Tag: stone fruit

Chocolate Vanilla Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake … of ice creams & beautiful desserts

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;
It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
Seneca
cats+final
The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.
This was a challenge I wasn’t going to do because it had way too many steps for me as my kitchen was going to be under ‘attack’ beginning the month of July. Then again, fate had some other plans for me, and procrastination was out. The night before, i.e. on the 30th of June, I put some peach ice cream in to set because I had bought a load of juicy peaches. When I read the challenge the next morning, I was torn between doing it because I had ice cream ready, and not doing it because there was so much more to the challenge.
Tossing coins – should I, shouldn’t I? Then the daring baker in me won and I got tempted into trying the Swiss rolls even though I knew I was pushing my luck. I thought I would serve a decontructed dessert and took a stab at attempting the challenge. One thing that initially deterred me was the amount of cream in the recipes, but I knew I would find a lighter way out, and I did, pairing low fat cream with stone fruit. I have used cherries, peaches and plums in just about every dessert I could, including the chocolate pavs in the last months challenge. I’m lovin’ it!
I absolutely adore doing Swiss rolls. I find them ever so easy to make … Mango Ice-Cream Swiss Roll, Strawberry Chocolate Swiss Roll, Star Anise Swiss Roll, Red Velvet Swiss Cake are just a few… you can tell I love them! They bake in the express lane, and are the most charming things when you slice them up! I followed Sunita’s recipe and it was great. Once filled with a low fat cream and stone fruit filling, cutting back on many calories, I loved the rustic look they had. BLISS … I love being a Daring Baker! Being one just makes me want to push my limits, inspiring me to achieve beyond the odds. The pairing of the vanilla and chocolate rolls with the low fat and stone fruit filling was outstanding!
The peach ice cream was a big batch! I knew it would be good enough for the whole filling, with still some left over. Insanely enough, I hypnotized myself into making a small batch of chocolate ice cream too just because I needed egg whites to try making macarons! The recipe is one I made on the go, based on the method for a custard or pastry cream, and that seemingly was the most luxurious part of the dessert. The kids love the deep, dark chocolate flavours it offered, right in the heart of the cake!
The whole process was a challenge given that we were in the peak pf summer in North India at 40C + temperatures, but it all came together well and was a joy to make. It was tad bit involved though, and we enjoyed each part more individually as compared to altogether! A lot of flavour and a lot of colour … and a lot of work! Yet, the experience was wonderful and gave me many ideas for similar desserts, maybe not frozen!
Do stop by here and check out the BOMBES that the other Daring Bakers have rolled out!

Thank you Sunita for this exciting challenge. It was very engaging and a bombe to make! I was over the moon when I demolded the cake and it came out so easily! Thank you as always Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice for hosting this fab kitchen!!

Chocolate & Vanilla Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake with Stone Fruit
Recipe source– Inspired by the Swiss swirl ice cream cake from the Taste of Home website
Peach Low Fat Ice Cream
{My recipe. This makes double the amount you need for the ice-cream cake}
1 kg peaches, peeled, stoned and pureed
1/2 – 3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1/2 cup hung yogurt
400ml low fat cream
1 tbsp vodka {optional}
1 tsp almond extract

Method:

Whisk all the ingredients together with an immersion blender or in a food processor until well mixed. {Check and adjust the sweetness}
Freeze the mixture in a wide dish or plastic container. {The larger the surface area, quicker the freezing – since we have to pulse this mixture a couple of times}…or follow the instructions of your ice cream maker.
Keep checking on the mixture every 30 minutes or so and use the stick blender to break the icicles, 4, maybe 5 times. (I used a sturdy whisk).
Chocolate Ice Cream
{My recipe}
100ml low fat cream
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean scraped
4 tbsp cocoa powder
50gms dark chocolate, broken
Put the cream, 1/2 cup milk, sugar, cocoa and scraped vanilla bean on simmer. Heat till small bubbles begin to rise on the sides.
Pour this over the yolks in a bowl, off the heat, whisking continuously.
Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan, whisk in the remaining milk, and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Take off heat, strain into a heatproof bowl, add the dark chocolate and mix till it melts.

