Summer Berry Pavlova

Almost every pavlova recipe begins with a brief history of the dessert, each one with a reference to its contested origin of either Australia or New Zealand. What is not contested, however, is the beauty and absolute deliciousness of this dessert. 

Making pavlova requires a bit of patience and could entail a few episodes of trial and error (it was not until my third attempt that I began to see decent results). This patience will be rewarded with the most luxurious of desserts that I think you would come back to every summer (to showcase those summer berries) or whenever the mood strikes.  

Summer Berry Pavlova 

Makes about 4 servings 

2 large egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp cornstarch 

whipped topping

raspberry sauce 

fresh summer berries such as raspberries, strawberries and red currants

For the whipped topping:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 

2 tbsp sugar

For the raspberry sauce:

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 sugar 

1. Set the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. 

2. Add the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to a stainless steel mixing bowl. Whisk at medium speed for about 3 minutes until foamy. Slowly increase the speed of the mixer to high, while adding the sugar and cornstarch. Continue to whisk until the mixture forms stiff peaks. 

3. Carefully spoon the mixture unto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet to form a raised circular disc of about 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches high. Place in the oven, and reduce the oven temperate to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let the pavlova cool completely. Once cooled, gently lift off from the parchment paper and place on a serving dish. Top with cream, raspberry sauce and fresh fruit, as desired. 

For the whipped topping: Whisk the whipping cream with an electric mixer. As it thickens, add the sugar and continue to whisk until just firm. 

For the raspberry sauce: Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil. Stir well, crushing the raspberries as you go. Cook over a gentle simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and pass through sieve, discarding the seeds and pulp. 

Blackberry Pie

Of all summer fruit, I might not have given blackberries enough homage. Peach melba I have tried. An assortment of strawberry tarts and pies, rhubard crisp, pineapple upside down cake recipes I know almost by heart. Yet, in all my summers here I hadn't made one dessert that focused soley on the fruit. Shame on me. Blackberries have long been part of my fruit repertoire - had them in parfatis, in fruit salads, in preserves and smoothies - but never made them stand alone in a dish. Until now.

Naturally ripened blackberries do not need much else to enhance their favors. A tablespoon of vanilla, maybe a pinch of all spice, and perhaps a splash of deep red wine are all it takes. For baking, it is important to get the very ripe ones; the riper they are less sugar is needed. Look for almost even coloration (although the color changes when baked) and those without the hulls, since younger berries hang on to the hulls stronger than riper ones.

While I have included a crust recipe, store bought crust works just as well. However, I would suggest using a pastry crust rather than a graham cracker crust. The flaky pastry crust provides a noticable textural contrast to the soft berries.

Blackberry Pie

Makes one 9" pie

2 pints blackberries (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp dark red wine e.g. cabernet (optional)

1 nine inch prepared pie crust (recipe below)

1. Set oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Combine the first five ingredients being careful not to crush the berries; pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for an additional 20 to 45 minutes until the juices thicken. (*See note below.) If the crust browns too quickly, cover with foil.

3. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Cookie Crust

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F.

2.Combine the first four ingredients. Mix in the butter until a crumbly dough forms, then mix in the egg until it all comes together in a soft ball.

3. Using the back of a spoon or the tips of your fingers, evenly spread this dough unto a well greased nine inch pie dish, along the bottom and up the sides.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.

*Note: If you prefer a softer, more homogenized filling, allow the pie to bake up to forty five to minutes to an hour at 350 degrees F. The photo above show how it would look after 30 minutes at this temperature; the berries still have most of their structure and can be picked off the top without fally apart, just the way I like it.

Saul's Birthday Cake

Today is Saul's birthday! Here is the cake I made for him.

Vanilla Cake with Fresh Raspberry Filling

1 1/3 cups cakes flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup part skimmed ricotta cheese

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 vanilla bean pod

1/2 cup low fat evaporated milk

4 eggs whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Filling

1/2 cup fat free cream cheese

1/4 granulated brown sugar

1 pint fresh raspberries (plus more for garnish)

Frosting (see notes below)

8 oz fat free cream cheese, softened

2/3 cups plus 4 tbsp confectioner's sugar, softened. See notes. 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans. Set aside.

2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

3. With an electric hand mixer, whisk together butter and ricotta cheese. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar and cream together until the mixture becomes fluffy and has lightened in color, up to three minutes. 

