Blackberry Honey Pavlovas

While I am not a dancer in any capacity, I have always been enthralled by the art of dance, especially ballet. I never took lessons as a child, but my younger sister and I would frequently crack open an encyclopedia to the “ballet” article and try to emulate the illustrated poses. I have a pretty mean plié, guys.

Both my sisters did actually take ballet lessons when they were little, but for whatever reason, I did not. Likely, I was too self-conscious about my roly-poly little body being shoved into a leotard. Or perhaps my parents recognized my inherent lack of grace and dissuaded me to save me from embarrassment. To be fair, neither of my sisters were any good, and there are some hilarious ballet recital moments captured on VHS video.

In high school, I became enamored with So You Think You Can Dance. Generally, I’m not a reality TV person, and I can do without the whole voting on/voting off/three hour results show format. But I loved watching the dances. Especially those created by Mia Michaels, and Sonya Tayeh. (My sister and I have, in fact, attempted to replicate Mia Michael’s routine for Lacy & Kameron, set to Elisa’s “Dancing.” Luckily, my part as the male part is primarily standing and catching my sister while she flails around wildly.) If a dance routine makes me cry, I’m happy.

When my husband and I were in college, tickets to BalletMet Columbus became a standard date night for us. We bought season passes for several years. My favorite show of the season was always the one where they did a compilation of short dances. There was one dance where a single guy danced to “Everyday People” by Sly & The Family Stone. And another with a couple dancing to “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” by Nancy Sinatra. So amazing. I wish I had videos of those dances, but I just have to rely on my memory.

So what does my obsession with dancing have to do with this dessert? The dessert pavlova gets its name from a Russian prima ballerina named Anna Pavlova. She apparently did a tour in Australia and New Zealand and they loved her so much they made a dessert for her. Getting food named after you is how you know you’ve made it in the world. I’m still waiting on some great chef to invent The Siriano.

The pavlova, with its sloppy, loose form, doesn’t seem quite as formal as a ballet dance, but it is just as beautiful. In fact, the billowy meringue is reminiscent of the tulle skirts you’d see in a Degas painting.

Pavlovas are a very sweet dessert, with no butter or flour to cut the sugar. I chose to accent the flavors of summer by using honey in the whipped cream and in the blackberry sauce. Our blackberries have just ripened for the first time ever, and I figured I would celebrate with this dessert. And maybe a little dance.