Revivication

(This picture is from the fabulous Good Mood Food Blog. Just looking at the photographs is a natural mood booster, never mind actually following the recipes and eating the results!)

I know, 'revivication' is not a word. But I teach German. And in German it's ok to create new words by combining shorter ones. That's how you get "Oberdonaudampfschifffahrtgesellschaft". That's 6 in 1, right there.

I've joined an online baking group. You can see the group blog, Have the Cake, here. Every month, a recipe or challenge is posted, and the members have one month to put their own spin on it, blog about it, and enjoy every one else's posts.

This month's challenge is Pavlova. I did some quick internet research, and learned that...

• originally, there were many different desserts named Pavlova and/or created in the great Russian ballerina's honor. (Check her out on Youtube. She's stunning.)

• New Zealand and Australia like to squabble about the exact origin of the dessert. Since some definitions say that it should include kiwi in the fruit topping, it seems that NZ might be gaining the upper hand.
• It turns out that the base is NOT a straight meringue; there's cornstarch in there, which changes the texture.

I've got some ideas percolated in my little brain...nothing too outrageously creative, but I'm excited to try it out.