Day Sixty Two: From Russia With Love

When I was in High School, I went to Russia on a foreign exchange program.  During my stay, I lived with a Russian family, the members of which did not speak English.  This is not a nice way of saying the people I lived with did not speak much English.  They did not speak any English.

As in any English. at. all.

This was a problem since I didn't don't speak Russian...well, I knew how to say "hello, my name is...", "where is the bathroom?", and "you are very good looking".  I don't know why I learned that last phrase.  Although there is some wisdom in being able to compliment in another language, I guess.

But I digress.

While in Russia, the mother in one of the families that I stayed with made Pavlovas.  I thought these little meringues were little pieces of sugary manna from heaven.  This is because my other meal options included day-old bread, boiled cabbage, or a Big Mac from the recently-opened Moscow McDonalds.

I ate at McDonalds a lot.

My Russian hosts informed me, in a lengthy game of bi-lingual-charades, that Pavlovas were named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova.  It took some research when I returned to the U.S.  to understand that the dessert actually originated in Australia (or New Zealand).  That explained all the hopping around like a Kangaroo.

Wherever the dessert hails, or its history, I made Martha's Pavlova's with Mixed Berries found on p. 195 of her Banking Handbook.  It is very similar to the recipe found here.

Three words:
Make. This. Dessert.

It's simple, only needs a few ingredients and (in case anyone is keeping score) is a gluten-free dessert that actually tastes good.