Cool over an ice bath, and then freeze

Swiss Roll 1
Ingredients
3 medium sized eggs
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
3 tbsp plain flour + 2.5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
1 tbsp of boiling water
a little oil for brushing the pans
Swiss Roll 2
3 medium sized eggs
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
5 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp boiling water
a little oil for brushing the pans
Method

Preheat the oven at 200C. Brush the baking pans {11 inches by 9 inches} with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.
Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water. Spread the batter out evenly into the prepared pan, guiding it gently into the corners of the pans.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
Meanwhile, spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
Repeat the same method for the 2nd Swiss roll.

Filling
200ml low fat cream, chilled
3-4tbsps granulated sugar powdered with 1/2 a vanilla bean
5 medium peaches, peeled and chopped fine
1/2 cup sweet cherries, pitted and chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 lime
Method:

Whisk the chilled cream and vanilla sugar with a balloon whisk. Fold in the chopped fruit quickly and gently, so the cream doesn’t lose volume.
Divide it into 2, and use as filling between the completely cooled cakes
Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges {a border of ½ an inch should be fine}.
Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down. {I froze them for easy slicing as it was extremely hot here, about 42C}

Assembly
Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices, approximately 2 cms each.
Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.

Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm {at least 30 minutes}.
Soften 1/3 of the peach ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm {at least 1 hour}.
Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the peach ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze till firm, at least an hour.
Soften another 1/3 of the peach ice cream and cover the chocolate ice cream, making this the last layer. {Some peach ice cream will be left over}. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze till firm, for at least 4-5 hours till completely set.

To Serve

Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.
Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

{Baking} Stone Fruit Almond Crumble … baking in the midst of rubble, and LOVING it!!

“Mind like a sieve these days and the attention span of a flea!!”  
Jeanne Horak @ Cooksister

I love the quote above. Words from Jeanne @ CookSister in emails being exchanged a couple of days ago, much of it nonsensical light banter. It coined the way I felt, and I was absolutely taken in by the rhythm of the words! My foodie world has been thrown into disarray and I often feel at odds. It’s a world of rubble, heat and dust, the odd shower thrown in, which adds to humidity. There is SO MUCH on the mind, and the additional want to ‘blog & tweet‘ doesn’t help…

The kitchen is under the hammer, literally, being broken down with hammers and chisels for a much needed face lift. It’s like a scene out of a war zone and fine dust settles like a shroud  everywhere, eerily concealing everything underneath. It was a revelation to hear from Ken that a lot of old places in New York still have concrete kitchens like ours! Made me feel better instantly, though getting any work done in India is a whole new ball game. The workers each have a mind of their own, are mostly uneducated but technically superior at what they do, AND enjoy endless chai breaks!
In the midst of the rubble and ‘war like’ home zone, stone fruits still tempt me into buying them when I go intending to pick up basic food supplies to tide over these busy days. Just before work began, a week ago, I had bought a box of cherries and some dark red plums optimistically thinking of making this rice pudding I saw at Tartlette! Unrealistic me; must have been dreaming …
Didn’t get much further than roasting the fruit, and then ran out of time and quickly bundled it off into the fridge. There was a kitchen to be emptied, fridges to be moved etc, and I knew that once cooked, the fruit would keep safe for a bit, and importantly, not torment me. They kept beautifully, and when I saw the Double Cherry Almond Crumble on TasteSpotting, I knew instantly that was where my fruit would go. My love for stone fruit in desserts had found a plan …
It’s a delicious take on the crumble. I loved the topping which incorporated almonds and added loads to the flavour. I couldn’t locate my almond essence in the mess, but am sure it would have added to the ooomph! The crumble was fabulous and a real treat for the family, given that the boy looks longingly at the incomplete work, ruing the fact that dessert days have gone! He was thrilled to see the little ramekins coming their way! I served them with a teeny dollop of unsweetened cream. Nothing like a stone fruit laden crumble…NOTHING!!

