It’s that time of year again.
It’s both fig and Oscars season again in Sydney(for those who have missed the obsession, catch up here .
Some go squishy too quickly. Some are a slighly tart on the tongue. Some make you wonder what all the fuss is about And some are so good that while you’re involved, you completely lose track of time entirely.
So we’re trying and get out and get hold some decent fodder.This year on the film front it’s harder; with 10 films nominated for best picture there’s more vying for attention.
(Though we don’t just concentrate on the big names. With Transformers 2 up for Best Sound Mixing, well, it may deserve some time in the sun as well).
It’s the stuff that project managers like The Hungry One and I dream of; spreadsheets. Allocating resources. Judicious matching of schedules; both ours and showing times.
So while in last couple of weeks I’ve been frantic helping to launch research into arts participation- ‘More than bums on seats’; all I’ve secretly wanted to be doing is be one.
That also means there hasn’t been that much cooking going on. Thank god for trays of figs going at Harris Farm for $17.
So, here’s something we found that was squishy enough to get us through an at home session of Inglorious Basterds (and still provide enough left overs to sweeten The Hungry One when he realises I’m taking him off to see Precious this weekend *).
Coffee pavlova with figs
Pavlova is an Australian icon of a dessert. It usually comes out looking a little like Carmen Miranda- a white base gushy with excess and an exploded fruit bowl on its head.
Though with a little restraint it can be turned into something slightly more elegant.
Make a standard pavlova;
It’s preheating an oven to 200 degrees. Lining a baking tray with baking paper.
Beating 6 eggwhites with a teaspoon of cream of tartar til they look like someone could ably ski down them. Then slowly beating in 1 cup of caster sugar, mixed with 1 tablespoon of cornflower.
Then fold through two and a half tablespoons of ground coffee beans.
It will look both lily white and sullied at the same time, a little murky and suspicious. Trust me. It will taste great.
Spoon the mixture into a circle on your baking paper, piling it high around the edges (it will spread a little when it cooks).
Turn the oven down to 100 degrees and put it in for an hour. Do not open the oven. After an hour turn the oven off and leave it in for another hour or so to cool down.
Take it out of the oven.
Pav is traditionally served topped with whipped cream and sliced fruit. I like sheep yogurt mixed with brown sugar and ripe figs. My favourite is when it’s not too sweet and a little quirky.
That’s just how we like it to roll in Oscars season.
* Pavlova base keeps pretty well in an airtight container. If you’re going to carve off some for ‘ron then it’s best to decorate each slice independantly, rather than dumping everything on top at the beginning- the topping makes the meringue crust go a little limpid.
This very well could be my idea of heaven.
Tor, your genius knows no bounds. Coffee pavlova – I die!