The Perfect Pavlova

This is one of those recipes that is great to have in your back pocket. Once you know the technique you can make dessert with a bare minimum of ingredients and such little effort. 

Pavlova supposedly gets its name from the ballerina Anna Pavlova, maybe she was a fan of meringue or maybe the restaurant owner was a little smitten and wanted to charm her with dessert. Whatever the origin the country of origin is a little controversial, some claim it can be credited to Australia, others New Zealand, some people even say it has it roots in the US. Wherever the dessert hails from it spread worldwide to become one of the most popular desserts. 

I generally tend to think of it as a summer dessert, pairing beautifully with summer berries, but there is nothing stopping this from being a great year round dessert, topping the meringue with whatever ingredients you have on hand. 

For some reason Pavlova has a reputation of being tricky and I think that is a little unwarranted. It is a very quick process with just a few ingredients. There are a few things to bare in mind though that will help make your pavlova a success every time. 

Use older egg whites. Very fresh egg whites dont whip as easily or to the same volume as older eggs, so dont pavlova with eggs straight from the supermarket. In a similar vein, dont use cold egg whites, they take longer to whisk up. 

Whisk slowly. When you are whisking the meringue with the sugar, if you whisk on high speed, you're likely get to stiff peaks before the sugar has had a chance to dissolve, which can lead to sugar leaking out of the baked pavlova. A more sedate medium speed allows the sugar to fully dissolve before getting to the perfect texture. 

Add an acid and cornflour. The perfect pavlova has a crisp exterior and a soft pillowy, almost marshmallow like inside. The acid (my preference is lemon juice, I dont really like a meringue that tastes of vinegar) helps to stabilise the meringue and the cornflour helps the pavlova retain moisture, creating the characteristic soft inside. 

Bake low and slow. To get that perfect pavlova texture you bake the meringue mixture initially at a relatively higher temperature to help set the outside of the pavlova and give a nice crisp crust. The temperature is then turned down low and baked slowly. This prevents the pavlova turning crunchy and also keeps it bright and white. 

Pavlova Recipe
6 large egg whites
350g caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
600ml Double cream
lots and lots of berries

To make the pavlova preheat the oven to 130c and line a baking tray with parchment paper, drawing an 8-inch circle on the back as a template.

Rub a cut lemon around the inside of your bowl, this adds a little acid to help stabilise the meringue but also remove any residual fat on the sides of the bowl. Add the egg whites to the bowl and using an electric mixer whisk on medium speed. When whisking the bubbles will start off large and the mixture will still look rather wet. When the bubbles have increased in amount but become smaller in size, slowly start adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Continue whisking at medium speed until the meringue is stiff and glossy. You should also be able to rub the meringue between your fingers and not feel any sugar grains. 

Add the cornflour, lemon juice and vanilla and whisk for a couple minutes to combine evenly. Scrape the meringue onto the parchment paper, pilling high in the middle of the circle. To create a decorative pattern carefully spread the meringue to the edges of the circle and like you’re a smoothing the buttercream on the sides of a cake, smooth out the sides of meringue so it is high and smooth. Use the back of your spatula to draw lines onto the sides of pavlova, at an angle, repeating around the whole side of the pavlova. Make these marks quite deep as they will lose some definition in the oven. 

Place the pavlova into the oven and bake for 10 minutes before reducing the temperature to 90C and baking for a total of about 90 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool fully in the oven. This slow cooling down helps prevent the pavlova from cracking too much. 

To serve top the pavlova with lightly whipped cream and lots and lots of fresh berries. Once topped with cream and fruit serve immediately. 

No Churn Chai Ice Cream

Let me start with a caveat, when I developed this recipe we were in the middle of a heatwave, the allusive 30C was hit and Londoners abandoned trousers in favour of shorts in droves, you'd think we’d never experienced heat before! But as seems to be the case every year, we got our two weeks of sun so naturally its now back to rain and weather that seemingly changes by the hour. But the good thing is that I can happily eat ice cream whatever the weather, sometimes there is nothing better than a cosy night inside whilst it pours down outside, crashed on the sofa with a bowl of ice cream.