Stone Fruit Almond Crumble
Adapted minimally from Good Food, Good Wine, and a Bad Girl
Makes 8 individual servings, or 1 large
Filling:
2 cups pitted sweet cherries
4-5 dark red plums {stoned and chopped}
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
4-5 peaches, stoned and chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
Crumble:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1 tbsp milk

Method:
For the filling:

Prepare the cherries and plums:
Adapted from Tartlette
Preheat the oven to 200C.
With the tip of a knife, slice the half vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a small dish or ramekin. Add the sugar and mix with your fingertips until the vanilla bean seeds are well distributed.
Place the cherries and plums in a baking dish and sprinkle the vanilla sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until juicy. Let cool.

For the Crumble:
Preheat oven to 180C.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cherries plum compote, peaches, lime juice, sugar and cornstarch. Stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine flour,almonds and sugar and whiz in brief spells until the almonds are ground. Add the butter and process briefly until loose and crumbly. Add milk and stir until the dough just comes together
Pour the fruit mixture into individual ramekins {or an 8×8 baking dish}. Pinch off small pieces of dough, and place on fruit mixture to more-or-less cover the fruit.
Bake the crumble in preheated oven for 20-25minutes {40-45 minutes for 1 large serving}, or until filling is bubbly and topping is crisp and golden.

To quote the ‘Bad Girl‘ on the her recipe… Depending on your mood, the crumble can be served warm or at room temperature. If you’re in a particularly indulgent mood, serve warm crumble a-la-mode with a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream. It was wonderful with a dollop of unsweetened low fat cream too!
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

Mango Vanilla Bavarian Cream Cake … and a FOOT for MacTweets!

“Through flour, sugar, butter and eggs, you’ve created the best recipe ever – friendship!“
Janet @ LaDue & Crew

Yes, still summer here, with the rains that came and went, leaving us in a puddle of hot and humid misery. Not the perfect weather for macs, but then again, it was the finding my feet time of the month. Needless to say, they proved elusive again. The theme Jamie and I picked at MacTweets was ‘SING, SING A SONG‘, asking you to cook up something special, something toe-tapping, sing-along good! Sing I did, and the numbers being belted out in my mind were wide ranging. Primary of course the theme song from Friends, “I’ll Be There For You” which I was going to dedicate my macs to… had they found feet.

It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But … I’ll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you (like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you (because you’re there for me too)

To Bina who mailed me egg white powder from the States, to Ednah {Janet} who posted the cutest friends card for me, Johnny Depp and all, {a joke we share on twitter at the laundry club}, to Jamie who is the spirit behind my macs, to Ken who inspired the yellow, to Mardi my partner in humid conditions failed macs, to Barbara who’s become a mac-pro …

… and to all the gang at MacTweets for the inspired ‘feet‘ month after month! Thanks for joining Jamie and me at the ‘attack‘!

Songs have always been part of my life. The medley that the juke box plays in my head these days includes Waka Waka, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Wind Beneath My Wings, Walk of Life, Hey Soul Sister, The Day I Died, Fast Cars, Hey There Delilah. Then Jamie mentioned Cat Stevens and Leonard Cohen; she had me nodding. Add to that Dire Straits, Eagles, Van Morrison, Beegees, Barbara Streisand, Eric Clapton … the list is endless, like failed feet sagas! So well, in my little world, I had many ugly feetless macarons, and one kind of respectable ‘foot’, but they were all delicious. So here, like Cinderellas glass slipper, is my vanilla macaron with a white chocolate ganache cushioned on this Mango Vanilla Bavarian Cream Cake that I made for my Dad’s birthday. The idea was to have a whole bunch of them adorning the cake. Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be …
My Dad is as fruit obsessed as I am, though the choice of fruit differs. Summer means only mangoes for him, and though he doesn’t enjoy eating them, he is obsessed with buying kilos of them every other day. I know if the phone rings in the morning, it’s him on the other end, asking me to drive by and collect a bag of mangoes! I am mad about peaches and cherries, and it now appears that I inherited the fruit obsession from him!
So he called the other day, excitedly to tell me that a new local variety of mango, ‘langda’, that hit the market, and he had bought me some! I don’t even bother buying them now because he has a keen eye for the well ripened good varieties, and always delivers the best! Since it was his birthday in 2 days, and me being the official cake baker at home, I knew just what I wanted to bake! – A Bavarian Cream Cake with mangoes, inspired by this Raspberry Rose Vanilla Bavarian Cream Cake I had seen ages ago on Tartlette.
Baking the sponge is a cake walk {unlike making macs, sigh}, because there’s very little to the recipe. Use your favourite light sponge recipe, or use this one which I used for making ladies fingers in this Tiramisu here. I was going to make the cake in a jelly roll pan, and then decided to pipe it out since the piping bag for a macaron attempt was lying right there. The secret to a good sponge is to beat it well, and then try and retain as much beaten air as possible while folding in the flour. The measures for a 3egg sponge are in my head as I use the same recipe for making a Swiss roll often … 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour!
The Bavarian cream is a little time consuming, but I think that’s because I don’t make it often enough. I’ve just made it twice in the past – in this Peaches and Cream Cake  and this Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake. One vanilla bean would do fine in there to dispel off any eggy smells in the pastry cream, but I used 2 because I wanted a deeper vanilla flavour. Also, I have enough vanilla beans on hand,and love using them! I used low fat cream because we don’t get heavy cream here.I halved Helen’s recipe for the Bavarian cream, and used a combination of skimmed milk and low fat cream. You can make this cake with peaches, strawberries or raspberries too. Mango is in season now, so here we are… 

