Chocolate Vino Cotto Pavlova with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil

Chocolate Vino cotto Pavlova with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil 

This is the dessert that defines a season. Nothing beats a sneaky pav in the warm weather, one groaning with fruit and mascarpone cream whipped into submission.

This version is smooth, creamy, tart and sweet all at once – the refreshing meringue crunch and balsamic tingling on the tongue create a gustatory high worth savouring. I remember Maggie Beer adding vino cotto to chocolate pavlova as a way of cutting through the richness and adding a background sweetness. It’s genius. I also adore the similar flavour profiles from Anna Del Conte’s uber traditional balsamic strawberries so this dessert is simply two legends, coming together for a dessert that has big busty flavours stomping all over your tastebuds. I love combining macerated, fresh and dried strawberries – just to up the ante on the party in your mouth.

Obviously I always need to up the chocolate quota (story of my life) so I’ve pressed both milk and dark chocolate chunks into the meringue but feel free to leave this out if you don’t suffer the same affliction.

Ingredients 

Pavlova

6 free range egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups caster sugar

¼ cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder

1 generous tablespoon vino cotto (or balsamic vinegar)

Handful of milk and dark lindt chocolate chunks (about 50g)

Balsamic strawberries

500g strawberries washed and hulled

1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

500g Crème fraiche or mascarpone (to your taste)

250g wild strawberries (with stems if available)

1 handful dried strawberries

Balsamic glaze and basil leaves to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the salt then very gradually add the sugar, ensuring the sugar has dissolved and fully incorporated after the meringue has reached full peak. It should look stiff and shiny and if you rub some of the mixture between your fingers you shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. Sift in the cocoa and gently stir to combine – don’t worry if its not entirely uniform. Mound the meringue mixture onto the baking paper in a rough circle shape then smooth the sides and tops gently with a spatula keeping in mind the peaks and troughs keep it interesting.

Gently push the chocolate chunks into the meringue then place in the oven and cook for 60-70 minutes. Allow to cool.

To prepare the balsamic strawberries halve or quarter any larger strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with the sugar as soon as the meringue goes in the oven and gently toss to coat. About 30 minutes before serving pour the vinegar over the strawberries and toss again.

Plate the meringue and smear the crème fraiche over the top. Scatter over the balsamic strawberries then top with the fresh strawberries and the dried strawberries. Scatter over the basil leaves and drizzle any balsamic glaze if using then serve immediately.

Kitchen Kit Roadtest: Proline Series 5 Speed Cordless Hand Blender

This is not a paid post. Just wanted to clarify that up front. I thought it would be good if I was doing a giveaway with Bistronomy French Food Unbound and a KitchenAid hand blender that I give you a bit more info on what that actually entails.

A 5 speed cordless hand blender with 5 attachments and 2 blending arms so you can puree, chop, shred, froth and whisk your life away. It is charged using a lithium rechargeable battery and the battery life is really good.

Quite a few I've got to say. I am really impressed with the quality and useability of this blender AND the attachments are actually relevant to use. Too many times have I bought a 'kit' only to find the majority of attachments complete crap and a waste of my treasured cupboard space. Finally a product in tune with your needs in the kitchen.

• The parts come in a container. Yes it looks a little bit like a briefcase but its handy. It means you aren't rummaging around your kitchen swearing profusely while you try to find the damn whisk attachment.
• Its cordless. Such a big plus for mobility around the kitchen and it comes with a lithium-ion battery for charging. In other words it actually works and this machine holds power. I cannot tell you how good it is to be able to run around the kitchen without having it attached to a powerpoint. FREEDOM!
• Pan and blade guards. If you want to froth a sauce reducing in the pan you can without fear of scratching your cookware. Genius right? 
• Extended blending arms so you can blend in deep pots or bowls. Genius again.

The unit itself is pretty sleek while the box of attachments is a little bulkier but it is still streamlined and very very nice to use. It feels weighty in your hands but only in the sense of quality rather than any kind of cumbersome piece of equipment and usage is very intuitive - the controls exactly where you'd expect them to be on the unit etc etc.

Some of the parts are dishwasher safe and some are not. I feel like I am fighting the inevitable. Either handwash them all or live in fear of putting the wrong part in the dishwasher #storyofmylife.

I guess cost is also a factor. At $499 it's not something you are going to purchase on a whim but perhaps that's a good thing. Save yourself from the $80 crap and put the money towards something that will last. I have learnt the hard way many times before, you really do get what you pay for. And at least with this you can really see where the money goes. So yes it might pinch but you will be happy about it once you get into the kitchen with it.

So far I've used it for pureeing, smoothies, chopping and making emulsions and sauces. My final test (this weekend) will be using the whisk attachment to see how it battles eggwhites for meringue but so far so good. It is fast, precise and not noisy at all. Unlike other units where some attachments/components work better than others I really can't fault these and my pet hate - those blenders that screech like nails down a blackboard  - is thankfully not a concern. 

WIN Win WIn wiN WIN WIN

We're feeling our feelings and would like to give you something. For kicks. We being myself and the delightful peeps at Kitchen Aid Australia. Would you like a signed copy of Bistronomy: French Food Unbound and a $500 Chef's Proline Hand Blender kit? Thought as much. Get involved right here - leave us a comment and let us know you are interested. Like us on facebook or include @kcoquette in your twitter feed. Enter as much as you like. The winner will be drawn at random. It's that easy. I'll be doing a much more detailed review of the hand blender on the blog in coming days so you can see it in action.

