Punakaiki's pancake rocks and blow hole.

My mum and brother Glenn at Punakaiki, South Island.

traditional Kiwi cooking recipie

Pavlova:  New Zealands most famous desert.   It is claimed that the pavlova was first created by a New Zealander.  I myself have made many of these deserts and everyone of our European guests have enjoyed it so much so that they have wanted the recipie.  So try it and good luck.

This recipie makes quite a big deseret, so for just a couple of people, half the mixer.

8 egg whites

2   1/2 cups sugar (caster sugar if you have it)

2 teaspoons Dyc white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

2 tablespoons cornflour

Topping (I'd suggest whipped cream and Kiwi fruit slicers)

Preheat the oven to 180 celcious.  Seperate the egg whites from the yolks, making sure that no egg yolk gets in with the white.  Beat the whites with an electric beater for several minutes, then add the sugar.  Continue beating for at least ten minutes.   You can not beat the mixer to much, but you can definately beat it not enough.   Start adding the other ingrediances, vinegar, vanilla and cornflour.  Continue beating for another five minutes or until the mixer is a creamy white and will not fall off the beater's arms.

Line an oven tray with a baking paper and spread the mixer in a circle about 100mm high.  If it will not stand up straight then you haven't beaten it enough.  Smooth the top and place the pavlova in the oven, turn the heat down to 100 celcious and bake it for one hour.  At the end of the hour turn the oven off, but leave it in with the oven door closed.  Once it has cool,  decorate it with whipped cream and fresh fruit. We try and use Kiwi Fruit.   Let me know how it turns out.

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