Mango Vanilla Bavarian Cream Cake
Adapted from Tartlette

2 sponge bases
1 quantity Bavarian cream
1 quantity lime syrup
3 medium mangoes, diced into cubes

 For the sponge

3 large eggs separated 
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 sachet vanilla sugar 

Method:
Whip the yolks with 1/4 cup sugar till pale and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again.
Sift the flour over the beaten yolks and leave.
wash the beaters clean, whip the whites with the salt to soft peaks, add sugar and whip to a stiff meringue.
Fold the whites into the yolks and flour in 3 goes. Do this gently so as not to lose volume. Divide it into half and bake in 2 parchment paper lined 8″ shallow baking tins, or pipe into 2 9″ circles drawn on parchment paper. The bases will be very thin. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar
Bake for 12-15 minutes till golden brown and spongy.
Peel off paper, and cool completely on racks.

For the Vanilla Bavarian Cream
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 vanilla beans {One bean will do too. I wanted a DEEP vanilla flavour}
1 1/4 tablespoons powdered gelatin, sprinkled over 3 tbsps water {Can reduce to 1 tbsp in cool weather}
600ml low fat cream {25% fat}

Method:
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale.
In the meantime, in a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk, 200ml cream and the vanilla bean {split open and scraped over the milk} to a boil. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium low heat and cook until the cream coats the back of a spoon {as if making creme anglaise}. 
Remove the vanilla bean. Add the softened gelatin and stir until melted completely into the cream. Let cool to room temperature, or cool over an ice bath, stirring from time to time, till it just begins to set.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it into the cooled cream base. Use immediately.
Lime Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1 lime
Method:
Put all ingredients in pan over medium heat and stir till melted. Remove and cool.
To Assemble:
Trim both the sponges to an 8″ diameter {The idea is basically to fit snugly into the dessert ring, or Spring-form tin ring that you plan to use. It has to hold the Bavarian cream in place till it sets, else it will ooze out.}
Place the dessert ring on a serving platter, add one sponge base and brush with lime syrup. Top with the cooled Bavarian cream. Add the diced mango pieces uniformly over the Bavarian, and top with the second layer of sponge, keeping the vanilla sugar side facing up. Press down gently, cover the ring with cling-wrap, and chill for 6-8 hours, or better overnight.
 ♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

Would you like to win 500 customised business cards? You can leave a comment here before the 17th of July 2010 …

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

{Frozen Dessert/No Bake} FRESH CHERRY FRO YO

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it’s on your plate – that’s my philosophy”
Thornton Wilder
 
