It’s a small thing, but can we please bring more pavlova to the Upper Valley?
France is filled with magnificent art, and architecture, and above all, great restaurants of all kinds and sizes. (There have also been some volatile transportation strikes going on but that is another matter.) As is true of former trips here, my husband and I have not had a single bad meal. In Nice, large tourist-oriented restaurants on the Cours Saleya, tiny chef-owned bistros, and the neighborhood pizza joint are dishing up a mix of French and Italian fare. The nearby Lebanese-Syrian take-out place has often sustained us at dinner time and is reminiscent of our meals at Tuckerbox in White River Junction.
Which brings me to pavlova, a dessert that is not at all native to the area, originating in Australia, or New Zealand, or maybe Germany. (No one knows for sure and everyone would like the credit.) From Wikipedia:
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert. Originating in either Australia or New Zealand in the early 20th century, it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.[1] Taking the form of a cake-like circular block of baked meringue, pavlova has a crisp crust and soft, light inside. The confection is usually topped with fruit and whipped cream.
The particularly handsome pavlova pictured above—with two spoons, and tropical fruits hidden inside—graced our luncheon table recently at the restaurant at the Hotel le Saint Paul (photo below), a former seminary with a terrace that looks over the azure Mediterranean. It got me to thinking: where in the Upper Valley can pavlova be found on the menu? My only answer as of now: the restaurant at Simon Pearce. Am I missing any others? Would that there are more. . .
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.