4. Split the vanilla bean pod and carefully scrape out all the "pulp". Add vanilla "pulp", evaporated milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well. In two batches, add flour mixture, beating well between additions. 

5.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs whites and cream of tartar until medium stiff peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. Mix in a half of eggs whites into  batter, until properly incorporated. Gently fold in the remaining half. 

6. Divide the mixture into two 8" cake pans, previously greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Carefully remove the cakes from pans and cool completely on wire racks. 

7. To assemble: Place one cake round on a cake dish or cake stand. Spread filling mixture evenly on top, being careful not to spill down the sides. Place the second cake round on top of the filling. Cover with frosting. Garnish with reserved raspberries.

To prepare filling:

Whisk together sour cream and sugar. Gently fold in whole raspberries.

To prepare frosting:

Whisk together all ingredients until light and fluffy.

Notes:

1. To sweeten the frosting, you can use up to 1 cup of confectioner's sugar. I achieved the right level of sweetness with a little less. 

2. You can also shape the cakes into squares the way I did here. 

3. I tend to use dark brown sugar in most of my recipes because I find it enhances both the flavor and color. However, light brown sugar or granulated sugar can be substituted. 

Cheesecake with Fresh Blueberries and Clementine Syrup

Two words to describe the perfect slice of cheesecake: pure decadence. I'm talking about the type from your neighborhood bakery or your favorite restaurant. Made with rich, creamy, delicious cream cheese. I do allow myself that indulgence once in a while but I have created the perfect recipe for when these cravings happen at home. Actually, I had not initially set out to create a healthy cheesecake recipe; I was looking for a way to incorporate tofu in dessert. Tofu is so versatile but up until recently, I shamefully had only ventured to use it savory dishes. All that has changed.

I can imagine some people will gag at the thought of a tofu cheesecake and I want you to know I understand these reservations. At first, some things seem not to go too well together. For example, chocolate and chili, basil and ice cream, honey and mustard, Minnesota and summer (just kidding!) However, the result of these odd couples are very distinct and pleasing taste sensations.

Once you have tasted this cheesecake, you will notice two things: (1) it doesn't taste as though it contains tofu, and (2) the texture is both light and creamy. Besides being a great dessert, this recipe is a good way to get more protein in your diet. Protein from dessert? Who would've thought?

Ingredients

Crust:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup crumbled graham crackers
1 egg white ( save yolk for filling)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp orange extract (optional)

Filling:
8 oz fat free cream cheese (or low fat if you prefer)
12 oz silken tofu
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (saved from crust)

2 tsp corn starch

1 tsp orange extract

Topping:

1 1/2 cups blueberries
juice of four clementines (or oranges)
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp orange extract

To prepare crust:
In a food processor, grind pecans and graham crackers. Empty into a mixing bowl and add vegetable oil, egg white and orange extract. Mix well. Press unto the base of a well greased 8" spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.

To prepare filling:
Using a blender (see note below), blend together all of the filling ingredients until a smooth, silky consistency takes shape. Pour onto crust in spring form pan, and bake at 325 degrees F for one hour.
Remove from oven and immediately pass a knife along around the sides. Place cake in pan on a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Chill overnight in refrigerator. Remove sides of pan.

To prepare the topping:
In a heavy saucepan, heat clementine juice, water, honey, corn starch, and orange extract. Whisk rigorously and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly. Once syrup has cooled, evenly spread two tablespoons onto top of chilled cheesecake. Toss the blueberries in the remaining syrup and arrange them in a decorative pattern on top of cake. Any remaining syrup should be drizzled over finished product.

Note: I strongly recommend using a blender to make the filling as opposed to using an electric hand or stand up mixer. The mixers do not produce the smooth, silky quality necessary for the filling. What they do produce, however, is a filling with a lumpy, unattractive texture. I hope this serves to deter you from using your handy dandy mixer, just this once.

I'm Seeing Red

Strawberry Shortcake

Makes about 10

Strawberry sauce:

3 cups fresh strawberries

2 tbsp pomegranate juice

2 tbsp honey ( or more depending on sweetness of strawberries)

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar 

pinch of salt

Biscuit:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup cream

1/3 cup fat free ricotta cheese

1 tsp real vanilla extract

1 tbsp cream for brushing tops

extra sugar for sprinkling

Strawberry cream:

2 cups fat free cool whip

6 to 8 fresh strawberries

To prepare sauce:

Wash, hull and slice strawberries. Place in bowl together with pomegranate juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and salt. Mix and set aside. (This can be done up to a day ahead.)