He said this is what helped him survive his recent illness. He said that if it were not for this delightful fro yo, he couldn’t have pulled through the last few days of work under the hot sun, on a melting tarmac in temperatures hovering in the mid 40C’s! Yes indeed, Mr PAB gave it a huge thumbs up. However, he left me flummoxed at the thought that someone feeling so ill could even ask for fro yo, and then enjoy it! He could and he did!! The rest of us did too, but we were in the pink of good health! This cheerful frozen dessert is a great way to beat summer …
My love for fruit in desserts, the recent bounty of stone fruit holds me mesmerized, often compelling me to try different recipes, conjuring them up in my mind. There is not much that can go wrong with frozen desserts. If you get the balance of fruit and sugar right, IMHO, the rest pretty much falls into place. This fro yo happened because some home made yogurt I set, well almost 2 kilos of it, were rejected by the lad who didn’t like the taste. I think I left it a tad longer than I should have, so it wasn’t sweet as he likes it. Known not to waste anything, I lost no time in setting it off to drain it in the fridge overnight, it’s fate to be decided the next day. The bowl found it’s place next to a small crate of cherries in the fridge; it’s fate was sealed! Both were jostling for space in my shelf for perishables and were destined to be partners!
I set about pitting and simmering the cherries, thinking I might make some more brandied cherries but the mind had the draining yogurt in the back of it. Had a few thoughts, which turned into actions pretty soon, and before I knew it we had cherry fro yo being packed off to set in the freezer! Like I said, cherries and yogurt were destined to be together … in the freezer too! The result, after many whisks by the faithful greased elbow, was a delicious frozen yogurt, nudged gently into slight luxury with the addition of some low fat cream.
You might have seen these little cups in my recent post on Props for food photography. I picked up an assortment of these on our recent trip to Gangtok. North Indian hill stations are known for their bone china and ceramic pottery, a large part of which comes across the border from China. Popular items include single serving tea mugs, sauce and soup bowls, and most shops offer the same fare,. I could spend all day in these beautiful shops stacked to the roof with trivia, but the family would revolt! {Hill station is a term used for a town usually at somewhat higher elevations. The term was used in colonial Asia (particularly India, but also in Africa albeit rarely), where towns have been founded by European colonial rulers up where temperatures are cooler, as refuges from the summer heat.}

FRESH CHERRY FROZEN YOGURT
1 1/4 cups hung yogurt {from 1.5ltrs of home set yogurt; drained overnight}
600gms fresh cherries {pitted}
1/2 cup sugar {adjust to taste}
400ml low fat cream {I used 25% Amul cream}
3-4 tbsp cherry brandy liqueur/ kirsch {optional}
1/2 cup powdered sugar {adjust if required}
1 tbsp vodka {optional}
Method:
Pit the cherries and simmer them with the granulated sugar for 5-7 minutes till just soft. Drain the cherries, add the liqueur, and leave them to cool. Reduce the liquid till like a thick syrup. Cool. Reserve a few whole cherries if you wish to add some to the fro yo for texture. Run the remaining cherries and syrup till smooth. {This can be done a day in advance and chilled in the fridge for a day or two.
Roughly chop the whole reserved cherries.
Whip the hung yogurt, cream, powdered sugar, blended cherries & vodka {if using} till mixed uniformly. Fold in the chopped cherries, and transfer the blend to freezer container if you don’t have an ice cream maker. Whisk well every hour, five to six times over, to break down and distribute the crystals. Leave to set for 6-8 hours, better overnight.
Serve with fresh cherries if desired!

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

{Baking} COCOA BERRY DESSERT BROWNIES … with Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa and Berry Mix

There’s more to life than chocolate, but not right now.
Anonymous
THUD! It was that all too familiar noise of the postie chucking a parcel over the gate again. While I braced myself for probable disaster & broken bits of parcel, the son raced out yelling, “Mama, must be something for your blog!” Excitement writ on his face, the expectation of a new foodie flavour or recipe lighting up his life, he does enjoy the little joys of my blogging. A foodie through and through, he was spot on! Came in waving a brown floppy parcel, his eyes searching my face for a ‘go ahead’ to get to the contents! The nod from Mama followed, and soon he was waving a delicious package of Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa and Berries from Linwoods UK.
Linswood UK are a health food company based in the UK and manufacture an astonishing range of products – fresh, dairy and packaged. My first experience with their products was after the Food Blogger Connect ’09 in London where we got a goodie bag full of exciting stuff thanks to Bethany of Dirty Kitchen Secrets. Linwoods was one of the sponsors and they had included a bag of milled flour which I experimented with  in an Apple Crisp,  Milled Nut Flour Macarons and in this French Fougasse.

