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Mini Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd

 


Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd2

Here we are again.

You & I and some blood oranges.

The season is so short, and it’s nearly impossible to get these out of season, I need to enjoy them now. It’s almost embarrassing how I’ve started to hoard them. Whole Foods had a sale this week and I left with three bags. I even bought a new fruit bowl to accommodate my citrus bounty. And if you came over to my house and commented on my large bowl of blood oranges, I may or may not gush over how gorgeous they are and offer to cut one open for you. In which you would probably respond with a slight look of shock and decline my offer and very quickly change the subject.

I made pavlovas as an edible fruit container of sorts. Don’t be intimidated by pavlovas, although they look difficult and impressive, they are actually very simple. As long as you make sure that not a single drop of fat (yolks or residual butter left over in a bowl) come in contact with the egg whites, they really don’t require much skill.

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd3

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For The Pavlovas

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature (reserve the yolks for the lemon curd)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

For The Curd:

  • 2 tsp blood orange zest
  • ½ cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • 1 whole eggs plus three yolks
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • Sliced fresh strawberries & whipped cream for serving, if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 275.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the cornstarch.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and pinch of salt. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.
  4. Turn mixer to high and slowly add the sugar mixture, continue to beat until peaks start to firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the vinegar and vanilla, beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is glossy.
  5. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or a Silpat). Spoon meringue onto to parchment in 4 equal sized “nests” making an indentation in each round with a spatula. Each nest should be about 2 inches across, 1 ½ inches high and have a well in the center to hold the curd.
  6. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until the miniature pavlovas are dry and “crisp” on the outside, about 40 to 50 minutes (it’s OK to open the oven during cooking to peek at the pavlovas to make sure they aren’t cooking too quickly). Turn off the oven, open the oven door half way and allow the pavlovas to cool in the oven until room temperature before removing.
  7. Add the zest, blood orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs and yolks to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the blood orange mixture to a pan over medium/low heat along with the butter. Whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to use (can be made up to 3 days in advance, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use).
  8. Top each pavlova with curd (as well as berries and whipped cream, if desired) just before serving.

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd4

 

Drunken Strawberry Tart with Beer Lemon Curd

Being wrapped in a world filled with food people, the lovers, academics and fanatics, I’ve often lost my footing. Forgotten the simple pleasures of small, honest meals for the sake of a journey towards the creation of an epic recipe. While surrounding myself with people who strive to reinvent the world of food as we know,  I’ve been so entranced that I’ve stepped away from the core of who I am and the food I fell in love with.

I am not a moderist cook.

I am not a chef.

I may never create an epic recipe.

I am OK with that.

It was through a process, not of self discovery but of self remembrance, that stumbled upon a memory that I had almost lost within my catalogue of food experiences. Under the thousand dollar dinners, PR events, celebrity chefs, and world renowned restaurants was a small Italian city, and a home cooked meal.

Years ago, on what turned out to be a 16 hour layover, I was stuck in Pescara Italy. A girl about my age, just past 21, took pity on a broke and confused American in her tiny local airport and asked if she could show her town to me. It began with a home cooked meal, from her own mothers hands on a rickety folding table in her living room, the only place in the small apartment that would accommodate us all. Homemade bread, a small green salad, smashed peas and a roasted chicken.

For dessert was a lemon tart. Simple, beautiful and tangy, made by the hands of a woman who didn’t speak a word of English, but who took time to cook for me even though we would never have the ability to have a conversation, and I could never properly thank her. This is the food that I fell in love with, and I am reminding myself to stay true to that.

I’ve done my best to make the beer infused version of the tart that was made for me in Pescara, and chose a beer that is nearly as fascinating to me. Cooney Island Lager has flavors that remind me a great meal made in spring, orange, citrus, bread and apples.

If you can’t find this beer, look for a low hop beer with notes of citrus, tropical fruits and bread.

Drunken Strawberry Tart with Beer Lemon Curd

Ingredients
  

For the tart crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups of flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter cut into small cubes
  • 3-5 tbs ice cold water

For the curd:

  • 1 tbs lemon zest
  • 2 whole eggs plus six yolks
  • 1 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 6 large lemons
  • ½ cup beer
  • 2 tbs corn starch
  • 1 stick unsalted butter cut into cubes

For the Strawberries

  • 3 cups strawberries
  • ½ cup beer
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbs beer
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cubes of butter and process until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Your dough should resemble course meal.
  • Start with 3 tbs of water, pulse until combined. If the crust doesn’t hold together add more water, a bit at a time, until it does.
  • Dump the dough into a 4 inch deep, 9 inch wide tart pan with a remove-able bottom (you can also use a pie pan). Starting with the sides, form the crust inside the pan, trying your best to make it all as even as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a least 3 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Place a sheet of parchment paper inside your tart and fill with pie weights. If you don’t have any, dried beans work great.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until your tart is a light golden brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly. remove pie weights.
  • Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, beer, sugar, corn starch, whole eggs and yolks to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the lemon mixture to a pan over medium/low heat along with the butter. Whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  • Add the curd to the crust and chill until set, about 4 hours.
  • Just prior to serving add the berries to a shallow bowl of pie pan and cover with 1/2 cup beer. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to bowl with the sugar, stir to combine.
  • Add all of the whipped cream ingredients to a stand mixer and mix on high until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
  • Top tart with berries and whipped cream just prior to serving.