Chocolate Pavlova with Mixed Berries

So it has been about 3 months since I've last posted an entry which is just way too long. Moving out to BC in the Okanagan Valley for the summer has delayed entries as well. But now that I have the kitchen set up and my little herb garden planted I should be good to go. Since I am in the Okanagan Valley where there are orchids and vineyards galore I thought it would be appropriate to begin the summer with a dessert where fresh fruit is required. Pavlova with mixed berries seemed like an excellent choice.

Now apparently the pavlova was created in the 1920's when the Russian Ballet Dancer Anna Pavlova was on her Australia/New Zealand tour. The dessert was made especially for her and then named after her. I am not exactly sure if it was the Kiwis or Aussies that invented it. It's safer if I don't guess either as I wouldn't want to upset any of my friends down under.

This is a beautiful and simple dessert to end any summer meal. It's light and crispy on the outside and melts in your mouth once you bite into it. Bring this to your next get together and your friends will love you for it.

Chocolate Pavlova with Mixed Berries

Pavlova

• 4 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup of superfine baker's sugar
• 2 tbsp of unsweetened coco powder

Topping

• 1 cup of whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 2 cups of mixed fresh berries
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

Pavlova

1. Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Using a stand or hand mixer beat egg whites in a glass bowl until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form.
3. Whisk sugar and coco powder together and gradually add sugar mixture into the egg whites, about 1 tbsp at a time. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Dollop the meringue, a generous cupful (about six 4-inch circles) onto the parchment paper at 2 inches apart. Gently press an indent into the center of each with the back of a spoon, but don't spread or work the meringue too much. If you'd like you can also create one big meringue (about 9 inches in diameter) and again create an indent in the center (about 5 inches). Bake the pavlovas for 75-90 minutes , until they are dry on the outside. You can test if they are done by lifting them off the parchment paper, if it lifts away easily, it is done.
5. When they are done, turn off the oven and let the pavlova sit in the oven for 20 minutes. Before serving, let the pavlova cool to room temperature. You can store the pavlova in an air tight container for up to 3 days. Of course it is best served no more than a day ahead of serving.
   

Topping

1. Beat whipping cream, vanilla and sugar on medium speed until soft peaks form. For chocolate whip cream add 1 1/2 tbsp of coco powder and 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar.
2. For the berries mix together the berries with the sugar and lemon juice. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
   
3. Dollop the whip cream onto the pavlova and top with berries.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is much debate over what kind of cookies are the best, soft and chewy, or thin and crunchy. Do not fret people, I have found the solution to this problem. Instead of choosing one why not have both? I have always been a girl who likes options and what better option that to have two different textures of cookies.

What is great about this recipe is that you don't need a hand or stand mixer, just a simple wooden spoon will do. I find it quite funny when Martha Stewart will question why people prefer to use hand mixers as oppose to stand mixers. Maybe it's because stand mixers cost $300-$400!! Trust me, I would love to get a stand mixer one day, but for now I will have to settle with my hand mixer and wooden spoon.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
   
3. In another large bowl, cream the butter with a wooden spoon to lighten it a bit and then mix in the sugars. Add the water, vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture.
   
4. Stir in the flour mixture and then fold in the chocolate chips.
   
5. Using a soup spoon, drop the cookies 2" apart onto two nonstick or greased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 minutes for soft and chewy, 12 minutes if you want them crispy. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool, and repeat the process with the rest of the batter.

Yields about 40 cookies

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Well it seems that I may be having a strawberry craze this month, but I figured since Valentines is coming up, people would want to make these delicious treats for loved ones.

Now I decided to drizzle white chocolate on top of mine, but of course you can add anything you want to these chocolate covered strawberries. You could dip them in crushed peanuts, shredded coconut or even cover them in red sprinkles. Often people will spend way to much on Valentines and forget that people love the baked goods rather than the bought. At least I do anyway. I will even guarantee that it will instantly add more love because the lucky recipient will know that you took the time to make them.

Because of course, everyone knows, that all you need is love.



Chocolate Covered Strawberries

• 1 lb of strawberries (about 20) washed and dried well
  
• 200 grams of your favourite dark chocolate
• 50 grams of white chocolate
• 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil

1. Place dark chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl is not touching the water, you are using the steam to melt the chocolate, not the water. Stir occasionally, until melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat once melted.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, only use parchment nothing else. One at a time, dip each strawberry in chocolate, twirling to coat and then place on parchment paper.
3. Once you have dipped all the strawberries melt the white chocolate the same way as the dark chocolate. Since you are using the white chocolate to drizzle, you will add the vegetable oil to thin out the white chocolate. Make sure you don't use water or else it will make the chocolate clumpy.
   
4. Stir the white chocolate with the oil until you get the consistency that you desire for drizzling, if it is not thin enough to drizzle, add more oil.
   