Now this recipe, the simplest ice cream you’ll ever make, came as a result of a challenge from Typhoo Tea. They wanted to challenge me to find out which Typhoo Tea is my favourite and how I could incorporate it into a recipe. Now if you know me you know I absolutely love tea, its the first thing I have in the morning and often the last thing at night too. I occasionally flirt with fancier blends of tea like earl grey but I always come back to the good ol’ british cuppa, strong black tea with milk; its warm and comforting and there is nothing better after a long day. But getting tea into baking? How do we do that? Infusion seems the obvious way to go as it gives lots of flavour but doesn't leave behind grainy pieces of tea. Strong black tea infused said one thing to me and thats a glorious mug of chai and as it’s the height of summer a chai ice cream was begging to be made

Now a quick note about the YouTube video that accompanies this recipe. I am well aware that for no apparent reason I keep referring to this recipe as chai tea ice cream which literally means tea tea ice cream. Now I love tea but tea tea ice cream! Stupidly this is actually one of my linguistical bugbears, its redundant and really I should have been calling this recipe Masala Chai Ice Cream which indicates it is spiced tea, not just tea on its own. Regardless of my butchering of the wording, this ice cream is still blooming delicious!

Because I wanted the tea flavour to stand up to the spices and not be overwhelmed I didn't want a light tea but something a little more robust so the classic Typhoo works beautifully, but you could also be using Typhoo extra strong if you really want to give the tea flavour extra oomph. The recipe below uses my favourite blend of spices for masala chai but everyones preference varies and there is no definitive recipe so use whatever spice blend you prefer. 

No Churn Masala Chai Ice Cream
600ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp pink peppercorns
4 Typhoo tea bags
1x395g tin of condensed milk

To make the ice cream you need first to infuse the spices and tea into the cream. Pour the cream into a medium sized saucepan and add the vanilla, ginger and cinnamon, breaking the cinnamon in half to help it infuse properly. Place the remaining spices into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and briefly pulse/bash until broken up but not yet a fine powder. Add the spices to the cream along with the tea bags and over medium/high heat bring the cream to a boil. Turn off the heat, place a lid on the pan and set aside for about an hour. Pour into a heat proof container and chill until cold (I tend to do this in the evening and allow it fully cool overnight). 

When ready to make the ice cream pour the condensed milk into a large bowl and set aside for the moment. Pour the cream mixture into a large bowl through a fine sieve to remove the spices and tea bags. The important part here is to press firmly on the tea bags as they hold a lot of cream and therefore a lot of flavour. Using a balloon whisk, whisk the cream until it holds soft peaks (if you whisk to stiff peaks it wont combine with the condensed milk very easily and you will lose a lot of volume). Working in thirds fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk until no white streaks remain. Pour the ice cream into a freezer safe container, cover and freeze for a few hours before serving. Because this is a cheat ice cream it doesn't keep very long, a week at the most. 

This post is sponsored by Typhoo Tea but opinions are mine

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Rose Roasted Rhubarb

It is day two of rhubarb week and to ease you in gently, ahead of a trickier recipe later in the week, today is about as easy as it gets, no baking, minimal effort and a definite crowd pleaser.

There is something rather magical about the vibrant pink of rhubarb next to something so simple and pale as a panna cotta, it looks special, elegant almost. It also belies the effort put in, and would look at home in any restaurant or at any dinner party. Actually it makes for a perfect dinner party dessert as everything can be prepared ahead meaning you're not making the faux pas of spending the entire evening in the kitchen (yes, this and all other modern etiquette questions will be answered in my upcoming book Edd’s Guide To Not Screwing Up)

Panna cotta with roasted rhubarb is a natural combo, basically a classic and for a good reason. I like when rhubarb gets a chance to shine, not hidden under lots of other flavours so a panna cotta is the perfect way of serving it. For this version I have taken that classic and tweaked it, just a little. I have used the roasted rhubarb from my last post and, once roasted, added a couple teaspoons of rose water, a magical combo if done right. Rose has a delicate balance to play, which becomes obvious when you ask people if they like the flavour. Quite often the answer will be no, making some reference to old ladies or tasting like perfume. Too much rosewater and you're in old dusty soap territory and too little you just cant taste it. To find your own balance add the rosewater little by little until it tastes just right. Also be wary of different brands, some taste sweeter, some more perfumed so tasting as you go is a sensible idea. For the actual panna cotta I have strayed from the usual dairy to add a little tang using buttermilk, which pairs beautifully with the sweet and sharp rhubarb. 

