pool party... before the summer finishes

The Summer school vacation is just too long in our part of the world (12 weeks this year!) It eats up the entire summer and so summer seems to disappear all too rapidly. I dread the cold weather and rue summer's demise. Anyway, we needed to organize a birthday party for our little Miss soon-to-be-five. We'd agreed upon a pool party and needed this to happen before our neighborhood pool closes on Labor Day (September 2nd). Thankfully our cool/wet Summer abated and the weather was spectacular for the big day today. 

kid soup

It was a challenge planning a party for 20 kids, plus adults, away from our home with no refrigeration, no cooking facilities and no ready access to water or power. Hence... we ordered pizza! 

I made colorful carrot and beet dips with crudités, fruit kebabs, a giant tossed spinach salad, and pesto pasta to curb appetites until pizza arrived. A sudden dearth of available blueberries meant our rainbow kebabs lacked the blue spectrum!

I made the easiest decorated birthday cake I have ever made - with ever so many thanks to the wonderfully helpful video at 52 Kitchen Adventures. 

I frosted a yellow cake using this recipe for cake and frosting. I used the India Tree brand of natural colors to create the lovely subtle coloring. Mietta was very happy with the result.

To ensure our vegan friends did not miss out on cake, I made my first ever vegan cake! I used the recipe here for a Chocolate-Mocha Cake. Instead of instant coffee powder, Paul pulled four decaf espresso shots for me to use. I omitted the coffee from the icing and used the icing on the sides of the cake in place of the ganache. I topped the cake with chocolate-dipped strawberries. It was surprisingly OK :-)

I made some pink lemonade and we had juice and water for thirsty swimmers. As we had so many guests, I made a Pavlova too, and strew this with fruit that didn't make it onto the fruit kebabs. 

In the interests of providing a healthy - less trashy type of 'goody bag', we bought some of Alex's range of craft projects to hand out. Mietta really enjoyed the paper bag puppet kit she received for Christmas - and I had kept this in mind for such an event. We filled some goody bags with a tub of playdough and a few clay tools for the younger guests and some bags with craft paper, stickers and origami paper for the older children.

We also had some balls for each child to take home. No sweets - much to Mietta's disgust "ALL goody bags have candy!" she protested. Well yes. Most do... but I have been trying to thwart this for years! In the past, we've given out: popcorn containers filled with microwave popcorn, pencils, erasers (for a movie theme party); a bag of healthy prepackaged snacks (Annie's bunnies, raisins, etc.); novel tastes and treats from the Asian supermarket; decorated letter cookies with the appropriate letter for each guest (decorated by Luc); board books for the younger set; bubbles, balloons... It can be a challenge to think of ideas that will delight - but not end up straight in landfill or harm little tummies.

We had such a good time - a really lovely day. Our wonderful guests graciously helped out with kid wrangling, clean-up, cake dispersal and cake storage (in a nearby fridge) - freeing up Paul and myself to actually speak to people... and for me to take a few photos! We were most grateful. 

Mietta had the best time and was a wonderful host. Her enthusiasm lasted ALL day. Upon returning home she immediately constructed one of the left-over goody bag crafts, then built Mega bloks with Paul all afternoon, before taking Rascal for a walk and having her first-ever attempt on a pedal bike. Phew!

Pavlova

Pavlova for a Christmas party - in seasonal colors

I have had SO many requests for this recipe... so here it is. Pavlova!

This is a spectacular dessert - but not without some contention. It was created to honor the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The contention lies between Australia and New Zealand... as to which nation can rightfully claim it's invention. Regardless of the origins, Pavlova has become a staple dish for Australian BBQs or parties. My mother makes a brilliant Pavlova - so quite frankly, I never bothered trying. 

When we were asked to our first American 'Pot Luck', Paul and I both decided we needed to take along a Pavlova. We were surprised when one of the guests stated "Oh! A Pavlova" and encouraged the other guests to try it. Apparently the guest had spend many years in Australia and was very accustomed to the dish. Our first attempt turned out quite well. Subsequent attempts were hit and miss. Once we got a 'real' mixer, our results have been consistently successful.  

Since our first attempt, I have made this dessert for countless parties and pot lucks. It has always been very well received - as it is considered somewhat 'unique'. But... do you think I could find photos? This was a hard task. Apparently I have made many but photographed few. 

My go-to recipe is from the most-excellent-of-all-time-cookbook, The Cooks Companion by Stephanie Alexander. The original recipe can be found here, with a step-by-step video on how to make it here. 

My version is for a slightly larger Pavlova using 6 egg whites. I use this many egg whites as we often have several containers of egg whites in our freezer, all containing three egg-whites left over from Paul making Aioli or Zabaglione. I have increased the ingredients proportionally - but it is still the same recipe/method. I would recommend that first-time Pavlova makers start with the original recipe, until it is perfected. The quantities below will serve around 9 to 12 people. 

PAVLOVA 
Ingredients: 
6 egg whites (6 fl oz)
pinch salt 
375g (13oz) caster sugar* 
3 tsp corn starch 
1 ½ tsp white-wine vinegar 
few drops pure vanilla
1 pint (450 ml) heavy whipping cream (firmly whipped)
fresh fruit to decorate

Method:  
Preheat the Oven to 355℉. Line a Cookie Sheet with Baking / Parchment Paper. On the reverse side, draw a 9" (23cm) circle on the paper (so it shows through). 
Beat egg whites with salt until satiny peaks form. 
Beat in sugar, a third at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny. 
Sprinkle over corn starch, vinegar and vanilla and fold through gently. 
Mound mix onto paper-lined baking tray within circle, flattening top and smoothing sides. 
Place in oven. Immediately reduce heat to 300℉ and bake for 30 minutes. 
Reduce oven temperature to 250℉ and bake for a further 45 minutes. 
Turn off oven and leave Pavlova in cooling oven to cool completely. 

Before serving, carefully invert Pavlova onto a serving platter. Inverting the Pavlova gives the crisp 'crust' to the bottom. Top with whipped cream and decorate with the fruit of your choice. 

Notes: 
Egg whites MUST be at room temperature. 
*I use regular white sugar. I find this has a finer texture in the US than in Australia. If I have time, I will pulse the sugar in my blender for a minute or so to ensure it has a finer texture (although as I am typically making this late at night, after the kids are in bed - I don't always bother!) 
This is a recipe to practice. Every oven has it's own foibles, and this can make a significant difference. 
Beware that the Pavlova is likely to implode when inverting it. Sometimes this is a two-person job! 
Fruits I typically use: strawberries, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, slices of orange, fresh mango, can of crushed pineapple (juice drained), banana, can mandarin segments (drained). Sometimes I decorate using concentric rings of different fruits, other times I randomly scatter fruit across the top. The BEST fruit to use is the pulp from passionfruit - simple, tart and the perfect foil for the sweetness of the meringue. Unfortunately, where we live, we find passionfruit next to impossible to find and/or ridiculously expensive.