Sunday, September 4, 2011

Recipe: chocolate raspberry pavlova

Since I've  promised to put my favourite recipes out there, here's one of my favourite desserts. Really, i believe Nigella Lawson could make anything taste good, so the fact that this is one of the best cakes ever, is no surprise. But be cautious though; eggwhites are really tricky. Make sure you do NOT overbeat the eggwhites (that will remove the air in the eggs and the cake will fail rising), but beat the eggs well enough so it is stiff and you can turn the bowl upside down, without everything dropping on the floor! Good luck, and really, this pavlova is incredible!


INGREDIENTS

  • Gluten Free
  • Nigella Recipe
FOR THE CHOCOLATE MERINGUE BASE:
  • 6 egg whites
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sieved
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
  • 50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
FOR THE TOPPING:
  • 500ml double cream
  • 500g raspberries
  • 2-3 tablespoons coarsely grated dark chocolate


METHOD

Serves: 8-10.
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
  2. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C/gas mark 2 and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.
  3. When you're ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate's rim.

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