Chocolate Pavlova and Chocolate Cream

I finally got around to reading the pre-Christmas Food and Drink Magazine from the LCBO and copying out the recipes that caught my eye and this was one of them. It was essentially perfect, since my meringue craving was building up and we had frozen raspberries and blueberries hanging out in the freezer since my plans for mixed berry and apple stuff went out the window when mom turned the apples into applesauce and I keep forgetting to pick up some more on my daily walks.

When I told mom what it was when she woke up, she was all "I haven't heard of chocolate pavlovas" and I was like, they're yummy. Heh, even changed my FB status to this being my new fave meringue recipe. Though, if I'd thought it through, I would have made like six or eight little ones and left the whip cream and berries separate in the fridge, since my brother isn't into sweets with his cigarette habit and it isn't something mom can take to work. Oh wells, remember that for next time, and there will be a next time, since I want revenge on the fragile state of the silly thing.

Chocolate Pavlova and Chocolate Cream


makes one 9" round pavlova, serves 12

Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vinegar

Chocolate Cream topping:
1 cup raspberries, fresh or thawed
5 oz  good quality milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup 35% whipping cream
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cup mixed berries, fresh or thawed (if thawed and aiming for perfection, drain the juices off before adding to the cake)

Preheat the oven to 275 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the sugar and cocoa together in a small bowl.
In a large, high bowl beat the egg whites until frothy and then add salt, vanilla and cream of tartar.
Beat whites further until soft peaks this time (more substantial than frothy and peaks are visible but fall when you lift the beaters out of mixture) and start gradually adding in the cocoa sugar while beating.
Sugar should all be in when you hit stiff peaks (the "can hold the bowl upside over you head" stiffness), beat in the vinegar and cornstarch.
Spread on the parchment in about a 9" round with the sides higher than the middle to make a little nest.
Bake about 1 hour or until outside crispy and inside still soft.
Cool completely before assembling.

Press the cup of raspberries through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds.
Stir in the chopped chocolate.
On the stove in a small saucepan over medium high heat or in a measuring cup in the microwave, heat the whip cream until it's just bubbling.
Pour over the chocolate raspberry mix and stir until smooth.
Cool about 30 minutes on the counter and 10 minutes in the freezer.
Add the cocoa powder and beat the cream until you get a moundable, stiff cream (but not butter).
Just before serving, transfer the meringue to a serving platter.
Spread the whip cream in the center.
Top with the mixed berries.
Serve immediately or freeze leftovers for a day. Fridging causes meringues to dew and go gummy.

Pretty, sweet and a tasty mix of chocolate and fruit.

Enjoy!

Blondies

My first time going at them. Some people out there in internet land call them the antithesis to brownies, but to me the recipe reads more like someone put chocolate chip cookie dough in a pan because they were too lazy to make the individual cookies. I mean, aside from having the split of white and brown sugar in cookies, that's basically it. I should have either mixed the sugars or cut back, since they were super intensely sweet, but were too finicky to cut smaller than into 16s.

Blondies


makes 16 or 25 squares, depending on your sweet tooth

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1/3 cup toppings: choose from chocolate bits/chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc. (I went with chocolate bar bits.)

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease and flour an 8" x 8" pan.
In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and then gently stir into the batter.
Stir in your topping choice until just mixed.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth out.
Bake about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool about 15 minutes and then score your squares to make the final cut when cool easier.
Serve.

For some reason the batter poofed up around the edges and stayed low in the center, so I got some weird little 3D action going on. The chocolate bits were yummy though.

Enjoy!

Pear Upside-Down Chocolate Cake

Yay! Mom took care of cooking supper today since it was her day off, so I got to play with baking! Since I ground the almonds a few days ago, I've been wanting this cake, so I went for it. I found the original recipe in the Food Network Kitchens Cookbook and tried it last year. It didn't turn out quite to spec due to my impatience and I've been itching to take another crack at it for awhile.

Pear Upside-Down Chocolate Cake


makes 6-8 generous servings

Pears:
 2 Tbsp butter
 2 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
 1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
4 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and quartered

Cake:
 1/2 cup milk
 1 cup flour
 1 cup ground almonds, toasted
 1/2 tsp baking soda
 1/2 tsp baking powder
 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
 1 tsp  fine salt
 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
 3/4 cup sugar
 1/2 cup cocoa
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 2 large eggs

Lightly butter a 9" round cake pan, line bottom with parchment and then butter the parchment. (Makes it waaay easier to get the cake out if you do it!)
Combine butter, sugar, and lemon in a saucepan and melt together over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Add the pears, cover and simmer, turning once, until pears are soft and juicy, about 4 minutes.
Strain pears into another saucepan.
Set 1 pear quarter and the syrup aside.
Arrange pear slices in the cake pan, tips facing inward and cored side up.
Chop reserved quarter and pile in the center of the pan.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Sift in the cocoa powder and stir to combine carefully (to avoid cocoa everywhere, lol).
Add the ground almonds and stir.
Add the milk and mix in well.
Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir to just combine, trying not to overbeat.
Spoon batter over the pears and then tap on counter to settle it.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan for about 20 mins and then flip out.
Cool another 30 mins then remove parchment and cool completely.
Reduce reserved syrup until it coats the back of a spoon and then brush over the cake.

Technically you're supposed to sprinkle the top with an even cocoa powder-icing sugar mix, but I don't think it needs it.

And if you're pressed for time, like I kinda was today, or you don't want to peel pears, a 19oz can of pear quarters works and they keep their shape. To make up for not poaching them, since canned pears are already soft, I added a couple tablespoons of the syrup from the can to the butter-lemon-sugar mix to make my brushing topping.

A chocolately, nutty take on an upside-down cake and an awesome combination.

Enjoy!