Pineapple Series: Pineapple Pavlova

It's been a long time between pineapple posts. The last one was the Sweet Pineapple Omelet which just polarised people. It's taken us several months to get over the trauma of eating that sh*t...so much for the Julie and Julia aspirations I had...

Yesterday I cracked open the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe book circa 1960s after the long hiatus because we were invited to another pineapple soiree. I was asked to make a dessert. Thank the pineapple gods that be, as the savoury pineapple dishes have been very hit or miss. Usually miss.

Flicking through the yellowed pages of the pineapple tome, I spotted the perfect recipe on page 35 under the Pineapple Party Time heading - Pineapple Pavlova. Pictured was a round mess of meringue topped with sunshiney pineapple and cream. A nice simple recipe for those not looking for a challenge...

Here is the recipe:

Pineapple Pavlova
Ingredients:
15 oz Can of Golden Circle Crushed Pineapple in syrup
2 tablespoons cornflour or arrowroot
Your favourite recipe for a 3 or 4 egg Pavlova*

Method:
I made mini pavs, so I spooned tablespoons of the pav mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper. I got around 12 pavs. Bake until firm in a slow oven. Cool.

12 mini pavs baking in a slow oven. I let them cool in the oven. They had a very crispy texture.

Empty pineapple into saucepan and heat to boiling. Thicken with cornflour or arrowroot. Cool, then spoon into meringue shells. Serve with cream or ice-cream.

Boiling crushed pineapple. It smelt like Nana food, remember that smell?
 I threw in a vanilla bean so it wouldn't taste so bland.

It really is as simple as that.

We added extra fruit and passion fruit pulp because someone had made a killer fruit salad. It was delicious.

The dress code was strictly tropical.
Our hostess Y is modelling her tropical attire as she prepares the pineapple dishes.

The verdict? A winning combination. I thought the pineapple mixture would be too sweet teamed with the meringue. Indeed it was sweet as far as pavlovas go, but the addition of the cream and other fruit salad made it into something very special. A good dessert for those with a poorly stocked pantry.

Happy Easter everyone.

*My Pavlova recipe is four egg whites mixed with a pinch of salt, then mix the buggery out of it while adding 200g caster sugar gradually until it is glossy and stiff. Bake in a slow oven for approximately 2 hours. The texture is very light, crispy and fragile.