To Prepare Biscuit: 

1. Set oven to 425 degrees F. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all purpose flour, pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine cream, ricotta cheese and vanilla extract. 

4. Pour ricotta mixture into flour mixture and, using a spatula, combine until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Then, lightly knead until fully incorporated to form a ball. 

5. On a lightly floured surface gently roll out dough to form a 1" thick circle. 

7. Using a 2 1/2 " cookie cutter, cut  into 10 rounds. 

8. Place biscuit rounds on a well greased cookie sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. 

9. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

To prepare cream topping: 

1. Wash and hull strawberries and puree in food processor or blender. Empty to bowl and fold in cool whip.

To assemble shortcake:

1. Using a fork, pierce around center of biscuit and separate into two halves. 

2. Drizzle some strawberry syrup unto halves and place bottom half on a serving plate. 

3. Spoon a tablespoon of strawberry sauce onto bottom biscuit half, followed by a dollop of strawberry cream and top with the top side of biscuit.  Serve with fresh strawberries on the side. 

Refreshing Watermelon Soup

Serves 4 to 5

5 - 6 cups cubed and seeded watermelon, chilled

4  mint leaves, plus more for garnish 

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp honey

dash aromatic bitters (optional)

watermelon balls (optional) 

1. Combine all ingredients, except watermelon balls, in blender and puree until smooth.

2. Serve with watermelon balls and garnish with mint leaves. 

It's finally here and it showed me something new.

Just one look around the lake and parks in Minneapolis and you would know: spring is finally here. The tell tale sign is not the melting ice or the tiny buds now visible on some trees or even the rain showers. You know that it is spring by the hundreds of people jogging around that lakes now. It is as though all of the city has come out of hibernation. There are people every where! Forgive me if i sound a little flaky or foreign but this is not a frequent sight here during the winter. The winters are so brutal that at the first sign of spring everyone, and I mean everyone, makes a bee line for the out doors. Rollerblading, walking, jogging, cycling, simply standing on street corners, this is how Minneapolis celebrates spring.



I did my own celebration as well: by taking the bus for the first time ever since I have moved here. I was shocked at how seamless the entire process was (having downloaded the route and maps from the internet of course, and traveling with my handy dandy itouch just in case I got lost.) It took approximately 20 minutes to get to Nicollet Mall and 8th Street, a trip that would have otherwise been 8 minutes by car. Conversely, those 20 minutes were very revealing. They revealed a cosmopolitan side of the city that was little evident when we initially moved. Minneapolis is vibrant, brimming with new adventures, museums, plays, clubs, and some of the trendiest restaurants I have been to. Now, the awareness of its ethnic enclaves will assuredly enhance my city experience.

Especially intriguing is an small community of African and Middle Eastern stores and shops on Nicollet Avenue between 15th and Grant streets. Authentic African food is new to my culinary experience; I have had Moroccan and Ethiopian food only twice. Coming from the Caribbean, my early culinary outlook was understandably influenced by Creole flavors, and by extension African cooking, but even that bore no resemblance to what I now know is authentic African food. Some of the ingredients are the same, such as cassava and salted fish, but they are used in very different ways on either side of the Atlantic. In Eastern African countries such as Kenya, the cassava leaves are steamed and eaten as a side dish while in the Caribbean, in particular Trinidad, it is the cassava root that is boil and served, with some form of savory meat dish, as an entree. (My favorite was cassava with stewed pork perfected by my paternal grandmother. Being poor for most of her life, she was extremely apt at knowing how to extract the flavors of simple ingredients to create some of my most memorable childhood dishes. She is eighty six years old now with Alzheimer's which means that I will only have those memories because even though my aunts learned to cook from her, and they are all excellent cooks when it comes to Caribbean food, hers was simply the best.) It is possible that the ethnic groceries in this community might carry some of these familiar ingredients. I hope.




Warm Plums with Strawberry Cream

1-2 cups strawberries
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 tsp pomegranate juice ( optional)
3 tbsp honey
4 ripe plums, quartered

1. Wash, hull and slice strawberries. Place in food processor or blender, together with sour cream and pomegranate juice. Blend until smooth. At this point, you can strain cream through sieve to remove seeds but I prefer not to do this because I like the occasional crunch of the seeds.
2. In a small heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add honey stirring, occasionally until it begins to bubble. Once large bubbles appear, add plums.
3. Cook plums for three to five minutes. The honey should have turn a gorgeous purple syrup by now. Remove from heat.
4. Serve warm plums with dollops of strawberry cream and drizzle with any leftover syrup in pot.

