white, crisp, light, sweet, airy and chewy are words that perfectly describe this little nugget of heaven. pavlova, oh pavlova, how i love thee.when i downloaded that december-january issue of the donna hay magazine for the ipad, i swiped my fingers from right to left and bottom to top to see what they had in store in this issue. then i saw these things - pavlovas, i read, and read some more, and i knew that i had to make it.
a paragraph about the magazine follows, you can skip through it. i'm serious, you really could. i won't be mad.
it's just the magazine's second issue for the ipad, but i know that i am going to be downloading all future issues; i don't even care if i have to pay (the first two are free).
anyway, the magazine is filled with gorgeous photos and music that may seem cheesy and annoying at first, but it kinda grows on you. so what are you waiting for, download it now! i'll assume that you have downloaded it already, so that i wouldn't sound like a nut when i start talking about it. i am actually a little obsessed with the magazine. i
enough about the magazine and let's talk about pavlovas.
i have heard about pavlovas before, but i did not know they were very similar to meringue. it's just egg whites and sugar plus cornstarch to make the inside soft, moist and chewy. i have only made meringue once before - not this, but the dry and crispy one that's like a cookie. and from what i remembered during that time, making meringue requires patience, lots of it.
i guess, that's why i didn't make it again because of the time issue. you see, i hate waiting for food. my max time is 1 hour, and that is already way too long. so imagine the determination i had to muster up to make this. for chissakes, i had to bake it for an hour and let it cool in the oven for another hour, or so. that's two hours not including prep. oh goodness, that magazine was really enticing.
after the grueling wait and the pavlovas were already crisp and dry; i immediately topped it with a super simple strawberry sauce, whipped cream and grated chocolate; hesitantly broke the perfectly white shell and took a bite. i then went to heaven. 
ingredients:
4 (150 ml) egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar, preferable the superfine type
pinch of cream of tartar or 1 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
instructions:
1. preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. in the bowl of your stand mixer ( make sure it's super clean), whip (with the whisk attachment) egg whites until foamy. if using cream of tartar, add it at this point and whip until soft peaks form.
3. add sugar one tablespoon at a time while beating the eggs whites on high speed. keep whipping until the egg whites are smooth and not gritty when you put the egg white in between your fingers. if it feels sandy, whip some more until smooth. add vanilla and whip until combined.
4. if using vinegar, add it after the eggs whites are smooth, sprinkle cornstarch and fold until everything is just mixed.
5. spoon out a mound of about two tablespoons of the whipped egg whites on a parchment lined baking sheet and put a dip in the middle of the mound. this is where the whipped cream and filling will go.
6. lower the temperature to 250 degrees F and bake the formed egg whites for 1 hour. after the hour has passed, do not oven the oven and let the pavlovas cool inside the oven, about another hour. this will ensure that it will not crack.
strawberry sauce
1 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/4 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
pinch of salt
in a sauce pan, place all the ingredients and cook over medium high heat until it boils and then boil some more until it's thick.
sweetened whipped cream
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
whip and whip until thick.
