Pavlova WINNING

After telling my tale of pavlova woe to my friend Victoria, she sent me her pavlova recipe:

3 egg whites

.75 cups white sugar (regular will do, or you can take the coffee grinder to it for superfine sugar)

pinch of salt

whipped cream and fruit for topping

hand beater is a must

line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until they for white, soft peaks -- can stand up on their own but are still kinda foamy

whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, whisking until the sugar is completely absorbed/incorporated into the egg 

it needs to be white and glossy and be able to stand up in a peak on its own

spoon it onto the baking sheet. i like to make a blob and then smooth it into a circle or whatever, and peak it up at the edges.

preheat the oven at 275 F or 140 C, cook for 1.25 hours.

turn off the oven but leave it in there.

for at least another hour. really, until its cold.

i've left it over night. if you aren't eating it that evening make sure you store it in an airtight container. 

and don't prep it until you are ready to serve it, or it will go soggy.

My modifications:

I know Victoria said it was a must, but I couldn't find my mom's hand beater so I used a Kitchenaid mixer. And I made little pavlovas instead a singular large one because I had pavlova meringue on my mind (I was trying to imitate what I had at Bistro 101 the day before). Finally, I had to turn off the oven at about 45 minutes because it was browning and they were super dry already. Which makes sense since there were many little pavlovas instead of one large one. 

Although I wish I had turned off the oven a little bit sooner, the mini pavlovas were delicious. They melted in my mouth and tasted a little like the outside of a toasted marshmallow. They were the perfect accompaniment to my mango chantilly cream (whipped cream beaten with pureed mango added at the end) with fresh raspberries and mango coulis. It was a nice light dessert and got thumbs up all around.

I'd like to try this again, adding some strawberry flavour to the meringue. I'd also like to make all the pavlovas the same size to try and make little mini cookies (like macarons but without the ground almond). I'm also going to make white chocolate buttercream. Stay tuned!

June 13, 2011 update:
I did indeed make the meringues again with freeze dried strawberries from Trader Joe's. I had to grind them up in my mini food processor which worked ok... it created a cloud of strawberry smoke which I'm sure was bad to inhale. It didn't do a consistent job either. Maybe next time I'll use a coffee grinder. Anyway, the freeze dried strawberries totally tasted like the strawberries you get in the Special K Berry cereal.

My mom loved the mini strawberry meringues. I couldn't quite make them look like macarons because when you pipe them, they always get a peak and they only harden and don't melt in the oven. So instead of meringue sandwiches, I served them singly with a dollop of white chocolate vanilla cream. I sort of followed this recipe from the bravetart website for it:

To make white chocolate ganache for the filling, bring 6 ounces heavy cream to a simmer with a split vanilla bean. Shut off the heat and steep for 10 minutes or up to an hour. Remove the vanilla bean, scraping out the cream from inside each half-pod, and return the cream to a boil. Shut off the heat and whisk in 10 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped and 1/2 tsp salt. Depending on the sweetness of your white chocolate, you may find you need more salt. Cool the mixture to room temperature, and then whip on medium speed with a whisk attachment for about 5 minutes to lighten it a bit. 

Pavlova FAIL

The other day I took my Mom to Bistro 101 down at Granville Island. The food is made by students but it's always delicious and well worth the money. Currently the school is undergoing renovations so we had to sit in a makeshift dining room but it was kind of neat because it was in the actual restaurant part so you got to see all the different kitchens.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the dessert. As soon as it came out, it had the "oooh" factor. My mom had a berry passion dessert and I got a strawberry meringue topped with mango chantilly cream, a frozen chocolate drizzle, passionberry and fresh raspberries. It was oh so good. I was googling how to make strawberry meringue and mango chantilly cream at the table to no avail. These recipes aren't simply posted on the web.

I was inspired to try and make something similar and the next day I whipped up some liquid egg whites with sugar. I couldn't find any strawberry extract so I walked up and down the Safeway aisle, looking for something I could use as a substitute. I found strawberry Kool-aid.

Yes, I can hear you smacking your head. At the time, I thought I was being brilliant. In fact, when I tasted the meringue before I put it in the oven, it tasted just fine.

Anyway, anything that could have gone wrong with this attempt, went wrong.

First off, I used wax paper. Wax paper, as I discovered is VERY different from parchment paper. Halfway through the baking process, I opened the oven door to a waft of smoke escaping with the strong smell of wax. Oops.