Epic Rhubarb Madeleines

Woohoo. Another Bistronomy installment of the baked delight variety from a wonderful chap from over the pond, Dan Pearson.

Dan was one of the very first chefs to come on board for the book project and he is so delightful its ridiculous. So is his recipe for rhubarb madeleines. This version is so light, with just the right amount of butter to give you an outer crust that indulges and caves into light sponge-like submission.

Proust loved them, and given he is far more articulate than I am in conveying their amazingness I leave you with his words on the power of a madeleine and a cup of tea... and no doubt an insane desire to get your cook on, rhubarb madeleine-style. 

“No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me... “

—Marcel Proust, In Search Of Lost Time

Rhubarb madeleines

• Use metal moulds. The slipmat variety of moulds just never give you the same crisp external texture.

• Buttered and heavily floured moulds add a nice effect during the cooking process, adding flavour and helping to achieve an even golden colour.

• The key is in the buttery aroma and flavour from the beurre noissette. Take your time with this process.

• The way I was taught how to make a 'burnt butter' was to put butter in the pan, pan to flame, then when it starts to turn to a caramel colour take it off the heat.

• Use fridge temperature butter so it doesn't cook so quickly in the pan and risk burning.

• With a small whisk, constantly whisk the milk solids that caramelise on the bottom of the pan into the fat to accentuate the flavour. The aroma is magic and should smell like buttery toasted nuts. Be sure to scrape all of the milk solids into the mix as it's all flavour that shouldn't be lost.

Makes: 25 large or 40 small madeleines

You will need to begin this recipe one day ahead to marinate the rhubarb.

Ingredients

500g (1 lb 2 oz) rhubarb

1 orange, zest and juice

3 heaped tablespoons raw (demerara) sugar

20g (3/4 oz) fresh ginger

300g (10 1/2 oz/1 1/3 cups) caster sugar

300g (10 1/2 oz) egg whites (approximately 10 eggs)

120g (4 1/2 oz) cake flour, sifted

120g (4 1/4 oz/1 1/4 cups) almond meal, sifted

300g (10 1/2 oz) butter

icing sugar, to dust

Method

Put the rhubarb, orange zest and juice, sugar and ginger in a bowl. Cover tightly to seal and leave overnight in the refrigerator to marinate. Remove the rhubarb, discard the marinating liquid, and dice the rhubarb into 2 cm (3/4 inch) cubes and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 220C, grease the madeleine moulds and set aside.

Mix the caster sugar and egg whites in a standmixer until soft peaks form. Add the sifted flour and almond meal a little at a time to prevent the mixture from clumping. Make a beurre noisette by heating a frying pan over medium heat until hot, add the butter and cook, swirling constantly, until it turns a nut-brown colour. Allow to cool before folding the brown butter gently through the madeleine mixture. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and place in the refrigerator until firm (about two hours before use).

Pipe the madeleine mixture into the moulds until they are three-quarters full. Gently place a piece of marinated rhubarb in the centre of each madeleine and bake in the oven for 10–12 minutes or until they are golden brown and spring back lightly to the touch. Turn out, dust with icing sugar and eat.

Chef Dan Pearson’s tips for epic Madeleines

• Use metal moulds. The slipmat variety of moulds just never give you the same crisp external texture.

• Buttered and heavily floured moulds add a nice effect during the cooking process, adding flavour and helping to achieve an even golden colour.

• The key is in the buttery aroma and flavour from the beurre noissette. Take your time with this process.

• The way I was taught how to make a 'burnt butter' was to put butter in the pan, pan to flame, then when it starts to turn to a caramel colour take it off the heat.

• Use fridge temperature butter so it doesn't cook so quickly in the pan and risk burning.

• With a small whisk, constantly whisk the milk solids that caramelise on the bottom of the pan into the fat to accentuate the flavour. The aroma is magic and should smell like buttery toasted nuts. Be sure to scrape all of the milk solids into the mix as it's all flavour that shouldn't be lost.

The book is here.

Agghh it is here. Ever since I received the Julia Child scholarship two years ago I have been working on a book. A book on bistronomy. A French (well loosely french) food philosophy that combines the technique, rigour and creative wonder of Michelin with a more casual cafe environment. With more than 100 recipes from chefs spanning the globe the book also delves into the type of chef, terroir, wine and the philosophies behind it. It has been a fascinating, hugely entertaining, stressful and awe inducing process. I signed the contract for the book in the throes of terrible morning sickness - anyone on Sydney's lower north shore who witnessed a woman vomiting in the street bin just outside Allen & Unwin/Murdoch Books - I apologise. Deeply. 

While writing the book I renovated a house and at 39 weeks pregnant had no bathroom to speak of and no desk to write. But somehow I submitted on time. I'm still not quire sure how. Challenge seems to be the subtext of the book though and I managed several photoshoots with chefs, ingredients being confiscated at airports and all sorts of fun things with a 14 week baby along for the ride.

Perhaps not my finest hour (s) but I live to tell the tale and guess what, I think its a pretty fine book. I hope you do to and I'd love to know what you think. Here are a few sneak peaks and I will be putting more up soon with some great behind the scenes to give you an idea of what was involved and how we went about shooting so many different chefs and styles. The photos below are from a recent Broadsheet review of the book. There will be recipes and giveaways and all sorts of book pimping kind of posts to follow. But only good ones I promise. xo