Christmas Food – a guest recipe
from B-Twin
Christmas Food
Section C: Desserts
There are many things to have when it comes to Christmas desserts. I love plum pudding but I haven’t attempted to try and better my Aunt’s recipe yet as I’ve tended to make other things. Here in the Southern Hemisphere it is high Summer of course and that has a slight bearing on choices we make. ;)
Pavlova is an Australian and New Zealand institution. There are several ways to make it but basically it is a meringue. We smother it in cream and fruit. So how could this get any better?? Add chocolate of course! I was treated to my first chocolate pavlova last year. It was a real eye-opener and, I discovered, very easy to make!
Chocolate Pavlova
Ingredients:
6 egg whites, room temperature
300g / 10.5oz caster/superfine sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sieved
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
50g / 1.75oz Lindt dark chocolate (I use the 70%), finely chopped
Method:
Note: Pavlovas are easy but there are a couple of rules – 1) bowl and utensils must be spotlessly clean and dry; 2) no egg yolk AT ALL in the whites; 3) The fresher the eggs the longer they will take to whip up; 4) No wooden spoons! Use only metal or very clean plastic bowls and utensils; 5) Pavlovas usually crash in the centre. It’s okay. :-)
- Preheat the oven to 180C / gas mark 4 / 350F (** if using a fan-forced oven you need to reduce the temperatures)
- Line a baking tray with baking paper – I use a solid base pizza tray and mark a 21cm/9” circle on the paper.
- Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form (please use a mixer – I’d hate for anyone to inadvertently get fresh eggs then try this by hand and have it take half an hour!!) and then drizzle the sugar in slowly while the beater is still going. If your setup doesn’t allow that then stop the beaters, add a little sugar then beat some more.
- Keep those beaters going until stiff peaks form (test this by stopping, then lifting the beaters up – the peaks should hold shape and not flop over)
- Then carefully sprinkle the cocoa evenly over the egg whites, then the vinegar and the chopped chocolate.
- CAREFULLY fold everything through with a metal spatula/spoon until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed. Remember that you need that air!
- Mound the mix onto the baking tray, following the line you drew earlier. The trick here is to move the mix as little as possible so try to place the mix onto the right place on the paper. Smooth the sides and top (draw the spatula up the sides to achieve neatness).
- Place in oven and immediately turn the oven DOWN to 150C/gas mark 2 / 300F
- Cook for 1 – 1 ¼ hrs.
- When it is ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squishiness beneath your fingers.
- Turn the oven off and carefully open the door slightly so it stays open a little. Let the pavlova cool completely. Or, leave the pavlova in the oven with the door closed overnight if you don’t need it that day.
Topping for a pavlova:
This one tastes great with cream and fresh/frozen raspberries on top. Most people use whipping cream but I don’t like that as it makes my stomach turn – so I use REAL cream (45% + milk fat) and just slop it all on and then pile the fruit on. If you need more chocolate then grate some on top.
Pavlova, “undressed”, does not need to stay in the fridge. In fact it is better not too as the moisture in the fridge will affect the meringue. This meringue will store well in a cool dry place for a couple of days until you need to dress it up.
This version comes from Nigella Lawson’s recipe.
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