meringue, upgraded

i think this little dish is the best thing you can find on the earth, really. (there are, of course, things like figs, pavlova with strawberries and mango, white chocolate matcha mousse or kogel mogel) the meringue is crunchy but soft, crispy but melting on your tongue, and dulce de leche is the epitome of sweet perfection. even the store-bought one, a good brand. dry and sticky, sweet and sweeter, it all comes down to some distant sugar madness. white and dark caramel. two elements that complement each other perfectly, and yet the perfection is achieved only when the fruit is added. i had over-ripe raspberries and it did the trick. peaches would do too, and of course strawberries, and any other berries. but it is raspberry time now, and it makes perfect sense. adds colour and third texture, moist and soft and adds a tangy remote sourness to the taste. trinity. it all makes sense, as if the three ingredients were made, were destined to become one. so easy to make that i could easily eat those little jewels every breakfast and every supper, and yet so elegant that prepared neatly, they would proudly shine on an elegant dinner. 

just – please, try.

the meringue recipe: here

middle week dinner

white pizza  
pizza dough
500 g flour (i used all-purpose that i had at hand, bread flour would be perfect)
350 ml lukewarm water
5 g dried yeast
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

in a bowl mix flour and salt
in a small bowl mix water, yest, sugar and olive oil, wait a few moments until the yeast dissolves and pour into the flour mixture
rub with your hands until the dough comes together, transfer to lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes – the dough should be shiny and springy
leave to proof – usually take 1 to 1,5 hrs, until it more or less doubles in size
knock the dough and let rise for another 30 min to 1 hrs
knock again and roll – this amount makes 8 mini pizzas or 2 big ones, with thin crust
for best effect let the rolled pizza dough rest for some more time, about 30 min

topping
caramelized onion
grated cheese: i used brie, bursztyn (polish cheese, similar to mild cheddar) and goat’s feta

cover the pizzas with toppings and bake in 250C (or as high as your oven allows) for 5-7 min, until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted


light lettuce & raspberry salad

romaine lettuce
raspberries
parmesan / pecorino (grated)
balsamic vinegar
pomegranate dressing (or molasses)
salt, pepper

mix all ingredients in quantities to your liking and need, serve immediately

brownie with sour cherries

brownie with sour cherries recipe

500 g sour cherries
200 g butter (i used margarine)
200 g chocolate (i used 52% cocoa solids)
200 g sugar
4 eggs
180 g flour + more for cherry coating
1 tsp baking power
salt

pit the cherries and set aside on a colander to get rid of the excessive juice
melt the butter in a pan with chocolate and sugar, cool down to room temperature
add eggs, one at time, mix until the batter looks even
add flour with baking sugar and pinch of salt, quickly combine with spatula
line a 22cm pan with parchment, pour the batter
put cherries in a bowl and sprinkle the cherries with 2-3 tbsp flour and delicately toss the bowl to cover the cherries evenly (it prevents the cake from getting too wet and the fruit does not fall to the bottom)
gently put the cherries on top of the batter and push into it a bit
bake for about 45min in 180C – the sides should be baked, with toothpick coming out clean, but the middle should still be moist and uncooked
serve immediately or cooled, with some ice cream or whipped cream

coconut macaroons

macaroons are one of the best things to make in hurry and without too much mess (especially if you skip the chocolate decoration!) it takes 3 minutes to make the batter, with simplest ingredients that are usually waiting in some secret cupboard at home. i often make them when some guests announce themselves half an hour before arriving and there is not enough time for anything else, save tart made with ready-made puff pastry. but that is harder to find, at least in my small town, than a bag of coconut flakes. and much, much cheaper.

some more sophisticated ingredients could be added to the basic recipe, surely, chopped nuts (almonds, pine nuts, pistachios) or candied citrus peel should do the trick, as well as adding some fresh fruit, especially berries, colouring the batter to lovely shades and adding fantastic flavours to the cookies. you could add vanilla bean or cinnamon or cocoa, or a blend of oriental spices to add an unusual twist – but i like to keep things simple.

and of course – it is yet another great idea to use all the spare egg whites.

the macaroons can be stored in an air tight container up to two weeks, but the sooner they are consumed the better!

