Buy a Pavlova?

Thank you for all the kind suggestions. I really appreciated the flavour suggestions including adding Bailey’s, cointreau, etc. This is for those who want to know the end of the story.

For those who tell me it was so easy to do myself, that is always the case for those who can do it, but not the case for those who follow the instructions – I would avoid doing it for an event without having done a preliminary version first.

As for buying, I wanted a pavlova which showed a little style. When I found a shop that did supply, I was concerned that they would not have time to make it. So I asked – the answer, One hour. This told me that they were using precooked cases – and as some respondents had indicated this didn’t give the best result, I was hesitant. Then I asked about the ingredients and found that on top of the base cream they put tinned fruit salad. NOT the style or panache I was looking for.

So I went another route. I have a glass bowl divided into four parts. So I decided on a cream based liqueur flavoured dish with different fruit, liqueurs, colours and flavours in each part. I had to buy some liqueurs, sprinklings of chocolate cake decorations on top and colouring (found one which guided me on colour mixing). In the end I made six mixtures as I got enthusiastic (something to do with the tasting?).

Base: whipped cream including sugar and vanilla (I knew the vanilla would mostly be overwhelmed by other flavours but wanted it there). The mixes:
1. Chopped bananas, Aldi’s butterscotch schnapps (no longer available, silly b…s, milder than some schnapps and therefore dangerous), yellow colouring.
2. Strawberries, strawberry liqueur, red colouring.
3. Green and red seedless grapes with cointreau and green colouring.
4. Small imperial mandarins (broken into segments, no pips), grand marnier and orange.
5. Blueberries, lightly microwaved to improve flavour, blue curacao and blue.
6. Raspberries with raspberry cordial (raspberries sometimes don’t have enough flavour punch when mixed with other ingredients) and red colouring (the only non-alcoholic mix).

Good fun, colours as always with colouring a bit artificial, but generally delightful because of visual contrast. Bit like a kids party for grown ups. All went well and enough leftovers to enjoy afterwards.

I have to say that if it was a choice between a store bought, gooey, sloppy store bought pav and a homemade, crunchy on the outside, yet chewy on the inside you would have to choose the latter.

15 minutes to mix, pop in the oven and leave for 90 minutes… It’s just too easy.

Traditional topping of plain cream, passionfruit, banana and strawberries is my favourite but if you were after a bit of alcohol a big splash of baileys into the cream and top
with strawberries and shaved chocolate would be a winner.

I am passionate about pavs!

The cases from Coles and Woolies are fine. You could put a bit of Cointreau (for a citrus flavour) or Frangelico (hazelnut) into your cream to add a bit of zing.

woodman said :

It saddens me that you feel you need to buy one. Store bought pavs are horrible. Let me make you one!

You sound like a lumberjack amongst people. But eggier. Well done!

It saddens me that you feel you need to buy one. Store bought pavs are horrible. Let me make you one!

For the King of pavs- Cheesecake shop- hard to see how you could get better.

+1 for cheesecake shop

Cheesecake shop – I get one every Xmas!

Sammy said :

Buy a refrigerated pavlova case at Coles or Woolies, along with a few punnets of strawberries, some kiwi fruit and a tub of King Island cream and, hey presto, pavlova with not much fuss.

+1

Pretty sure i’ve seen them at coles