Fresh Fruit Pavlova

If I were to rank my favorite cloud-like desserts it would start with meringue and end with cotton candy. Granted, there are really only two items that fall into this category but they are both light and fluffy and delicious.

You may call this a gigantic meringue or a perfect pavlova but in either case, you should fill it with an apricot sauce or whipped cream--or even hot fudge--top it with some berries and serve it with lobster, cheese, guacamole, chips, popcorn, hummus or whatever else your next dinner party serves up.

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Pavlova

4 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 cup superfine or regular sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Make the pavlova: Preheat oven to 350°F  and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch circle on the paper.

Pour the vanilla and vinegar into a small cup. Stir the cornstarch into the sugar in a small bowl.

In a large bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and salt, starting on low, increasing to medium speed until egg whites start to bubble and soft peaks begin to form (~2 to 3 minutes).

Increase speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar mixture. A few minutes after these dry ingredients are added, slowly pour in the vanilla and vinegar. Increase speed and whip until meringue is glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted.

Gently spread the meringue inside the circle on the parchment paper, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. 

Place in oven and immediately drop temperature to 250°F. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. Tip: bake this at night and leave in the over until morning!

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Berry Blitz Torte

I had been eyeing this cake for almost a year before actually getting around to baking it.  I made up lots of good excuses to not make it such as: it looks a little weird, it doesn't include chocolate, I have to make pastry cream, etc etc.

Those were stupid excuses because, let me tell you, this dessert is great and pretty easy to make. Yes, it is a bit unusual (the batter doesn't fully fill the pan? you add the meringue before baking? who wrote this recipe???) but my mantra is to always have faith in King Arthur Flour recipes.

And if you have never made pastry cream from scratch, I dare you to try it this time. If you ever thought pastry cream in an eclair in a refrigerated display case is good, you have never tasted it fresh off of the stove.

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Berry Blitz Torte
from King Arthur Flour

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks (save the whites for the topping)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour

Meringue Topping
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup Baker's Special sugar or granulated sugar (finely ground)
1/2 cup  sliced almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar

Pastry Cream
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (or, better yet, vanilla paste)
1 oz corn starch
4 oz sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 whole egg + 1 yolk
1.5 oz unsalted butter

Make the cake: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and egg yolks. Beat in the vanilla or Fiori, the milk, baking powder, and flour. Spread the mixture in the prepared pans (the batter will barely cover the bottom of the pans; that's OK).

Beat the egg whites till light; gradually add the 3/4 cup sugar and continue to beat till the meringue is smooth, glossy and somewhat stiff (but not stiff enough to form stand-up points). Spread the meringue on the cake batter, and sprinkle with the almonds, cinnamon, and sugar. Note: If you're using Fiori di Sicilia, omit the cinnamon.

Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove them from the oven, allow them to cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges and gently turn them out onto a rack to cool completely. If some of the almonds fall off during this process, just sprinkle them back on top.

Make the pastry cream: Place the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Keeping an eye on the milk, whisk the cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Gradually add eggs to this mixture and mix until smooth.

Slowly add about one-third of the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking rapidly (tempering the egg mixture so the eggs do not cook). Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. You know that it is ready when it is thick enough to stick to the back of a wooden spoon without sliding off quickly. Stir in the vanilla extract, then the butter until fully incorporated.

Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with a piece of parchment paper until cool. When fully cooled, store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap. If stored properly, pastry cream will keep fresh for up to three days (but definitely best on day one).

Assembly: Place one of the cake layers, meringue side up, on a serving plate. Spread with the pastry cream. Add a layer of fresh berries. Top with the second cake layer, meringue-side up. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving time. 

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Super Bowl Winner

If you were to ask me to rate how much I enjoy football on a scale of 1 to 10, my answer would fall somewhere between Deflategate and a $1B Vikings stadium.

If you were to ask me to rate how much I enjoy food served at a gathering revolving around football, my answer would be pass me the hint of lime chips, cheese dip, pizza, switch to the puppy bowl (and don't forget to hand me the puppy chow).

Just because I do not care for football does not mean that I do not understand the most important aspect of the sport: football fans love to win. So in the spirit of winning, I offer you two recipes that I guarantee will produce the best dessert(s) at whatever Super Bowl party you attend.

Recipe 1: Halfway Bars

Recipe 2: Deadly Cookie