Friday, June 25, 2010

Daring Bakers June - Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse





Let me just say that this is my 2nd Daring Bakers Challenge and boy have I been challenged. Last month was something I had never heard of and this month was more of the same…not to mention all the steps!



Without skipping a beat, here are



CHOCOLATE PAVLOVAS WITH CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE MOUSSE (on my lawn, he he)







The parts of the sum:



Recipe 1: Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):
3 large egg whites
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar
¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS



1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.







2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)







3. Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)







4. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire.







5. Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.



Recipe 2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):

1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)
grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped
1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)



DIRECTIONS







1. Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.



2. Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks.







3. Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova. I used a star cookie cutter to make a cute shape.









Recipe 3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):

1 recipe crème anglaise
½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)
½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream



DIRECTIONS



1. Prepare the crème anglaise (below). Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.







Recipe 4: Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):
1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar



DIRECTIONS



1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.




2. Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat. .



3. Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.




4. Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.



Eat and Enjoy Ladies & Gents – also unload the dishwasher because chances are if you just made this you now have multiple loads to do.



15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your use of color the bright flower and the bright green grass together just say look at me I am sooooo beautiful!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Those pavlovas are so pretty! They look delicious.

Cheers,

Rosa

Tia said...

they look awesome! I did away with the pink and made them in heart shapes. DB June

But they're not as pretty as yours!

Delicious Dishings said...

Gorgeous pavlovas! Great job on your second challenge!

Heather Baird said...

Your pavlovas turned out great! I really loved the creme anglaise. I could have drank it from a cup - is that wrong? :)

Nice step-by-steps too!

Mary said...

This looks amazing--love the flower and the picture on the grass!

Memória said...

Thank you for the lovely comment on my blog. Your pavlovas look ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! What a great idea to take photos on your lawn. It makes for a beautiful backdrop.

shaz said...

Wonderful job and welcome to the club! Your photos are amazing and I loved the previous post too (about your childhood camp), just gorgeous.

La Bella Cooks said...

They turned out beautifully! I love your photos as well.

Anonymous said...

Jen, thanks for your comment on my blog. I love your photos, they're beautiful!

Tracy said...

Gorgeous! Fantastic job on the challenge! :-)

Unknown said...

Beautiful and yummy pavlovas..Great job!!

Diana's Cocina said...

Pavlovas are a special treat of mine. Great job.

Valerie Gamine said...

Beautiful photos! I love that chocolate meringue. :-)

Nachiketa said...

the flower n star in the pav were awesome :)

cheers,
The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts - Nachiketa
Catch me on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts