PAVLOVA FROM ACROSS THE POND

Illustrations by Julia Yezukevich

Right around the time the Titanic set sail from Belfast, my great-grandpa Joseph immigrated from Northern Ireland to the United States. I grew up hearing stories from my grandma about her dad’s dry Irish sense of humor and all the cousins back home.

My grandma and her Irish cousins used to communicate through letters and emails, but she lost touch with them a few years ago. Last spring, I set out to find them.

Armed with some names and potential addresses, I scoured Facebook and eventually found a church advertising a sermon given by the husband of my first cousin, twice removed. I reached out to the church, which told me he had retired, but sent me the phone number of the new pastor. That pastor gave me another number, and so on. You get it.

Eventually, I found the right contact information and reached out. They invited me to stay with them, so later that year, I went on a solo weekend trip to Northern Ireland. I visited my great-grandpa’s old house and farmlands and met too many family members to count. I will treasure the experience for as long as I live.

My grandma told me once that everyone in our family has a very, very dry sense of humor. She was right. I’m not sure if it is a genetic thing, but from the youngest little cousins to relatives my grandma’s age, everyone greeted me with a hug and a quick joke.

We spent a few evenings playing Contract Whist, my new all-time favorite card game. They have an old notebook with everyone’s scores from the past few years, and they take the game very seriously, but laugh the whole time they play. I didn’t win any rounds, but I got close!

As we sat around the table playing games, I picked up a bit of Northern Ireland’s culture. I learned what a “faff” meant and I ate classic food like potato farls and soda bread. One of the best foods I ate during that trip was pavlova, so I asked my cousin to send me her recipe.

How to make pavlova like Kelly’s Irish cousin twice removed:

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites

• 8 oz caster sugar

• ½ teaspoon of white vinegar

• Fresh cream

• Fresh fruit

Recipe:

1. Beat egg whites vigorously, then add in the caster sugar and beat for several minutes until the mixture is shiny and peaks.

2. Then add in the vinegar and beat again, briefly.

3. Spoon the meringue mixture into a round shape onto a baking tray covered with baking paper.

4. Make sure the pavlova mixture is flat so the bottom is completely sealed to the paper—very important, or it won't work.

5. Put the oven at 130 degrees for an hour, then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova in the oven overnight.

6. Next day—decorate it with fresh cream and fresh fruit.

7. Enjoy!