The New Zealander’s Pavlova

By Mary Swift-Swan

On the west side of Alameda, on the eastern corner of Central, is The New Zealander, Webster Street’s newest restaurant, bringing a bit of down-under to the Bay Area. The building was built in 1879, and became Croll’s in 1885. Windows facing Webster and Central give it an open feeling. Maori and Aboriginal artifacts are a large part of the decor. A classic wooden bar is complemented by stained glass on the ceiling and windows. It is a comfortable, kid- and generally-friendly place for good food at a fair price.

Like the name promises, the six-month-old restaurant offers many unique dishes from New Zealand. The menu temps diners with down-under teas, crackers, cheddar cheese, vegemite, beer, and a growing selection of NZ wines. They serve grass-fed New Zealand meats, like an 8-oz. rib-eye steak with roasted red potatoes and a salad for under $15. For a quick meal, try mouth-watering NZ sausage roll or a Pub Pie, choosing between ten fillings, served with an organic green salad for under $10. And then there are New Zealand desserts.
When invited to share a recipe with Bay Crossings readers, Chef Clive Hitchens offered a classic New Zealand dessert that is very popular on their menu, New Zealand Pavlova. The recipe originates from Edmond’s Sure to Rise, a pre-WWII cookbook. “Back home, Edmond’s is what Betty Crocker was to those in the States. There was a time when it was in every kitchen. Our Pavlova tastes just like back home. The technique is well proven. Like many of our meals offered at The New Zealander, the recipes are simple. It is the particular method that makes for a good product.”

New Zealand Pavlova
Prep & Cooking Time: 1-3/4 hr
Parts can be made ahead.
Make as a family pie or individual desserts. Serves 6-8.

 

The NZ way to create a perfect Vanilla Cream is to start with a cold bowl. Add a small amount of heavy cream, adding the remaining cream to the mixer as a steady slow stream. Next, pour in the vanilla extract followed by the sugar, also in a slow stream. Allow the mixer to continue. Cut a vanilla bean in half, then split it. Scrape in the soft powder from the center of the vanilla bean into the cream. Put in a covered container and chill until used.

Bring water and sugar to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring periodically until it thickens. Remove from heat. Add frozen passion fruit puree for a simple fruit syrup. Refrigerate until needed.

Baked NZ Pavlova Meringue
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Cookie tray and Parchment paper
Pastry cone and spatula

 

Separate egg whites into a bowl. Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract and start the mixer Pour in the sugar as a steady stream while the mixer beats the eggs. Add a level tablespoon of cornstarch. The other secret making New Zealand Pavlova like no other is a small amount of malt vinegar. It keeps the center moist with a nutty flavor and no hint of vinegar.

To bake, line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Fold a pastry cone down one third. Spatula meringue into the pastry cone. Squeeze out individual rounds of NZ Pavlova meringue, a few inches apart, or make one large pie in the middle of the sheet. Individual servings are fun to make, some spiky topped and some smooth.

Place in hot oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 225 degrees. Cook for 1hr 20 min. When done, tips will have just a hint of golden brown and the white body will feel firm to a gentle touch. Remove from heat to cool for 5 minutes before assembling dessert. Cooling allows the crust to become crunchy. NZ Pavlova meringues can be made ahead if stored away from other foods being cooked.

A note about working with kiwi fruit. First, make a slice at the top of the fruit toward the center but not all the way through. When the hard stem is encountered, cut around it. Then take hold and twist the sliced top around. The sharp pointed stem will unscrew out of the fruit, intact. Then slice the bottom flat and the fuzzy outer covering off.

Start with heaped tablespoon(s) of Vanilla Cream in the center of the serving plate. Place berries evenly around the cream. Next, place the baked Pavlova meringue on the base. Slip kiwi slices partly under the NZ Pavlova. Spoon 2 tablespoons of NZ Vanilla Cream, covering nearly half of the top, allowing it to flow to the plate. Decorate the top with a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, and slices of kiwi fruit. With a bit more Vanilla Cream, add more fruit and top with small flag of mint leaves. Lastly, drizzle Passion Fruit Coulee over and around the pie on the plate and serve.

Champagne, or passion fruit hot or iced tea, is excellent with this delicious dessert. The New Zealand Pavlova, crunchy outside, moist and slightly chewy on the inside, is truly unique. The fragrant Vanilla Cream and bright colored fresh fruit add to the sensory response to make it simply one of the best desserts ever tasted. Who needs chocolate? By the time the middle of an individual serving is reached, there is no stopping until the last bit of Passion Fruit Coulee is sopped up with the last bite of Pavlova. The small mint leaves are a perfect touch to press between the teeth, clearing the pallet.

This very special treat would be a grand finale to any party, celebration, or even Easter feast.

Chef Clive Hitchens was born in 1965 in New Zealand to Lee and Raewyn Hitchens. Food was an early interest. At age 7, he was making fudge and cakes; at 12, he began cooking during summer breaks for his brother and others at the family beach house. “Mum would do the shopping for the week, load the freezer, and give me the menu. I cooked all the dinners, including leg of lamb roasts and such. My exciting time was Friday, when I got to use what was left in the fridge and have fun making things.”

At 15, Chef Clive was working full time washing dishes. At 17, he started participating in cooking competitions. At 19, he won the young chef of the year and at 24, won Chef of the Year in New Zealand. “These were Magic box competitions, similar to the Iron Chef. I loved that sort of competition.” When living and working in Auckland, Chef Clive also attended the Technical Institute for Professional Chefs for three years.

The next year he went to London, representing New Zealand in a competition and to attend the Westminster Technical Institute for two years. “Joining a top catering company in London, I cooked in the Summer Palace for the Queen Mum at Cartier, Prince Charles, and Rothschild’s at the National Gallery, for Elton John, and many more. It was really quite cool.”

In 1991, Clive visited the U.S. for the first time with his brother, looking for their grandfather. They traveled through 33 states in 2-1/2 months and finally found him. It was fortunate, as he died later that year. Harry Melchoir (Malqual) had been a WWII GI. “I loved what I saw of America. All I saw here was opportunity. After being in the U.S. for 11 years, I now think my grandfather was part Native American, by his and my dad’s features and coloring. I’d like to know more, but here you can’t focus on the past. Life moves too fast. You either get on with it, or you get left behind.” Without his grandfather’s name on his father’s birth certificate, Chef Clive had to struggle, like so many, to get his Green Card. When it came, he was very happy to be legally working and living in America.

The New Zealander restaurant is a family affair. Donna and Clive Hitchens met in Berkeley. Clive was looking for a new partner for his business, CW Catering. “I recognized true talent and ability in Donna right away.” Donna joined Clive in catering and it wasn’t long before they fell in love and married. After starting a family, they augmented catering by offering a New Zealand classic, minced meat “Pub Pie,” at local farmers’ markets. A pub pie, to a New Zealander, is like a hot dog to an American or taco to someone from Mexico. A pub pie is a quick, everyday meal, eaten with hands and napkin. Pub pies quickly became such a big hit at the markets that they needed a restaurant to continue to grow. “When we became pregnant, it was time to reach deeper. The restaurant gods were smiling on us the day we found this location.”