BERRY-TOPPED PAVLOVA

I also took this lovely dessert over to celebrate my friend's new apartment. It is a very fancy looking dessert, but relatively simple to make. It is just time consuming.

Here is what you'll need: 4 egg whites, sugar, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, cornstarch, and white vinegar.

Take parchment paper and place an overturned dish or bowl on it and trace a circle.

Turn the parchment over, marked side down and place on a baking sheet.

Separate the eggs while the eggs are cold (it is easier when the eggs are cold). Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and let the egg white get to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Add the cornstarch.

Add the vinegar.

Beat the mixture, until foamy. Add the white sugar and mix on medium high until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.

Add the vanilla and confectioner's sugar and continue to beat until you have glossy peaks.

Using a rubber spatula spread the meringue into the marked 10 inch circle on the prepared cookie sheet. Form a well in the center. Bake in a 200˚ preheated oven for about 2 hours.

Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in the oven until the oven is cooled. When cool remove the pavlova from the parchment and place on the serving dish.

Top with freshly made whipped cream.

Add an assortment of berries. Now go impress your family and friends.

BERRY-TOPPED PAVLOVA

For the pavlova

4 egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon sugar

Assorted berries

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200˚.
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using an overturned plate or bowl as a guide, trace a 10-inch circle onto parchment. Turn parchment over, marked side down.
3. Beat egg whites, cornstarch, and vinegar with a mixer at medium speed until foamy.
4. Gradually add the white sugar and beat at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
5. Lower the speed to medium and add in the vanilla. Gradually add in the confectioner's sugar. Beat at medium high speed until still glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes.
6. Using a rubber spatula, spread the meringue into the marked 10 inch circle on the prepared cookie sheet. Form a well in the center.
7. Bake for about 2 hours.
8. Turn off the oven but leave the pavlova in the oven until the oven is cool.
9. When cool, carefully remove the pavlova from the parchment and place on the serving dish.

For the topping

1. Whip the heavy whipping cream, the sugar, and vanilla with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
2. Top the pavlova with the whipped cream and top with the berries.

GÂTEAU AU YAOURT - YOGURT CAKE WITH STRAWBERRY COULIS

I have wanted to try making a french yogurt cake for some time now. You probably have all the ingredients for the basic yogurt cake in your home so go ahead and try it this weekend. It was so delicious. I had to take a bite before I even had lunch today. It is so very light and not too sweet.

Here is what you need: all purpose flour, eggs, sugar, plain unsweetened yogurt, canola oil, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of see salt (not pictured).

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and the yogurt.

Add the sugar and whisk until combined.

This is what it will look like.

Add the vanilla extract. One of these days I will get around to making my own vanilla extract.

Add the canola oil and whisk until combined.

You should have a nice smooth consistency.

I didn't want to dirty another bowl, so I placed a fine mesh strainer over the bowl to sift the dry ingredients.

Place the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pinch of salt in the sieve and sift it directly onto the wet ingredients.

This is what is should look like when you are done sifting.

Whisk until just combined.

Pour the batter into a prepared spring form pan. I use the flour spray instead of buttering and flouring the pan. Place the pan in a preheated 350˚ oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden brown. I used a 10 inch spring form pan and my cake was ready in 33 minutes.

When the cake is ready, remove from the oven and let it cool.

I sifted some powdered sugar on top of the cake. You could eat it just like this, but if you want to make a strawberry coulis to pour on top keep reading.

Strawberry Coulis

Here is what you will need: about a cup of strawberries (I only had frozen), 1 tablespoon sugar.

Pour the strawberries and sugar into a saucepan over low heat. Cook the strawberries until they are tender and can be mashed with a wooden spoon. You may need to add a little water. I added less that 1/8 cup of water since I was using frozen strawberries. If you uses fresh strawberries you may have to add a little more.

When the strawberries are mushy, pass the fruit through a fine mess sieve.

