Posts tagged ‘strawberries’

November 27, 2011

Pavlova, a first

I had never heard of pavlova until I started dating an Australian. Since then it has popped up in conversations, magazines and websites all around me. The colorful and tropical toppings, the mounds of whipped cream, the crunchy outside with the fluffy marshmallow center. And for all that chat and daydreaming, I’ve only actually eaten it once. And made it myself? Never.

We’ve thought about it. And there was a failed attempt during a New York winter a few years ago headed by Mr. F, but that one went awry pretty early on.

I found the Great Australian Pavlova Blog Hop and decided to join right away. Making the national dessert of Australia/New Zealand (I’m not taking sides here, you guys can battle it out) for a virtual bake-off of sorts, gave me the perfect incentive to approach this dessert of legend.

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October 27, 2011

springtime strawberry fool

Following the success of the 3 ingredient chocolate mousse I decided to try another minimalistic dessert from my new old favorite, Elizabeth David. With her trusty guidance I found something that fit the bill in An Omelette and a Glass of Wine: a berry fool.
David raves about the gooseberry variety but strawberries are in season, cheap and a natural friend of cream, so my decision was easily made. Blueberries, raspberries and apricots would all be welcome substitutions. So versatile!

Some recipes call for simmering or steaming your berries with sugar but I just mashed the fresh strawberries before folding into my fresh whipped cream. And besides a adding a dash of sugar here and there, that’s all you need to do.

Strawberry Fool (serves 2)
Note: my ingredients were very approximate for this one, it’s a very go-with-your-gut kind of dessert.
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, more to serve
- 3/4 cup heavy/thickened cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 teaspoons caster sugar (1 for the strawberries, 2 for the cream)

1. Mash fresh strawberries with the back of a fork and sprinkle with sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Fold in mashed strawberries, being careful not to over-mix. Refrigerate for an hour or until desired.
4. Serve with grated dark chocolate and fresh strawberries, if you want to get fancy.

 

Woot! 4 ingredients, 4 steps and another special and simple treat to fill my favorite little ramekins with.

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