coconut macarons recipe
200 g coconut flakes
100 g sugar
2 egg whites
salt
chocolate, for decoration

mix all the ingredients together for a few moments with a spatula, until all coconut flakes are incorporated and covered with egg white
spoon portions onto baking tray lined with parchment
bake for 20 min at 170C
when cooled, drizzle with melted chocolate

meringue

meringue is one of my favourite foods, in every possible version. small star-shaped meringues by themselves, flavoured with lemon peel. triangular meringue discs layered with cocoa buttercream. pavlova, meringue nests with fruit, eton mess, meringue layer cake. tarts covered with meringue. raw unbaked meringue with fruit. it was also one of the first things i made all by myself, when i was a kid, after sponge cake and shortcake cookies and apple cake. 

i had problems with finding a no-fail method and recipe since i had a tough time with meringue collapsing, ‘bleeding’ caramel, too chewy, too soft, breaking while cooling down etc. this particular recipe though was successful for me every time i used it. the meringue dries pretty quickly and is dry and crunchy, just the way i like it. it can be stored in air-tight container for a few weeks. the longest i tried was almost half a year (stored in a tin and forgotten) and they were still as excellent as just baked. 

i made this mini babies with two meringue pieces and coconut jam in between – one of the best combinations by far. only meringue with dulce de leche wins with this beautiful dessert. 

meringue

200 g egg whites
200 g caster sugar
200 g powdered sugar

whip the egg whites, slowly, starting on low speed and gradually increasing the speed – it is important to start slow, aerating the egg whites slowly, so that the texture is more stable and lees likely to collapse during baking / cooling down
when the egg whites are foamy, start slowly adding caster sugar and beat for about 5 minutes so that the sugar is completely dissolved, very firm and glossy
at the end whisk in the powdered sugar with rubber spatula until it’s well mixed
pipe the meringue in desired shapes onto parchment paper
dry at 120C for at least 2 hrs (for small meringues, 3 hrs for bigger ones)
leave to cool down in the oven

birthday cake & swiss meringue buttercream

i made this cake for my grandfather's 90th birthday party: three layers with 2 fillings: vanilla buttercream&raspberry and dulce de leche, decorated with buttercream and fresh raspberries.

and a simple order bday cake, vanilla buttercream and peaches

sponge cake & soaking syrup recipes

swiss meringue buttercream recipe 

5 egg whites
250 g sugar
splash of vanilla essence (or rose water, orange blossom water or simply 1 tbsp water for no added flavour)
300 g soft butter, room temperature!

in a bowl mix egg whites, vanilla and sugar
place the bowl over a pan with boiling water (bain marie) and beat the eggs until stiff with mixer, starting with low speed and gradually changing it to high speed (it should take about 5 minutes, the eggs will look watery and runny, but they will stiffen and thicken with time)
the meringue is done when thick and glossy, little warm to touch if you stick finger
put the bowl into cold water to prevent the eggs from getting hot from hot metal/glass and cool down, mixing for a few moments every few minutes for the best texture
beat the butter until it is pale, fluffy and soft
add meringue in 4-5 portions, mix until well incorporated each time


flavouring ideas:
substitute some sugar for vanilla sugar
vanilla beans, cinnamon, ginger, anise, cardamom, cocoa, instant coffee, (maybe custard powder? i never tried that one)
100 g melted and cooled to warm chocolate (milk, white, dark…)
100 g pureed fruit
25 ml any liquor (i like maraschino)


notes:

i do always dd some liquid to egg whites (like the water if i don’t want any other flavours): it makes it take a little bit more time to beat the runny eggs into nice meringue, but the meringue itself has much better consistency (less airy but stiffer and keeps nicer structure when mixed into the butter) and it is more difficult to overcook the egg whites.

do not store the buttercream in fridge before using it as the consistency will not be good for piping and spreading evenly (you can keep it for a few minutes only if it melts from the heat of your hands as you are squeezing piping bag)

fixing if it is not smooth (looks somehow ‘crumbly’, uneven): put the bowl with buttercream for a few moments into warm (not hot!) water and mix on high speed, it should start to come together and when it does, take the bowl out of the water and continue beating until the consistency feels right

berry cheesecake

berry cheesecake recipe

(makes 24cm/10”cake)

shortcake bottom
200 g flour
100 cold butter
1 tsbp powdered sugar
1 egg yolk

add cubed butter to flour mixed with sugar and rub with your fingers until crumbly
add egg yolk and when the dough comes together quickly form a ball
refrigerate for at least 1 hour (for more brittle texture)
pre-bake for 10 min in 180C