You will end up with a sauce that looks like this.

I cut myself a slice of cake.

And poured a little bit of strawberry coulis over it. It was simply divine.



GÂTEAU AU YAOURT - YOGURT CAKE

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease and flour a spring form pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and yogurt.
3. Add sugar and whisk until combined.
4. Add vanilla and oil and whisk until combined.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk until combined
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. You can serve it warm or at room temperature.

STRAWBERRY COULIS

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• about 1/8 cup water

Preparation

1. Place the strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Cook until the strawberries are mushy.
3. Pass the strawberries through a fine mesh sieve to get a sauce with a smooth consistency.
   
   
   

Tarte Chocolat - Chocolate Tart

Here is a delicious and completely decadent dessert. It is a complete departure from Cuban cuisine, but this is the type of dessert that I love. It is extremely easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients in you kitchen already. Your family and friends will be oohing and aahing when you set this before them. But you don't need to tell them how simple it was to make. That will be our secret. Let them think you spent hours slaving in the kitchen.

I have never been interested in pies, so I never tried the make pastry dough. I saw a very simple recipe for pâte sablée in Clotilde's Chocolate & Zucchini book which I just had to try. You should check out her site http://chocolateandzucchini.com/.

Here is what you need for the pate sable. Flour, sugar, butter, salt, milk, and vanilla (I added the vanilla later.)

My punk is pouring 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl.

Add 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. I used fleur de sel. I had it on hand and thought it would be fancy.

Then 7 tablespoons of chilled butter, cut into little squares.

This is what you have now. With your fingertips rub the butter into the dry ingredients. You could also you a pastry blender, but that would not be as much fun. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and blend it in.

When you are done, it should look like this. It will still be crumbly, but if you squeeze it you should get a little clump of dough.

Butter a pan. I did not have a tart pan, so I used a pie pan.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Use the palm of your hand and your fingers to form the crust and the rim all around the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes. It should be golden. Let the crust cool. The crust is delicious enough to eat on its own.

Next you need to make the ganache. I used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate.

Place the chocolate in a bowl. I used a metal mixing bowl so that it would be easier to melt the chocolate. My daughter was tempted to eat the chocolate at this point.

You will then have a bowl of delicious chocolate. Don't be tempted to take a bite just yet.

I don't have a double boiler, so I just set my metal mixing bowl above a pot of simmering hot water. Bring the cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a pot and then slowly add it to the bowl of chocolate. Whip the chocolate and cream with a whisk until you get a smooth consistency.

Pour the chocolate ganache into the shell.

Smooth out the surface with a spatula. Place the tart in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

I also whipped a cup of heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of sugar. I served myself a sliver of the chocolate tart with a dollop of the freshly made whipping cream. My daughter flipped over her slice and at the crust first.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. Give this tart a try. It is simple to make.

PÁTE SABLÉE

(adapted from Clotilde Dusoulier - Chocolate & Zucchini)

Ingredients

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter to grease the pie pan

2 tablespoons cold milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

1) Pour the sugar, flour, salt into a mixing bowl.

2) Add the butter and use either a pastry blender or your fingers to combine the butter into the

dry ingredients.

3) Add the vanilla and the milk and combine until blended. The dough will still look crumbly.

4) Grease a pie pan or a tart pan with about a tablespoon of butter.

5) Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan or a tart pan. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan and use the palm of your hands and your fingers to form the crust and rim.

6) Cover the pie shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

7) Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes. It should be golden. Let the

crust cool.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Ingredients

10 oz chocolate (I used 8 oz bittersweet and 2 oz semi-sweet)

1 cup heavy cream

Preparation

1) Simmer the heavy cream in a pot

2) Place the bowl of chocolate in a double broiler. Slowly add the heavy and use a whisk to combine the chocolate and cream until smooth.

3) Pour the ganache into the pie shell. Smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate for about an hour (for the ganache to set).