A friend coming from the UK got me another bag recently, and I continue to use it to enhance nutrition in desserts and breads I bake. Of this cocoa berry product, the company says, “Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa and Berries blend boasts incredible antioxidants qualities, particularly when compared to other fruit and vegetables. An adult would need to eat a total of 1 cabbage, 3 full broccoli, 6 carrots, 3 apples, 1 grapefruit and 10 tomatoes to get the same amount of antioxidants contained in just two spoonfuls of this new super food!” 

The cocoa berry mix called my name and I dreamt of several ways to use it …. but Mr PAB who was recovering from an illness decided to have a relapse, and left me with little time to experiment!  Linswood asked us to create recipes using the product, and here is my contribution. The idea took off as snack brownies, but the creation in the end was more like dessert nirvana. 

Decadent  and delicious! I have to say I was surprised at the amount of flavour the Linwoods mix offered them! Made brownies using their cocoa product, enhanced with a little melted dark chocolate. Also substituted 25gms butter with 25gms EVOO, and added some brandied burgundy cherries to the mix. This is my entry for the Linwoods Cocoa Delight Recipe Development Competition.

My one and only jar of brandied burgundy cherries was disappearing fast, and I felt compelled to use them again before they were gone. I recently topped these divine Chocolate Pavlovas we did for the Daring Bakers with these preserved cherries. Adding some to the brownie batter, I thought the brownies might turn out nice, but I didn’t expect them to turn out this nice. The cocoa berry mix and dark chocolate added great depth in colour and flavour, and the brandied bing cherries took them straight  from snack to ‘dessert’ level! Moist, dark and deep, the verdict was out the minute I sliced them! YUM!!

Served them up with some unsweetened whipped cream topped with some more preserved cherries of course! Thank you Linwoods for this wonderful product. Loved experimenting with it, and hope to try it on some more sweet stuff in the near future. Thank you  gorgeous Bethany for introducing me to the world of Linwoods!

Cocoa Berry Dessert Brownies
Own recipe
75gms unsalted butter, soft
25gms Extra Virgin Olive Oil {EVOO}
2/3 cups vanilla sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
50gms dark chocolate, melted and mixed with 1 tsp EVOO
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa and Berry mix from Linwoods
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brandied burgundy cherries, drained, halved

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line a 8″ round Victoria sandwich tin, or 7 X 11″ baking tin.
Place the flour, milled flaxseed, cocoa and berry mix, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and mix uniformly with balloon whisk.
Beat the butter, EVOO and vanilla sugar till smooth, 1 minute on high.
Add the vanilla extract and eggs, and beat for another minute. Pour in the melted dark chocolate in a stream, beating to incorporate constantly.
Fold in the mixed dry ingredients and the drained, chopped preserved cherries.{I reserved a few cherries for the top}
Turn into prepared tin, and bake for 20-25 minutes / until a tester comes out clean. Cool on rack completely, chill for a few hours / overnight, else they might be too fragile to cut. Turn out gently, slice and serve.
Serve with unsweetend whipped cream, and some brandied cherries.
Note: The brownies stay well in the fridge, and can be served chilled. They remain moist because of the preserved cherries.
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

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Posted by Deeba @ PAB

Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse & Preserved Stone Fruit

“To follow without halt, one aim; there is the secret of success. And success? What is it? I do not find it in the applause of the theater. It lies rather in the satisfaction of accomplishment.”
Anna Pavlova

 

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.
It’s the Daring Bakers time of the month again, and I’ve just got it together in the nick of time. The challenge Dawn chose is primarily based on a recipe from Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard – Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. Chocolate Epiphany a book on my wish-list, and the name of the recipe so delicious, I was thrilled to see the challenge. What’s not to love about a chocolate pavlova!!
   

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Ánna Pávlova. Colloquially referred to as “pav“, it is a cake similar to meringue with a crispy crust and soft, light inner. The dessert is believed to have been created to honour the dancer during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.