Secondly, liquid egg whites. It's just not the same as real egg whites. Liquid egg whites are so runny that it's hard for the kitchenaid to pick it up. Whereas real egg whites have a sort of gooey consistency so the beaters can actually pick it up to whip it.

Thirdly, temperature. I guessed how hot and long the "mini pavlovas" should have been in for. I guessed wrong.

Finally, as I identified before, I used Kool-Aid. So wrong.

The final result reminded me of salt water taffy. It was chewy. And gross. I can't believe I ate one. I'm surprised I didn't give myself the runs with all the melted wax.

Next time, I'm using a better recipe!

The hunt for Starbucks banana bread

Ali's son, Ben, will only eat banana bread from Starbucks. So I have made it my mission to try and find this recipe. Usually, my staple banana bread is the sour cream recipe. However that recipe results in a lighter coloured moist bread. Starbucks is a lot darker.

So in the wee hours of the morning during another one of my insomniac nights, I googled "dark banana bread" and found this recipe: http://www.grouprecipes.com/51782/black-banana-bread.html


Ingredients:

• 3 large black bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp. baking soda
• dash salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup buttermilk 

Directions:

• Line two loaf pans with tin foil and heat oven to 275 F.
• In a large mixing bowl mash the bananas with the sugar and then mix with the salt and soda. Blend in the eggs, then, in order, the oil, flour and buttermilk.
• Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for about 2 1/2 hours or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Buttermilk had proven itself to be the key ingredient in making chocolate cupcakes moist - why not banana bread?

Some alterations:
I didn't use two loaf pans, I just used one.
I added probably 1/4 cup more buttermilk.
I used 4 small-ish bananas that weren't black.
I couldn't stand waiting 2 1/2 hours so I put the oven at 325 F. It took 90 minutes to cook.

My parents gave it 9 out of 10, Nica only gave it 8. I'm with Nica. In comparison to the sour cream banana bread, this wasn't as tasty (but probably just as moist). The colour was definitely darker though.

The true test? Ben wouldn't eat it. he took one look and had a "I'm not eating that" face. Back to the banana board.

Macaron Adventure

I met another Mom in the Oakridge Baby Time class and she looked so familiar. It turned out she was the sister of an old elementary school friend who I actually remembered (I think Mommy brain only effects my short term memory).
She organizes this event called Baker's market - http://www.bakersmarket.com/ and I can't wait to attend this event with my baking friends. She also has another side hobby which is baking macarons. She even went to PARIS to learn how to bake these! Here's a link to her website: http://www.jadorelesmacarons.com/

After browsing her blog, I was hooked. I've never eaten these little creations but they look so pretty and I vowed to have a macaron party and attempt to make them.

I found this awesome website that I've been drooling reading over for the last couple hours. 
http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons
The photos are fantastic and the author debunks common Macaron theories such as the effect of aged eggs, when sugar should be added to the meringue, etc.

I'm going to attempt to make the Strawberries and Cream macaron after picking up some Freeze Dried Strawberries from Trader Joes. Wish me luck! If this is successful a pastry bag is definitely going on my shopping wish list.

Chocolate cupcakes

A friend recently gave me some cupcakes that were to die for. They were a day old by the time I consumed them but they were light, fluffy and amazingly moist. I asked her for the recipe and she said it was a good ol' Martha one!
http://www.marthastewart.com/282243/one-bowl-chocolate-cupcakes

One Bowl Chocolate cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
   
2. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
   

Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to three days.

Failed first attempt

I was so excited about making these. To my disappointment, they turned out heavy. So heavy that both my brother and husband commented they tasted like brownies. I refused to eat them after I tried my first one as they reminded me of hockey pucks.

I begged my friend to impart some baking wisdom since this is one of the hobbies I'd like to improve upon during my mat leave. Her hints?

1. Add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise to the mix.
2. Add a bit more buttermilk (~2 tablespoons)
3. Hand mix the batter initially and only use a mixer for a couple minutes (otherwise the batter will be too glutenous)
4. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack
5. Store the cupcakes overnight in an airtight container (otherwise they'll dry out)

My next attempt to make these were foiled as I failed to check my ingredients before I started to bake. (Fundamental Lesson Pen! Sheesh.). No Flour = No Baking.

Success!

So on Thursday I bought more flour and made sure I was ready to bake Friday night. Tried the recipe again and YUM. So much better. I will admit they aren't as moist as my friends, but at least I'll eat them now!

I'll eat the one on the right, thank you very much!

Failed Attempt on top. Note the size difference