Full to the brim

We celebrated Easter Sunday at my sisters house today


The tiny but intrepid warriors set off on an easter egg hunting adventure around the backyard.


It was a bit of a slow start, but they caught on pretty quickly once they realised that they could fill up their little carry bags with chocolate!

The table was set for a wonderful roast lamb and roast beef lunch with vegies and plenty of gravy........ but I had to save room for dessert

Homemade pavlova with peppermint crisp........

Homemade Creme Brulee.....

....and homemade Mars Bar Cheesecake (I had to bring a slice home because I just couldn't possibly fit in any more)!

Happy Easter!

Triumphant

So here it is... my very first successful pavlova, and I owe it all to the magic pavlova plate from the oppy. I used Hoppo Bumpo's suggestion of trying to build up the sides to make it more structural and it worked really well (so I didn't get that flat pancake effect again).


Apparently the Peppermint Crisp topping is a Victorianism, but Wikipedia says that "The Peppermint Crisp is often used in Mint-Chocolate cheesecakes and slices. In Australia, it is almost solely used to decorate a 'Pav'"

Then of course, there's also the debate about whether the humble pav really originates from Australia or New Zealand. I'm very sad to say that Wikipedia believes that we aussies lose out in this regard... "The dessert is believed to have been created to honour the dancer, Anna Pavlova during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand. The exact location of its first creation and the nationality of its creator has been a source of argument between the two countries for many years, however more serious research into the matter indicates New Zealand as source of today's pavlova" - Sewfunky and Paisley Jade were absolutely correct!


Oh well...... here it is in all it's magic pavlova glory, smothered in whipped cream and topped with smashed up peppermint crisp......mmmmmmm

Happy Australia Day

It's another day dedicated to packing for me today, but I am going to reward myself with some yummy food at the end. The leg of lamb is in the fridge ready to go.... I'm making the traditional aussie lamb roast with three veg and gravy.

Depending on how the packing goes, I'm contemplating making a pavlova. I've only ever made pav once in my life and it was a complete and utter flat pancake inedible disaster.

But now I have a new secret pavlova weapon that I found at the oppy last week.... this plate might just be the answer to my pavlova dreams. Oh, and better still, it means less washing up!

It's just missing one vital instruction.... there's no mention of topping the pav with the traditional aussie crushed up peppermint crisp.