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Rhubarb and Rose

Panna Cotta
2 gelatine sheets
250ml double cream
50g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
250ml buttermilk

Rose Roasted Rhubarb
1 batch roasted rhubarb (recipe here)
2-3 tsp rose water
edible rose petals, to serve (optional)

For the roasted rhubarb make as per the instructions here. Once finished simply add rose water, to taste. I would suggest 2-3 teaspoons. If serving chilled carefully transfer to a small container and refrigerate until needed. If serving warm I would make this as and when needed, if you reheat the rhubarb you run the risk of turning it mushy, I prefer it just to be holding its shape.

For the panna cotta place the gelatine into a small bowl and cover with ice cold water. 

Place the cream, sugar and vanilla into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to help the sugar dissolve evenly. Remove the gelatine from the water, squeezing off any excess moisture. Add to the pan and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Carefully divide the mixture between the dariole moulds and refrigerate for at least four hours. 

When ready to serve dip the dariole moulds into hot water to loosen the puddings then gently invert onto a plate to serve. Spoon some of the rhubarb onto the plate and enjoy.

Dont forget I have two more fabulous rhubarb recipes coming up this week so dont forget to keep checking back, the recipes only get better each day!

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Cream

This is my second recipe for Chocolate Week and it's a fabulous dessert for the weekend ahead, no more difficult than a chocolate brownie, the method is actually pretty similar, the caramel cream served with the cake really makes this something special. There is no denying it's on the richer side the spectrum so if you want to lighten it up a little you can always serve it with some poached pear, something fresh to cut through the richness of the chocolate and cream. For me this is best served fairly quickly after baking when it is at is lightest, made with whisked egg white the cake melts in the mouth, but over time the cake becomes a little more brownie like, especially if you refrigerate it.

For the caramel cream, the way to get that rich and dark, almost bitter flavour is to properly caramelise the sugar. Place the sugar into a small pan and cook over medium heat. Once it has melted and started to caramelise you need to watch it carefully, it can burn quickly. If the sugar doesn't caramelise enough the cream will end up just tasting sweet, you need to take it right to the edge, stopping just before it burns. If the finished caramel, before adding the cream, has the colour of a dark rusty penny you should be set. 

If you fancy trying the dish for yourself I will be making this on stage at the Chocolate Show at Earls court this upcoming weekend (on the 16th at 2pm) and I'll be bearing samples. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake
200g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (around 65-70% cocoa solids)
5 large eggs, separated
150g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar

Salted Caramel Cream
100g caster sugar
Pinch of flaked sea salt
400ml double cream

To make the cream place the sugar into a saucepan and cook over medium/high heat it has melted and caramelised, turning the colour of an old rusty penny. Add the salt and swirl to combine. Pour in the cream, adding in two additions, pouring slowly as it may bubble up violently. If there are any lumps of caramel, place back over the heat and cook until smooth. Pour into a bowl and press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the cream and chill until thoroughly chilled..

To make the cake line the base of a 9-inch springform tin with parchment paper and lightly grease the tin with a little butter. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan).

Place the butter and chocolate into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and stir until melted. Remove and set aside for the moment. Place the egg yolks and brown sugar into a large bowl and using an electric whisk mix together for about 5 minutes until thick and pale. Pour in the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth and combined. 

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks then sprinkle in the sugar and whisk until the meringue holds soft glossy peaks. Add the meringue to the chocolate mixture in three additions, folding gently to combine. When no streaks of egg whites remain gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature (it will collapse in the middle but don’t worry you want that to happen)

Serve the cake at room temperature, topped with some of the cream whipped to soft peaks.