5. Use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate over the chocolate covered strawberries.
   
6. Chill chocolate-dipped strawberries for at least 15 minutes in the fridge before eating.

Strawberry Banana Muffins

One of my absolute favourite fruit combination is strawberry and banana. I love the combination in smoothies, crepes and especially in Yogen Fruz. This was originally a banana bread recipe from my mom but I decide to add strawberries and oatmeal. I added the oatmeal because I enjoy the texture of it in muffins but you can also replace the oatmeal for bran. If you don't like either of them than you can replace the oatmeal measurement for flour.

So bring these muffins to your next brunch or simply make them for your family to enjoy fresh muffins in the morning. I would suggest cutting up strawberries and bananas to serve with the muffins because who doesn't like a bit of fresh fruit with their the breakfast!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Muffins

• 1 1/4 cup of flour
• 3/4 cups of oatmeal or wheat bran
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup of chopped fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 4 tbsp of sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of vanilla

1. Preheat the oven 350°F. Butter a standard 12 cup muffin pan or line with muffin cups
   
2. In a bowl whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and combine the eggs and sugar. Mix in the oil, sour cream and then the flour mixture.
   
4. Once the batter has been well mixed add in the vanilla and strawberries.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, about 3/4 full for each cup.
   
6. Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for at least 15 minutes before eating.
   

Perfect Pizza Dough

Pizza dough may seem like a scary idea, but it's actually one of the easiest things to make from scratch. After all, as Wolfgang Puck has said, "Pizza dough only has 6 ingredients: flour, salt, olive oil, honey, yeast and water. That's it, it's so simple!"

I've had this recipe bookmarked for awhile, but when I was looking for a pizza dough recipe I wanted to make sure it was full proof, easy to make and of course, delicious.

What makes home made pizza extra delicious is being able to customize it however you like. Whether you stick with simply tomato sauce, change it up with a pesto sauce or no sauce at all, each pizza will have it's own flavour and one will never have to taste the same.

I like to stretch out my dough with my fingers tips, but if you are afraid of ripping the dough a rolling pin is fine too. You should get a nice tender and slightly chewy crust from this pizza. After you make this dough you will want to make it again and again, and for all your friends because it actually is that easy. Just make sure you follow the directions carefully, I have attached a video from Food Wishes for the recipe which will help once you have mixed the dough together.



Perfect Pizza Dough

Serves 4

• 1 package active dry (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
• Toppings of your choice

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4-cup really warm water. Mix well and let it dissolve for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Then into the bowl add salt, olive oil and 3/4 cup of equally warm water and a cup of flour. Stir that until it becomes a batter
3. Into the batter add another cup of flour, mix well and then another 1/2 cup of flour. There should be 2 1/2 cups total in the bowl which you will stir until it is too thick to stir.
4. Once the dough becomes to thick to stir, move it to the board with 1/4 cup of flour sprinkled on the board. Knead the dough by hand for about 5-10 minutes till you get a smooth, firm and slightly sticky dough. Add the rest of the 1/4 cup of flour if you feel the dough is still too sticky.
5. Place the dough back into a clean bowl, coating it with a bit of olive oil and cover the dough with a clean, damp towel. Let it rise in a warm spot for 30-40 minutes. I turned on my oven to 200°F for about 5 minutes, turned it off and then put my dough in the oven. The dough should almost double in size and will stretch as it is lightly pulled when ready.
6. Once the dough has risen, place it onto a floured surface and pat it down to deflate it. Divide the dough into four sections like you are cutting four pieces of a pie. Take one of the sections and pull the corners down underneath to create a ball. Pull down the sides and tuck the underneath the bottom till you have a ball. Do this to the rest of the sections.
7. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
8. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. If you don't have a pizza stone a baking pan is fine, but make sure to oil the pan.
9. To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch circle, use your fingers to make the crust. Lightly brush the inner circle of the dough with olive oil and arrange the topping of your choice over the inner circle.
10. Using a cutting board, slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, or baking pan and let it bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Transfer the pizza to a firm surface and cut into slices with a pizza cutter or very sharp knife. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Wolfgang Puck

Afternoon Tea at the Banff Springs

The tradition of afternoon tea began in the mid 19th century when the Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Stanhope, would have small meals in late afternoon with tea. Lunch was normally served at noon but dinner was not served until later in the evening at 8 or 9 o'clock. The period between the two meals would leave the Duchess with a "sinking feeling" as she felt the meal at noon was inadequate. She began to have a small meal with tea in the later afternoon and would invite her friends to join her. Their meal consisted of small sandwiches, cakes and sweet pastries and of course tea. This tradition has carried on to this day where you can find afternoon tea at high end hotels or even small bed and breakfasts.

Although afternoon tea is sometimes called high tea, they are in fact two different things. High tea is more of an early dinner which is also known as meat tea. Traditionally high tea is served with meat, fish, eggs, bread and cakes along with tea and is then followed by a lighter meal in the later evening. It is probably used to describe afternoon tea since it sounds more elite but high tea is actually what the common people would eat.



The Fairmont Banff Springs serves a very traditional afternoon tea. Afternoon tea at the Banff Springs is exceptionally special as you get a view like no other. Their tea room is located in the Rundle Lounge which looks out to the Bow Valley river with the great Rocky Mountains in the background.




