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!

Tetley's Jasmine Green Tea

The only thing that has survived my "getting healthier" binge has been green tea. So no more milk, no more sugar, just straight green tea.
My friend Flo, a total tea affectionada, recommended jasmine green tea to me. Being easily susceptible to other people's recommendations, I went out and bought some.

Opinion? Yuck! It's really dry and reminds me of the tea you get at Chinese restaurants. I had one bag and I'm hoping I can find someone (maybe Flo or my sister) who will take the rest off me.
Just goes to show that not everyone has the same tea taste buds.

Rating: 1 out of 10
Things to do different next time: Don't buy it.

Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing

Colleague at work had this dressing on her "Fresh Express" spinach salad the other day. I stole a leaf and it tasted good. I got the recipe below from www.cooks.com.
Will try it out to see how it tastes!


DIJON VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

1 clove garlic, minced (I use 2)
1 to 2 tsp. Dijon style mustard
Pinch of basil and/or oregano
Dash of white pepper
Dash of cayenne
A squeeze of lemon - no seeds please
1 to 2 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. good olive oil

Put all ingredients in a small bowl except olive oil.
Prepare greens and vegetables.

When ready to dress salad, slowly add olive oil to other ingredients while whisking to incorporate oil in a suspension. Immediately pour over salad and toss. Sometimes I use a culinary herb blend instead of just basil.

January 31 update:
Made this to go with a spinach salad I had with my almond crusted fish. Eyeballed most of the measurements. The dijon mustard was disgusting. I bought a huge jar of it from Costco and maybe it's because it was a little old (ok a lot old) but I detested the taste. It would have been better with regular mustard. I recall not liking the dijon mustand even when it was new. It just has this... tang to it that's not pleasurable.
The ingredients were extremely similar to the dressing that Mela taught me to make, other than the change in type of mustard.
Future reminder: DO NOT BUY DIJON AGAIN!