Hi there!! I’m Nicole from Dorothy Nicole Photography and I couldn’t be more THRILLED to be a guest blogger! Seriously, I feel famous! ;)So, a little about me, I’m a Wife, Mother, photographer, and blogger…generic, right? Let’s see, I’ve moved about 4 times in the last six years (which is FUN if you’re trying to build a photography business, LOL!). We moved to Fayetteville, GA last summer and hope to stay put, for a while anyways. It’s great, it’s a small town RIGHT next to the big city of Atlanta.
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| My girls and I during Spring Break just last week! |
I LOVE to make/create things. I am by FAR not the best at it, but I really enjoy it. Right now I’m trying to put together a FAB Little Mermaid birthday party for my 5 year old little girl. I’m doing it on a budget, so if anyone has some fun tips, send ’em my way! 🙂 What you might find most interesting about me is that I LOVE to laugh and make jokes, I make friends SUPER DUPER easy, I met my husband online, and I’m addicted to social media (we all have our vices, right?). So, that’s me in a nutshell…help, I’m in a nutshell. haha! I couldn’t resist that last part.
Ok, Kristen has asked me to share with you one of my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E recipes.
Today I’m gonna show you how to make a Pavlova!!
Never heard of it? Don’t worry, I hadn’t either, until that fateful Sunday afternoon when we had dinner with a dear friend and her family. I say “fateful” because it was FATE that I learned that this dessert existed. My friend is from Australia and apparently this is as popular as brownies are here. It’s delicious, it seriously melts in your mouth! Plus, you know it’s got to be good when it’s covered in real fresh cream. Mmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmmm!
So, here we go!
What you need:
4 egg whites at room temperature
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp corn starch
FIRST…preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Then, pour your egg whites (I admit, mine were NOT room temp) and a pinch of salt into a mixer. Try not to add the egg shells like I did here. don’t worry, I got them all out! 🙂
Now, mix until together until satiny peaks form.
Mix in your 1 cup sugar 1 spoonful at a time.
Mix until a meringue forms. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s stiff and shiny and the sugar is dissolved. This may take about 15 min.
Now listen, this is important, resist the temptation to eat it all. Ok, maybe a little lick, but that’s IT! Seriously, it’s so yummy!! (photography by my 7 year old daughter)
Next sprinkle in the 2 tsp of cornstarch…
And 1 tsp of vinegar.Then fold into the mixture. NO mixing, just fold with a spatula.
Next, pour it onto a prepared baking pan. Either use parchment paper or silpat with cooking spray.
Now, simply smooth it out into a fat circle.
Place in the oven and IMMEDIATELY turn the temperature down to 300 degrees. Cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. When it’s ready it should look crisp on the sides and dry on top with a little feel of squidginess (I’m sure that’s a word) when touching the top.
DO NOT REMOVE from oven. Open the oven door slightly, you may even want to prop a wooden spoon in the door to keep it open. Then turn the oven OFF. Let the meringue disc cool completely, about 45 min.Then it should look something like this…
Next is the fun part. The toppings!! Pick whatever fruit you’d like to top it with. This time I chose kiwi, bananas, and blueberries. But you can use anything from peaches to strawberries or raspberries. Last time I made this I actually just used a frozen bag of berries from the grocery store. It was still AMAZING!!
Chop up your fruit however you like, seriously no rules here.
Make your FRESH whip cream. PLEASE no cool whip…for the LOVE! :)Now, just smooth it over the top of your pavlova.
Then add your fruit…
And Voila!!! The yummiest dessert you will ever have!! Seriously, I’m a chocolate lover by nature, but chocolate ain’t got nothin’ on this!! Excuse me, my southern came out there…sorry! 🙂 lol!
ENJOY!!!
