New favorite dessert

For Mother's Day, Bil offered to make me dinner. He had me sit down and pick my menu, which was somewhat difficult to do. I don't know about you, but it is really hard for me to pick one or two favorite foods, and it is even MORE difficult to pick a favorite dessert. We finally decided that Bil would make Char Siu Baau, which are barbecued pork filled steamed rolls that I used to eat a lot in Hong Kong. As luck would have it May's issue of Cooking Light had a column on steaming and a recipe for Char Siu Baau. They were scrumptious. We also had a Thai cucumber salad, and for dessert...... Pavlova!

Have you ever had Pavlova? It is divine, and so especially perfect for summer. It is a meringue crust filled with whipped cream and seasonal fruit. This is not typically the kind of dessert I crave. Normally, I am all about chocolate and caramel and gooey treats. But there is just something about the Pavlova that I cannot get enough of. Part of it is the multiple textures: the crispy outside of the crust and the marshmallowy center, the creamy whipped cream (no Cool Whip, please!) and then the chewy fruits. Whatever it is, if you get a chance to have some Pavlova, don't miss it. Here is a link to the recipe I used. There is also a lot of really interesting information about handling egg whites. I like this recipe best because it makes individual Pavolovas. I like this because once you put your cream and toppings on the meringue, you really should eat the cake immediately. If you let it sit for a day or more, the crust starts to disintegrate and melt, making a gooey mess. With the individual crusts, you can top it right before eating.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/004356pavlova.php