It’s become some sort of a norm for me to usually get the DB challenge done early. I used to procrastinate for long before, but the last few challenges have had me up and going in the first week or so. Not this time though. It’s been a busy month, and I just didn’t get down to it. We were away into the Himalayas in the first week of June, then came the boys birthday, and then the hub came down with the nasty tummy virus. A potent combination of baking and blogging just not happening, but all the time I had chocolate pavlovas on my mind. Whether it was in Gangtok climbing the hills to get to the monastery, or baking a  Swiss Black Forest Cake for the son wondering if I could pass off a pavlova as a birthday cake, or the 3 days I spent in the hospital with Mr PAB who was not looking too good, strangely enough, all along I had Chocolate Pavlova fixation!

 

I’ve made Tropical Fruit Pavlova earlier from INDULGE – 100 Perfect Desserts by Claire Clark for a Blogger Aid fund raiser. That had been my first attempt and at the time I had wondered why it took me so long to get there. Many desserts later, I was thrilled to see this months choice for the challenge, chocolate pavlovas, something I’ve wanted to try forever! I didn’t get as far as the creme anglaise and mascarpone cream because of the lack of time. Also because it’s been far too hot in North India, and anything with a cream base just tends to run in seconds. I managed to stabilise my mousse with some gelatin, and that too barely. At 44C, nothing stays!!

 

 

In an attempt to keep it as light and refreshing as possible, I topped the stabilised mousse with a combination of preserved stone fruit. As time goes by, I seem to add more and more ‘passions‘ to my list. I am completely taken in by food photography, and also mad about preserving stone fruit, thanks to some jars I found in the market. Jars of the sort are not part of normal kitchen stuff available in India, so you could hear me whooping down the aisle! The past month has seem me in a frenzy pitting cherries and stoning peaches and apricots! I made a jar of brandied burgundy cherries from notes in The Cake Bible, and then went on to preserve a jar of regular cherries and peaches to make the most of the summer bounty! I was thrilled to be able to use them here, as Mr PAB couldn’t stop having a go at them!
All in all, a delectable summer combination. Chocolate and cherries offered the classic combination, and mascarpone chocolate mousse just made it better. For the record, I need to add that mascarpone doesn’t freeze well, at least not my homemade mascarpone. I made some a while ago and decided to freeze it before we left for Gangtok as I thought I would use it for the pavlovas. Ack. .. was strange and granular on defrosting when I returned, so I made a fresh batch from my post here. Nothing as simple and good as home made fresh mascarpone! Also, just for the record, a power cut doesn’t affect the baking of a meringue base. I know because the minute I popped the meringues into the oven… POP… off went the electricity for an hour!

 

 

I did have a bit of a time with the weather very hot at 44C, and so couldn’t get my mousse to behave. Once I managed to stabilise the mousse, the rest was FUN FUN FUN!! Thank you Dawn for something so ‘doable‘, and something so utterly divine! We loved it to the last crumb!! Thank you as always Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice for hosting this fab kitchen!!

Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse, Brandied Cherries and Peaches
Recipe Source: Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard

Chocolate Meringue {for the chocolate Pavlova}
3 large egg whites
½ cup plus 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar {I powdered 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tsp cornflour}

1/3 cup cocoa powder
Method:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 95º C. Line one baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
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}.
Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white.
Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into 6 rounds or whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon. {I made 6, but 8 would have been a good serving size too}

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

 
Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse
 
300gms mascarpone cheese {homemade recipe here}
200gms dark chocolate
1/4 cup low fat cream
1 tsp gelatin powder
2tbsp milk
Method:
 
Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk in a small bowl, and  place the bowl in a larger bowl of warm water till translucent.
Run the dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 1-2 minutes until soft. Add the cream, and run for another 20 seconds. Mix till well blended and let sit at room temperature until cool.
Whisk the mascarpone until smooth.{DO NOT OVER-BEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK}. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture gently.
Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Add the gelatin quickly, but gently, and mix uniformly. Chill till holds form.
Spoon or pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas. Top with brandied burgundy cherries, peaches and cherries in syrup, and chocolate flakes.
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
Do stop by HERE and take a look at the marvelous pavlovas the rest of the talented daring Bakers have whipped up this month.
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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
As I sign off, just a reminder for a giveaway I am hosting courtesy of CSN Stores. On offer is a one-time-use $80 gift certificate for one lucky winner to use as they wish on any of the CSN websites. Do leave a comment HERE if you wish to take part.
 
Posted by Deeba @ PAB
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