Aspiring to Be French - Mango Pavlova

Sometimes we aspire to be what we want through food. Years ago, before Poet and Flower and before we were married, G and I visited Paris. I had been to Paris as a teenager with my parents. It was the quintessential family trip seeing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the sites. I remember vividly eating at the Hardrock Cafe because we had tired of eating French food at our hotel. We were surrounded by other American families who similarly craved hamburgers and French fries. The waiter came to our table and looked us over with just a little bit of disdain, saying to himself, silly Americans eating here.

So when G and I visited Paris, I envisioned the Paris of movies—enjoying the city of lights, strolling along the Seine, and eating fancy French meals. We did all of these things and more. I made reservations in advance at a string of restaurants recommended by other Americans visiting Paris. (Perhaps this should have been my first warning that things would not be as I wanted.) G went along and was game to try anything.

So on one of our first nights in Paris, we went to a lovely small restaurant with crisp white tablecloths, dim lighting, and candles. We walked up the stair to a cozy small room and sat at a corner table by the window. When the waiter came, I ordered what I thought of as a classic dish, butter-poached lobster. G, on the other hand, envisioned a completely different scenario. He ordered cow's head with a mustard sauce. He wanted an authentic French dish that he could not enjoy anywhere else. The waiter gently suggested that perhaps he should order something else, but G could not be swayed.

My lobster came out in a perfect little red Staub dutch oven, with the lid slightly askew. It was perfect. G's meal came out in a beautiful large brass platter. On it sat the perfect face of a cow covered in a pale yellow sauce. G stared at it, not quite knowing what to do. It was perfectly French and perfectly not for him. He stared at my butter-poached lobster with envy.

The next night G finally picked the restaurant to eat at. He chose a tiny local place that was not fancy and did not take reservations. It was a Szechuan Chinese place, and we arrived to find it packed with Asians and Parisians alike. Everyone was enjoying authentic Szechaun food in the heart of Paris. And I realized that food can be what we want it to be. But, it can also just simply be us. Here we were all together, foreigners in a foreign land enjoying the food that we knew best.

This week's recipe is a mango pavlova. G's mom mentioned baking a pavlova together. She loves watching cooking shows and had seen a classic pavlova on the Great British bakeoff. She imagined enjoying a huge, pillowy meringue topped with cream and fruit. I adapted a recipe from the great British baker, Mary Berry, who makes every dessert look so elegant and effortless. After some experimentation, I finally hit on the perfect meringue. The pavlova should be crispy on the outside and soft and marshmallowy on the inside. my first version sunk a little but was still delicious - Poet and Flower ate the entire crispy outside. The key is to bake it low and slow. Resist the urge to open the oven, and when it's done, leave it to cool in the oven for 1-2 hours or overnight. I topped it with mango and fresh whipped cream. It's a perfect special occasion dessert.

Mango Pavlova

This is a beautiful dessert, a mile high meringue topped with fresh whipped cream and mango. A show stopping dessert for any occasion.

Adapted from Mary Berry, My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes

Serves 4-6

For the Pavlova

• 4 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup super fine sugar
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For the Filling

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3-4 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1 mango (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• raspberries or pomegranate seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and draw a 8 inch circle in the center of the paper.
2. In a standing mixer, place the egg whites and wisk on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, continuing to wisk until stiff peaks form. The meringue will be nice and glossy.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour, vinegar, almond extract until smooth. Gently fold it into the egg whites.
4. Gently spoon the meringue onto the baking sheet. You want the sides to be a little higher so you can fill the center with the filling.
5. Transfer to the oven and then decrease the temperature to 225 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes until the meringue is hard on the outside. Turn the oven off and let pavlova sit in the oven for 1-2 hours or overnight. Resist the temptation to open the oven door.
6. Whip the heavy cream with confectioners sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form.
7. Spread the whipped cream over the meringue. Top with fresh mango and raspberries.
8. Serve immediately. The dessert is best for a few hours, otherwise it will get soggy.