add the cornflour, mix, vinegar, mix and vanilla essence. stop beating when its all combined! (beaters can be cleaned by licking) Spoon the mix onto a flat tray lined with baking paper, leaving a space of about 2cm between each pavlova. they wont rise, so how big you make them is how big they will be! Cook for about 1-1/2 hours, or until outside is crisp. Cool and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, slice of kiwifruit and passoinfruit ontop!




Tips
Once cooked, pav can be frozen (just in case)
if you want to make a big pav, just spoon the mixture into the middle of a baking tray, making a circle about 24cm diameter (or however big you want)
if you want to, put the mix in a piping bag and pipe 'nests' that you can fill with cream. alternately, pipe 'kisses' which can be stuck together with cream or dipped in chocolate
alternate toppings: strawberries, kiwifruit, passionfruit, peaches, raspberries, grated chocolate. remember: you always need cream!