Food
Come to the party
Enjoy!, the new book by “destitute gourmet” Sophie Gray, is just out this month. Here’s a preview of some of her easy and delicious desserts.
Individual pavlovas make great party food. This recipe yields a lot of meringues that can be made days ahead and stored in an airtight container. The secret to meringue is drying it out rather than actually cooking it, so use a low temperature and allow a long resting time in the residual heat once the oven has been turned off.
PETIT PAVLOVAS
4 egg whites; tiny pinch of salt; 250g caster sugar; 2 tsp cornflour; 1 tsp white vinegar; 1⁄2 tsp vanilla essence; 300ml cream; topping: 3 kiwifruit or other fruit, such as halved strawberries
Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Splash some water on 2 baking trays, then cover with non-stick baking paper – the water will stop the paper sliding around. In a large bowl, place the egg whites and salt and beat until the whites form soft peaks – the mixture should hold its shape without being stiff.
Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, mixing well after each addition. When all the sugar has been added, fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle or into a plastic bag with one corner snipped off, and pipe the meringue into smallish mounds approximately 7cm diameter. Use a bread and butter knife to scoop a hollow into the middle of each one and place the trays in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 140˚C and bake the pavlovas for 30 minutes – they should have the palest tint of beige. If they are browning too much, reduce the temperature to 130˚C. When cooked, turn the oven off but leave the trays in the oven for 2 hours or overnight to completely dry out.
To serve, whip the cream to soft peaks and place a small spoonful of cream into the centre of each pavlova. Top with kiwifruit or strawberry, some passionfruit pulp or berry purée. Serve immediately. Makes 25+ small meringues.
Moulded desserts look flash and are easy to make. The tang of the yoghurt counteracts the sweetness of the meringues so the overall effect is light, creamy and delicious.
MERRY BERRY BOMBES
300ml cream, whipped to soft peaks; 300ml natural unsweetened yoghurt; 12 average-sized meringues or 8 meringue nests, crushed; 2-3 cups fresh or frozen berries or a combination; 1-2 tsp caster sugar (optional)
In a large bowl, combine the cream, yoghurt and meringues and fold together. Roughly chop 1 cup of the berries and swirl into the mixture, then spoon into 1⁄2-3⁄4-cup capacity cups or moulds and freeze. Place the remainder of the berries in a small saucepan and cook gently until soft and juicy. Add some sugar if it is too tart and set aside. Remove the bombes from the freezer 5 minutes before serving time. Dunk each cup into hot water then turn out onto a plate. Spoon the berries over the top and serve. Serves 8.
One quantity of this mixture makes a big, deep 20cm diameter cake, 11⁄2 times the mixture and you can make a two-tier cake. By doubling the recipe (make two separate batches) you have the right amount to make a three-tier cake.
LAZY DAISY CAKE
350g butter; 350g sugar; 500g (33⁄4 cups) flour; 4 tsp baking powder; 4 eggs, lightly beaten ; 2 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Frosting
200g butter; 3 cups icing sugar; zest and juice of 2 or more lemons; 1 additional cup icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 175˚C. Grease and line the base and sides of the tin or tins with non-stick baking paper. To make the cake, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Add the eggs a little at a time to the creamed butter and sugar. Follow each addition with a scoop of flour, mixing well after each addition until all the eggs and flour are mixed in. Stir in the lemon juice and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin or tins. Scoop a small hollow into the top of the mixture and place in the oven. A 20cm cake will take approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes to cook – smaller cakes will cook more quickly. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean when the cake is cooked. Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes before tipping onto a rack.
To make the frosting, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and begin adding juice to taste. Sift in a big spoonful of icing sugar after each addition of juice to keep the texture of the frosting light and fluffy. Continue until the desired lemony flavour is achieved.
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