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!

Magic Bullet Party Mixer review

Last year, I succumbed to the commercials and bought myself a $40 Magic Bullet Party Mixer from Canadian Tire during a sale. It came with four party mugs, one large cup, one small cup, extra o-rings, two types of blades and the base unit.

I was excited to use it for all the things they mentioned in their commercial: salsas, dressings, cheese, alfredo sauce.

The first few times I used it, it wasn't so bad. But now less than a year later, it's hitting it's last legs.

Things I don't like:
1. The party mugs are a joke. They take up a lot of storage space and they don't stack nicely. The coloured rings they give you to put on the rim that has the threads to screw on the mixing blade, are fugly and cheap-looking. I have NEVER had a party and used these mugs. But maybe that's personal choice because I don't like drinking out of plastic.

2. Bad blades. I've used the mixer no more than 40 times ever. I normally only use one of the blades (one's flat and the other has raised blades I believe it's for chopping) and they're both dull. As in, I put the food in the cup and it takes forever to process. And even then, there's still solid chunks.

3. Bad chopping. They teach you to do this "tap" method when mixing food. You have to tap the cup to move stuff down, then you mix, then tap, then mix. It's annoying. Especially if you have a heavy liquid in the cup like mayonnaise. Even if you don't and you're trying to mix salsa, some of the stuff is chopped, while the other stuff isn't. So if you keep going, some gets liquidized and the other stuff is chopped to the size you want it. There's just no consistency.

4. Bad mixing. If you don't fill a cup all the way with food or liquid, then some of the contents will throw up to the top of the cup (when it's on the mixer) and won't get mixed in. You have to unscrew the mixing blade, scrape it down and try again.

5. Poor materials. Mine hasn't broken yet, but it did leak the other day. Granted, I just needed to push the o-ring down further. I've read that other people have had the part that spins the blade break on them fairly early because it's only made with plastic parts. Plus it emits a smell if I put it to mix for more than a few seconds.

Things I like:
not much. It's handy to put in the dishwasher. It's lighter and easier to handle than my full sized blender.

Rating: 2 out of 10
Recommend to a friend? NO!