Pavlova

This week, our basketball season comes to an end - I love watching my girls play and in this house, we root for #25!  

Like I've said in previous posts, Middle's curiosity about new recipes has led us to some new favorites.  Both of my younger daughters really like the show "Bluey" (Disney+) and I find the family & sibling dynamics very relatable - definitely written by a parent.  In one episode, the sisters want to eat a pavlova so we talked about what a pavlova is and found a recipe to try.  

A pavlova is (from the bottom up), a layer of meringue, whipped cream, fruit, and sauce.  The first time through, there was a bit of a learning curve.  Middle learned why you use three bowls to separate egg whites, what "firm peaks" look like in a meringue, how to fold other things into your meringue, and how she prefers to have the meringues shaped.  The second time through, she did it 100% on her own with awesome results.  We just separated eggs for our third time making this recipe.  

It's delicious . . . we all loved it and it's actually a really simple concept with ordinary ingredients.  The contrast of textures is particularly enjoyable, in my opinion.

Recipe notes:  This whole process takes awhile - I didn't initially comprehend the part where it just sits in your warm oven for a long time.  Our first time, the meringue was still a little gooey in the center so depending on your oven, you may want to increase the temperature to 200 degrees.  The sauce yields quite a bit so you will have leftovers.  You can add sugar to sweeten your whipped cream, but we liked it with just some vanilla as a contrast to the sweet meringue and sweet sauce.  Any kind of berries will work on top - use what you like!

Pavlova (serves 4)

adapted from Ina Garten

First, make the sauce:

1 half pint fresh raspberries

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1/4 cup sugar

1 T cointreau or framboise (optional)

Place the raspberries, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes.  Add the liquer if using and stir for about 1 minute more.  Pour this mixture into a food processor or blender and add the jam.  Process until smooth and then chill in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble the pavlova.

Then, make the meringue:

4 extra large egg whites, room temperature

pinch kosher salt

1 cup white sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Place your egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until firm, about 1 minute.  With the mixer on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2-3 more minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the cornstarch over the beaten egg whites.  Then, add the vinegar and vanilla and fold lightly with a spatula.

Pile the meringue in the middle of the parchment paper and smooth it into a disk, approximately 9 inches. We also sometimes make 5 or 6 small discs for individual meringues.  You want the top to be somewhat smooth and flat.

Bake for 1.5 hours.  Turn off the oven, keeping the oven door closed, and allow it to cool completely in the oven, about 1-1.5 hours.  It should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

When you're ready to eat, make the whipped cream & assemble:

Whip 1 cup of cold heavy whipping cream in the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer.  When it starts to thicken, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and beat until firm.

Spread the whipped cream on the meringue, top with berries and drizzle with the raspberry sauce.
 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Curry is something my whole family agrees on and enjoys.  I really like the yellow curry simmer sauce in a bottle from Trader Joe's for an easy weeknight dinner (I add cooked chicken & a can of chickpeas and serve it over rice with some cilantro on top) but I wanted to make a tikka masala as something a little different.  I'm glad I tried this recipe -  it was a hit.  

I haven't made my own curry paste before and I liked the flavor of this one a lot - it was super easy and I made a couple of recipes with it (used it in a Thai soup as well).  You can make that ahead of time and then add it to the marinade & curry sauce in this recipe and it will last for awhile in the refrigerator.

Chicken Tikka Masala (serves 4-6)

recipe from Half-baked Harvest

Chicken

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks 

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (whole milk) full-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 can (14 ounce) unsweetened coconut milk (not "lite")

6 oz tomato paste

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Cooked rice (for serving)

Curry paste (recipe below or you can use store-bought yellow curry)

In a gallon-size zip-top bag, combine 2 tablespoons of the curry paste, the chicken, and the yogurt. Seal the bag and massage the mixture into the chicken to cover completely. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to overnight.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ cup to 1/2 cup (your preference) of the curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken, coconut milk, and tomato paste. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in the cilantro and serve the chicken over rice.

To make your own curry paste:
1 medium yellow onion, quartered

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1 shallot, halved

6 cloves garlic

2 (1-inch) pieces fresh ginger, peeled

3 tablespoons garam masala 

2 teaspoons ground turmeric 

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Zest of 1 lemon

To make the curry paste. In a blender or food processor, combine the onion, shallot, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, salt, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest. Pulse until a smooth paste forms, about 1 minute.  You can store this in the refrigerator for about a month.