Vanilla Essence

[lisa]

I've not looked yet because I only discovered tonight that I need it but can you find vanilla essence in the shops here and if so, what's it called? Thanks.

[Carolyn]

No, you have to either make it yourself, by placing split vanilla beans, which you CAN get in the store, inside a bottle of vodka OR you use vaniljsocker, which is a strongly flavored vanilla sugar. If you really need some, I can give you a bit tomorrow! Let me know.

Edited to add: You can order vanilla essence from The English Store in Stockholm and we can talk tomorrow about maybe combining an order or something. You can find them by going to www.englishshop.se and see what other English goodies they carry.

[Pam]

Actually you can get vanilla extract in stores that sell essential oils. It comes in tiny bottles and is wildly expensive.....if I remember right, close to $10 for a 5 ml bottle. It's very strong and would probably take ony a few drops as opposed to a teaspoonful. So far the vanilla sugar has worked in anything I've needed vanilla for.

[lisa]

I think I'll go with the vanilla suger, it's for a pavlova that I need to test out before Christmas, and I'll pick up some vanilla essence when I'm back in the UK. Thanks for the tips.

The English Shop TRADING on the British Image, now I could say lots about that but I won't! The prices are seem very high to me.

[Aussie]

Lisa,

Because it contains alcohol, you can't buy vanilla essence in the shops. Vanilla sugar works well for pavlova. I have an "idiot proof" recipe for pavlova that I always make. I'll post it here so you can try it out if you like.

Pavlova

4 egg whites
2 tablespoons sugar for each egg white
1 dessertspoon corn flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Pinch of salt

Beat egg whites stiff with a pinch of salt.
Add sugar gradually and beat well. Check no sugar is left on bottom of bowl.
Add corn flour, vanilla and vinegar. Beat well.

Put on a buttered oven tray sprinkled with equal corn flour and icing sugar, in the shape and approximate height desired.

Bake in a slow oven 120ºC for 1½ hours. Turn off the oven leaving the Pavlova to cool slowly with it.

Place on plate and cover with whipped cream and decorate.


Hints

Use the freshest eggs you can get.

Use eggs at room temperature, having left them out of the fridge for an hour or so means the white beat up easier and better.

Increase the cake size with the eggs, I often to a 6-8 egg Pavlova for parties, I usually increase the other ingredients in proportion but most important is to keep the sugar to egg proportions.

When placing on oven tray, consider the plate shape and size you plan to put the Pavlova on (a piece of wood or tray covered in foil – doesn’t matter!). I usually dump the mix into a round shape about 6 cm high. Then smooth off the top to give an approximate flat surface. Often higher pavs will cave in and can be just filled with cream.

I use baking paper, which I butter and corn flour on my oven tray. This helps in turning the pav over later. I don’t have to carefully lift it off the tray the paper usually just peels off, allowing me to put the pav on its serving plate.

I like to bake a pav at night and leave it in the oven overnight to cool, thus avoiding (mostly) drastic cave ins from cooling too quickly.

A Pavlova can keep in a dry place for up to a week before decorated. (I’ve never left it this long but my mum has)

I use heaps of whipped cream usually at least 5 dl (and more on an 8 egg pav), then like to use fresh Swedish strawberries in summer here. Other decoration ideas include fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries (they are thawed by eating time) sliced banana (put on at the last second), kiwi fruit, peaches (canned), mandarins (canned), passion fruit (self imported can), shaved or grated chocolate or combinations of some or all of the above! ;D

With cream on keep the pav in a fridge, and it will only keep as long as the cream keeps.

[Sabeine]

What is pavlova? It sounds Russian, is it a cake?

When I first read it I thought of "Pavlov's Dog" with the salivating, I wonder if the name comes from that?

[Carolyn]

I believe the pavlova was named in honor of Anna Pavlova, the famous Russian ballerina. It's basically like a huge meringue, stuffed with whipped cream and fresh fruits. LOVE it.

[Aussie]

Sabeine,

Carolyn is correct.

While meringue cake has been known for almost two centuries, the Pavlova, with its marshmallow-like inside, is said to have been in the invention of Perth chef Bert Sachse. It was named after the dancer, Anna Pavlova (who toured Australia in 1926) due to its light texture.

It's pretty much become the Australian national dessert. And it's very yummy. I've made it a few times here in Sweden and it is always well received. My husban's nephew loved it so much that he has it every year for his birthday cake now ;D

It's sweet, smothered with cream and fruit - of course the Swedes LOVE it!

[lisa]

The recipe you gave Aussie, is practically the same one I'm going to use! An old favourite of my mum's

[Natooke]

listen Lisa if you're really Desperate ;D i can send you some out in the mail.

[lisa]

Natooke, thanks for the offer. I used vanilla sugar and it worked a dream. Vanilla essence is now on my list of things to bring back from the UK.

[Carolyn]

Lisa, if you have room in your suitcase when you come back, I need pickled onions, Branston pickle and some strawberry jelly!