The meal begins with your selection of teas, the Banff Springs has 12 to offer. They have a variety of tea from black tea to herbal or organic tea. We had the Banff Springs Blend which was a beautiful rich black tea that had a hint of fruity flavour and the Vanilla Orchid which had the flavour of vanilla and a splash of pomegranate.


As you wait for you tea to steep, you are served fresh seasonal fruit to cleanse the palate.




We were then served our tier of delectable pastries, sweets and dainty sandwiches. The sandwiches we had were English cucumber, smoked salmon, egg salad and spicy ham with cream cheese. We also had a Victorian scone on the side with devonshire cream and strawberry jam.


Afternoon tea can be a very costly afternoon, $30-$50 a person. So if you do decide to go for afternoon tea, the Banff Springs will make it worth your while as you get an exceptional view while you enjoy your tea.

Reservations are recommended and can be booked by calling dining reservations line at (403) 762-6860
Fairmont Banff Springs
405 Spray Avenue
Banff, Alberta

Gingerbread Macarons

French macarons, the very popular and trendy Parisian cookie, often confused with coconut macaroons, are seen all over the big cities. Les macarons were first popularized in the 1930's by the famous pastry shop Ladurée, in France, where the invention of the double-decker macaron came to be. This light and sweet cookie contains a center filling of butter cream or jam filling which is sandwiched between two dome shape meringues that come in many different flavours. Raspberry and pistachio seemed to be the most popular, but I thought gingerbread macarons would be very appropriate for the holiday season.

When properly made, the dome of the cookie should be a smooth and glossy top with a moist interior that melts in your mouth. There should also be a ruffled ridge around the cookie, the foot of the cookie or le pied in French. Don't worry about mastering these cookies the first time you make them. Not until recently has the recipes been written for chefs at home, it has mainly been for professional chefs where recipes measurements are in weights as oppose to volumes.

But if you intend on becoming a master pastry chef, make sure you follow these tips, they will prevent kitchen break downs and wasted batter.

• Use pasteurized liquid egg whites as oppose to separating egg whites and make sure it is at room temperature.
  
• When whipping the egg whites, add the sugar in once foam has formed and beat at medium high speed until the egg whites are firm and glossy. Try not to stop and start to mixer and don't worry about over whisking the eggs. It is better to get stiff peaks then no peaks at all. I like to mix in a glass bowl.
  
• Make sure you sift each dry ingredient at least twice (or "shift" as my mom says). Once before you mix the dry ingredient together and then once again when you add it to the egg whites.
  
• When folding in the almond mixture with the egg whites, fold one way to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
  
• Do not use wax paper, the cookies will stick to it, use parchment paper.
  
• Once you've piped the raw cookies on a baking sheet, dip the back of a spoon in warm water and smooth out any peaks left by the piping bag.
  
• Let the piped, raw cookies stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking to promote a glossy top crust.
  
• Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the paper with a thin spatula. You can add drops of water under the parchment paper to help remove the cookies as the macarons will release more easily with steam.
  

Gingerbread Macarons

Makes 24 Macarons

Macarons

• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1 ginger snap cookie
• 3/4 cup egg whites at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Filling

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1/2 cup softened butter

1. For macarons, preheat the oven to 300°F
2. Line 2 large baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 24 circles, 2 inch in size on each sheet; flip the parchment over. Place each prepared tray on top of another baking tray.
   
3. Combine the icing sugar, almonds, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a medal blade. Blend for about 30 - 60 seconds or until the mixture is fine powder; transfer to another bowl.
   
4. Place gingersnap cookie in the food processor and blend until finely crushed. Sift through a medium sieve. Discard larger crumbs trapped in sieve. Reserve the fine crumbs.
   
5. Place the egg whites and vanilla in a large bowl. Use an electric mixture on medium-high to beat until white are foamy. Add the granulated sugar by the spoonful, beating until firm and glossy. In 2 additions, gently fold the reserved almond mixture into the egg white until the mixture is streak free. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip that is about 1 cm wide.
   
6. Pipe the batter onto the prepared baking sheets by placing the tip into the center of each circle, squeezing just until the batter reaches the outer edge. Use the back of a spoon dipped in warm water to smooth out any peaks. Sprinkle each cookie with a little of the finely ground gingerbread cookie crumbs. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes but no more than 60 minutes.
   
7. Bake, on the center rack, 1 sheet at at time for 15-16 minutes or until the surface is set and bottoms are light golden. Cool completely on pan. Gently transfer to cooling rack until ready to fill. The cookies can be stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
   
8. For the filling, combine the sugar and egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer or another large heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl and the water do not touch. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture feels warm to the touch and is light, fluffy and white, about 3 minutes.
9. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer; fit with the whisk attachment. add the spices and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed, or until mixure cools and forms a thick shiny meringue. Beat in the butter, adding 1 tbsp at a time until very smooth. Beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until very thick and light, about 6 minutes. spread an equal amount of filling on the bottoms of 24 cookies; sandwich with an additional cookie.

Recipe from Food and Drink Magazine