Note: I suggest using the ripest fruit (both plums and strawberries) that you can find. This way, you get the added benefit of their natural sugars while using little honey.

Good Mornings

There is no question about it: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We have heard this said time and again. Breakfast not only provides fuel to begin the day but it also kick starts our metabolism. By eating breakfast,we tell our bodies to start burning calories. Many scientists believe that this mechanism helps maintain a healthy weight. Yet, so many people do not have the time to eat on mornings. Others simply don't eat because they are incorrectly convinced that, by skipping meals, they will consume less calories. A complete myth. Researchers have found that breakfast skippers do in fact consume more calories throughout the day than those of us who eat breakfast.
There are some mornings when I am also crunched for time. So to get around this, I make these hearty muffins. Make them ahead of time, make two or three batches for the week, have one as desert. These muffins are packed with energy, fiber and antioxidants. A good way to begin the day.



Breakfast Muffins
Makes 1 dozen

1 cup bran cereal
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 egg whites
12 oz plain fat free yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup apple sauce or 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup whole oats

1. Set oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 2 muffins tins set aside.
2. Grind cereal in food processor until a fine, flour-like texture.
3. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in ground cereal.
4. Blend together egg whites, yogurt, oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla extract.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients with about 10 to 12 strokes. The batter might not appear to be fully incorporated; that's ok. You do not want to over-mix any muffin batter otherwise the muffins will turn out too chewy.
6. Sprinkle reserved 2 tbsp cake flour over blueberries and walnuts, mix to coat, then fold into batter folding gently two or three times.
7. Divide batter equally between two muffins tins.
7. In a separate bowl, mix together butter, apple sauce and oats.
8. Crumble oat mixture over muffin batter.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack before serving.

Note: If blueberries are unavailable, use raisins or dried cranberries instead.

From Bland to Blueberries

During my freshman year of college, I had an 8 am biology class. Sounds simple, not so. For me, having to wake up at 7 am to catch the 7:30 bus from my campus to the other campus (There were two campuses: one for men and one for women but the classes were on both campuses. Most of the science classes were on the men's campus.) was annoying, especially so during the winter. Not very enticing for a Caribbean girl. The biology class I looked forward to, not the morning commute. Until one day, my friend and I stopped off at the cafe for coffee before walking across the frozen tundra to the science building. "You should try the scones," she said. That was the beginning of a year long "addiction." Addiction and the onset of "the freshman 15," or more accurately, the freshman 20. Buttery,crumbly, sweet blueberry scones. Simple triangles of pure heaven. The fact that I still had to catch the 7:30 bus didn't change neither did the fact that I still had to get to class for 8 am, sometimes in sub zero degree temperatures. What did change, however, was the blandness of that morning routine.

My Blueberry Cappuccino Scones have no butter so, to provide the crumbly texture characteristic of scones, I used whole grain pastry flour which has a little less protein content than all-purpose flour. If you do not have pastry flour available, by all means do use all-purpose flour but expect that the texture will be a little more on the chewy side. Also, whether you use pastry or all-purpose flour, do not over-mix the dough. Over-mixing will cause it to become more elastic.

Blueberries and cappuccino are an unusual combination but I think you will be pleasantly surprised; the cappuccino provides an extra layer of flavor.

You should try these scones.

Blueberry Cappuccino Scones

2 cups whole grain pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup blueberries
1/4 walnuts finely chopped
1/2 cup prepared cappuccino OR 1/4 cup cooled brewed coffee plus 1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp yogurt
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Set oven 400 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, blueberries and walnuts. Mix well.
3. Combine liquid ingredients
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Using a spatula, mix until just combined, DO NOT over-mix. Mixture will be wet and appear sticky. This is good.
5. Flour your fingers well and, on lightly floured surface, work mixture into circular disk about 1 to 1 1/2" thick. Cut into eight triangles as you would a pizza or into rounds using large circular cookie cutter.
6. Gently transfer to a well greased baking sheet, placing equal distances apart.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
8. Melt chocolate chips using a double boiler or in the microwave.
9. Drizzle melted chocolate unto scones. Enjoy warm or cooled.