Strawberry and Nutella Meringues

Clouds of flavour ... that's how I'd describe these. 

And I'd have to admit that I am usually not a big fan of meringues,  but these have just enough crunch, just enough chewiness, and just enough tartness to make them quite delicious.   

They are good, really good. 

Pair them with ice-cream and fresh berries, and you'll have an easy yet impressive dessert. 

When I made the first batch, I only had 2 fresh eggs in the house. This was just before Christmas, where you avoid going to the shops at all costs. 

So I made up for the absent egg by reconstituting meringue powder with warm water. I've made meringues with just meringue powder before, and while very convenient - I wasn't convinced about the taste.  This combination though, definitely works. 

I repeated that with the second batch, using 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon re-hydrated Actiwhite (our local meringue powder brand). The original recipe called for 3 egg whites - which I'd say go ahead and use, if you don't have meringue powder. 

Strawberry and Nutella Meringues

Preheat the oven to 135'C
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper
Prepare a piping bag with a large plain round tip

Ingredients 
3 egg whites (or 2 egg whites + 1 tbs meringue powder dissolved in 30ml warm water)
150g caster sugar
30ml icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/3 cup Nutella
1/3 cup Strawberry preserve

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, on high speed, using the whisk attachment.
When the egg white starts to form soft peaks, slowly  add the sugar and icing sugar while continuing to beat.
Beat in the vanilla and vinegar.
Beat until meringue is glossy and stiff.

Prepare a piping bag with a large plain round tip. In the inside of the piping bag, paint stripes of Nutella and strawberry jam/ preserve. If the Nutella is too firm, soften it by heating gently.

Place the meringue into the piping bag, and pipe swirls onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake at 135'C for 30minutes, then turn off the heat and leave the meringues in the oven with the door closed for an hour.

Half the second batch I made was put into a container with the meringues nestled between parchment paper, and buried in the depths of my fridge.  A month later they're still good. Freezing them is also and option. Just make sure that the meringues don't come into contact with humidity, and they'll have a long shelf life. 

Happy baking!

xxM

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

I may or may not still be catching up with posting the festive season recipes...
Ok, full disclosure - I am still catching up. But whoa - slow down 2020!
 I thought that taking a sabbatical from classes would give me a little more time this year, but so far all gaps have just been filled up with other demands (admittedly, I have given myself a bumper list of things to tackle in the next 12 months!)

This cheesecake was made for a pre-Chritmas Christmas dinner with friends.
I use my standard cheesecake recipe and just change it up a bit for the different flavour versions.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Prepare a springform pan with non-stick spray and parchment.

Ingredients:
Base
180g chocolate cookies
60g melted butter

Break the cookies into small pieces, then use a food processor to blitz until finely crumbed.
Mix with the melted butter, and press the mixture firmly into the base of the pan. 
Chill in the freezer for 30minutes. 

Filling
Preheat the oven to 160'C

2x 250g tubs cream cheese at room temp.
120g caster sugar
250ml sour cream 
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
100g salted caramel *


Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.
Beat in the cream and vanilla extract.
Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well in between additions.
Mix in the salted caramel. 
Pour onto the chilled base. 

*I used the salted caramel from this recipe. I often have a jar in my fridge - it keeps really well, and is handy for these recipes, or simply to use between cake layers, on ice-cream , cupcakes, etc. 

Bake in a water bath at 160'C for 60-70 minutes, or until just the centre of the cheesecake jiggles when gently shaken.
 Leave to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
Once cooled, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight

Ganache:

240g dark chocolate - chopped into small even sized pieces.

120ml fresh cream (35-40% fat content)

Melt the chocolate and cream together in a double boiler. 
Once most of the chocolate is melted, stir until smooth. 
Leave to set until it has an easy spreading consistency. 

When the cheesecake has chilled, spread the chocolate ganache on the top and smooth. 
Place back into the fridge for 30 min before serving. 


Before serving, decorate the top of the cheesecake with chunks of caramel and shavings of Lindt dark chocolate with salted caramel  .

As a little addendum....

I also made a Nutella swirl cheesecake for Christmas. In brief:
Use the above recipe, omit the salted caramel.
After pouring the batter into the base,
warm 1/3 of a cup of Nutella so that it is softer. Use a piping bag with the tip cut off to pipe concentric circles of Nutella into the batter. Drag the Nutella inwards using a cocktail stick.
And bake!

So I know that these instructions are wholly inadequate.  But I'll add a video of the technique as soon as I have an opportunity to bake this again.

Happy baking!

xxM