We celebrate the birth of my first born, Chris, three days after Christmas. Unbeknown to us he had plans to celebrate more than his birthday this year.
Browsing through a Waitrose Food Illustrated, kindly sent to me by Keiko earlier this year, he came across this pavlova and went in to raptures over it. The picture in the magazine IS amazing and sadly, mine looks nothing like it.
Never be deceived by looks. Despite the meringue mixture spreading before baking and then crumbling after baking, when I moved it to platter, the taste was divine. It is a wonderful blend of flavours and textures - the crunch of meringue, the smoothness of the cream, a slight bitterness to the sweet coffee syrup, all topped with the creaminess of walnuts.
At that point I had not planned on any specific dessert for the birthday dinner. Decision made.
Waitrose Illustrated Recipes - Coffee Pavlova with Walnut Cream
...and the extra celebration...Chris and Maria announced their engagement. We are over the moon.
No wedding plans have been decided as yet. Maria's family live in Montreal so lots to consider before decisions are made.