cheesecake
900 g quark cheese
220 g sugar
5 eggs
4 tsbp flour
juice of half lemon
400 g berries (bilberries)

blend the berries until quote smooth
mix cheese with sugar, then add eggs one at time (for the best airiness)
add flour and lemon, and at the end berries and mix
line the sides of the pan with cling film or aluminum foil
pour over the pre-baked base
bake for 50min-1h in 180C, with two small ramekins filled with water in the oven to prevent from getting too dry
cool completely before serving, best chill overnight

optional: icing
200 ml double cream /crème fraîche
70 g powdered sugar (more or less, to taste)
splash of vanilla essence

pour the icing 10 minutes before the end of baking and proceed the same way as above

summer cola drink

i rarely drink any fizzy drinks/sodas, but if i do, it is in summer. while at parties or family meetings everyone prefers some cold cocktail, i opt for non-alcoholic mixes, as i never drink alcohol. this is one of my favourite drinks, herby and tangy, sweet but not too much. if you use cola zero/light, it also has literally no calories, unlike most cocktails that include syrups. 

summer non-alcoholic drink

coca cola with no gas (i prefer coke zero)
a handful of mint leaves
a handful of lemon balm leaves
0,5 l spring water
lemon or lime

to make infusion: boil the water with herbs for a few minutes, cool down (without taking the leaves out, the flavour will be stronger)
mix coke with infusion in 3:1 ratio, add slice of lemon, serve cold

raspberry crumb bars

although i passes my last exam over a week ago, i haven't been feeling very holiday-like. summer-like maybe, with the hot and humid weather and thunderstorms every few days, but the feeling of freedom and calm rest is yet to come, and while i try to occupy myself with watching old nice movies and reading stories and volunteering, i end up just a bit too often laying on my new bed that takes half of my room, listening to old songs that vaguely remind me of some good, undefined things. 

so, music for today: paco de lucia - rio ancho

i was ordered by my family to make something raspberry, and preferably a cake, and crumb bars was the best thing i could think of. i make crumble a lot is summer, with all kind of fruit (but watermelon) and it gets eaten in a very short time. this time, something different though: we are having guests for a dinner and crumble would be too messy, i think, and individual crumble in ramekins would produce portions too big as there are other desserts planned. 

i was surprised at how lemon taste is pronounced in the crumble cake, but it was a nice surprise, giving the dessert a tangy fresh feeling. it is neither too sweet nor too sour - that would depend solely on raspberries. i would not add more sugar to the cake, but raspberries not very ripe would probably make the overall taste a bit less tempting.

lemony raspberry crumb bars recipe

3 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
220 g butter
2 tbsp milk / soymilk / buttermilk (optional)

3 cups raspberries
3 tbsp cornstarch/potato starch
3 tbsp sugar

combine all cake ingredients and mix with your hands (or stand mixer, but i never to that) just until crumbly (the 2 tbsp of liquid make the cake a bit softer and less crunchy)
prepare a pan – this makes one 20x30 cm cake – line with parchment paper or grease
put 2/3 of the cake into the pan and push with your hands until it is not loose anymore
mix all the filling ingredients and toss over the bottom of the cake, then spread the rest of crumbs evenly on the top
bake in 180C for about 40-45 minutes
cool before eating, otherwise it will get messy

low calorie summer treat

this is the lowest in calorie dessert that i have ever eaten, provided that you use favoutite sweetener. and for me, a meringue lover, it is more than perfect, and as simple as possible. 

a summer treat

(makes 2)
1 egg white (or 1 bantam egg white for 1 person)
2 heaping tsp sugar or sweetener, to taste
handful of berries (i prefer raspberries)

beat the egg white to soft peaks, then add the sugar or sweetener and beat until stiff
put alternating layers of meringue and fruit in a cup/glass and enjoy

important note!!
if you are using sugar, the meringue will be glossy and stiff and it should stay that way for some time without much change. if you are using sweetener though (unless it is one that is supposed to be exactly like sugar, but i have never used those, so i cannot give any advice) you want to eat the dessert straight after preparing, because after some time (10-15 minutes) it starts to be runny and foamy and loses the texture. if you eat it quickly, there should be no problems, although it will be less stiff and kind of ‘breaking’ in structure, so do not get discouraged, it is perfectly good to eat : )