Celebrity Column | Pavlova’s Tutu

Dance... It makes me happy. Have you tried it? Mad, crazy, looney tunes type of happy. Have you seen kids go mad at weddings, turning in circles till they fall down on their bum? Have you ever noticed their face? It’s full of glee. Why would anyone not want that? I used to dance a very, very long time ago, while the rest (everyone my age), were appearing for their S.A.T.‘s and C.A.T.’s and other animals in the business jungle, or were figuring bank jobs and studying really hard.

Make no mistake I studied really hard too, gave my C.A.T, tried my hands at working in an office, but I think I was always meant to twirl. And so twirl I did, for quite some time, till I got a real job. Well, being a video jockey is a real job, and you have to stop laughing, like right now. MTV was not just totally cool and fun, but paid for holidays to fun destinations and shopping. I met the most awesome people that I have stayed friends with, and fantabulous singing talent from all across the globe and if you were smart and saved up, your own apartment.

And so everything was wonderful, but soon I was dancing around my kids, and as soon as they were big enough, every time I even attempted to dance, they would ask me to sit and show me how it’s done. And then some years ago I was watching television, and I saw a chef make Pavlova, and I was mesmerised and hooked.

And then I did what I loved doing, I googled the life out of it. So Pavlova, is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russia Ballerina Anna Pavlova. The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. This dessert had me at “Dancer” and so, because I’m totally impulsive, which is sometimes a good thing, but mostly gets me in trouble. The first time I baked this, it was a disaster, forget a pretty pavlova, I had a burnt papad.

So a few nights later, after I put the kids to sleep, I put on some music and made my second Pavlova,  I really do love baking when the home is asleep, that’s my me time to think and just be. Also, a meringue needs to bake on low heat and then kept in an oven that has been turned off overnight.

So, that it gets baked slowly, crisp on the outside and stays beautifully soft inside, but if you are not careful with this, you could totally burn it.

Meringue is as delicate as life, sometimes life gets so scorching, that you just kind of get burnt  in the process. Maybe you walked into a situation that you mis-judged or then put your trust in a person who you should have taken your time to get to know. But it’s fine, life cannot always go right. So then you just go left.

The thing is, we humans are not an albumen-sugar mix, we are flesh and blood. And yes we may get burnt, and be totally damaged but I think you need to protect the soft beautiful meringue that lives inside you, and hold onto it, because there are many exactly like that soft meringue in this world, and you will find them eventually.

The next morning, sitting in my oven was the prettiest edible “tutu” I had ever seen. My biggest joy, when I learn something, more than getting it right, is actually serving it to people and watching them devour it. The way they close their eyes, inhale the aroma of the dish and just smile. That makes my insides the shiniest. Don’t you feel the same joy, when you meet someone you connect with, not on the surface, but a level deeper, a little more than most. Someone that just crossed your path by chance. No and I’m not talking about a soulmate or any such. Maybe just a soul, a good soul.

But nothing in life happens just by chance, it’s actually written in the stars.

And most of the times, people come into your life to teach you something or hold your hand through something, or then to just dance the not so good times away.

So bake that Pavlova, make a pretty tutu out of it, dress it with fresh cream and fresh fruits. And I know that when you bite into this, and crack through the crisp and melt into the gooey soft centre, you will understand the importance of keeping your insides soft, and yes your outsides a little tough, even if you were just a soft meringue in and out before. And the ones that want to matter will reach that inside, no matter who, what or how.

So yes, give everyone one more chance to show you their softest side, maybe they had to put up an act of being tough for reasons, best known to them, believe people and live like this is the first time you are biting into a delicious crunchy soft meringue.

Trust me, it’s totally worth it.