New York Style Cheesecake and Strawberries

YUM!

The directions for this are quite lengthy (but easy), so I'm just going to put the link here for you to use.  This is by far the best cheesecake I've ever made.

Pavlova

I made my very first pavlova yesterday. Why haven't I made one before now? I have no idea!! I have very fond (and yummy!) memories of my Grandma Woodford making these for desserts often (with whipped cream and peaches) when we'd visit when I was a child.

Most recently, Tim and Steph had a GORGEOUS one on their blog, and since I needed to make several desserts for an event at our house last night (and pavlova is naturally gluten free, which makes it okay for Rebekah S), it seemed like the perfect dessert to try!

Not nearly as artistic as the one Steph made and Tim decorated, but edible nonetheless =)

Here is the recipe that Steph shared with me:

The Best Pavlova (adapted from allrecipes.com)

-4 egg whites (room temp)

-1 pinch salt

-1 cup sugar (divided)

-1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

-1 tsp lemon juice

 

-1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
-1/2 cup icing sugar

fruit of choice

 

1. Preheat oven to 250 F/150 C.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Draw a 9 inch circle on the paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.  Add **3/4 cup** of sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, while continuing to whip.  Make sure sugar is completely dissolved.  Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the cornstarch; lightly fold into merigue with lemon juice.

 

3. Spread a layer of meringue to fit circle on parchment paper, making the edges a little higher than the center.

 

4.  Bake for one hour and fifteen minutes.  Turn off oven, but leave meringue in oven for additional 30 minutes (I leave it until it's cool, but probably doesn't matter).  When cool, the meringue should be hard (and lightly browned) on the outside, and slightly moist on the inside.

 

5.  In a large bowl, combine the cream and icing sugar, and whip until thickened.  Decorate with fruit of your choice!  

Here's mine after it baked and cooled.  If you've never had pavlova, it is a delicious, light dessert that is crispy on the outside and has a soft marshmallow-like center.  

All dressed up...