January 31

Anna Pavlova's  Birthday
 

Anna Pavlova was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1881 and studied at the Imperial Ballet School.  She made her debut at seventeen and by 1906 she had become a principal ballerina. On her second foreign tour she joined Diaghilev's Ballet Russes where she created and made famous The Dying Swan. In 1921 she bought Ivy House in England and opened her own School of Dance. From then on she spent the rest of her career almost constantly on tour bringing ballet to millions for the first time. Pavlova died of pneumonia, three weeks short of her 50th birthday.  She once said "If I can't dance then I'd rather be dead."  Her last words were  "Get my swan costume ready."  Then "Play that last measure softly." In accordance with old ballet tradition, on the day she was to have next performed, the show went on as scheduled, with a single spotlight circling an empty stage where she would have been. Pavlova was the ultimate trooper. She had a mission to introduce the art of dance to everyone. She toured everywhere - all the world's capitals and even towns that had never seen a dancer. She performed in remote villages in Ecuador, Brazil, China, South Africa, Egypt, India, Java, and New Zealand. She was stranded at the Panama Canal.  She danced during a thunderstorm in Montgomery, Alabama in a hall that had a three-foot hole in the ceiling over the stage. She had to sleep in the floor of her dressing room in Hiroshima that was inundated with bats.  Whoever thought that show business was easy? It was during New Zealand tour in 1925 that a chef created a meringue, whipped cream, and tropical fruit desert that he named Pavlova, with the meringue and whipped cream symbolizing her lightness. The Pavlova dessert is usually made with kiwi fruit (although strawberries are a common substitution in the United States) and is the national dish of New Zealand.  Most of the commercial kiwi fruit are grown in New Zealand and are named after their indigenous flightless bird.  New Zealanders love their bird so much that they informally named their national rugby league the Kiwis and often refer to themselves as Kiwis. The Kiwis were briefly considered world champions, until  November 25, 2006, when they were narrowly defeated by the Australian Kangaroos. Well, as the Chicago Cubs fans always say, wait until next year. Meanwhile, just enjoy a Pavlova on her birthday while watching the biopic Anna Pavlova (1983).

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Pavlova

1. Preheat over to 300º F.
2. Place the egg whites in a small mixing bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, draw a 10 inch circle on a piece of wax paper and place (writing-side down) on a
   baking sheet.
4. Add vanilla and cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. 
   Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until very stiff peaks form and sugar is
   almost dissolved (about 5 minutes).
5. Using the back of a spoon, spread meringue onto the circle, building the sides up to form a bowl.
6. Bake in  for 35 minutes.  Turn off the oven and let shell dry in the oven, with the door closed for one hour.  Remove the shell from baking sheet and pull off wax paper. Store in an airtight container. Will keep indefinitely.
7. When ready to serve, whip cream and place in shell. Add kiwi and/or strawberries.

Serves 4.