Pavlova of Guilt

My younger daughter, Mei Mei, was locked out of the house for a couple of hours yesterday, When I finally got back and let her in- certainly after lunchtime, she was quite hungry. She has a charming affection for nursery foods, so I planned to make pasta shells with feta and quartered cherry tomatoes, and she seemed quite happy.

Nothing says "I'm Sorry" like a fancy little cake though. I opened the fridge and there they were- three egg whites left over from the previous day's bechamel sauce, and still lots of the gorgeous strawberries from Monday, getting sweet and jammy but not at all spoiled. I took a large metal bowl and wiped it out with some vinegar- egg whites like a little acidity to get all billowy, and the vinegar also ensures there is not a speck of fat in the bowl (they hate fat.). After it gets foamy, I start adding sugar in spoonfuls, beating away all the while- 3/4 C in total- 1/4 (ie 55ml) per white.

The water hasn't even come to a boil yet and I'm already almost done. Then I think a little cocoa meringue would be nice with the strawberries, so I sift just 2 large spoonfuls of cocoa over the meringue and fold it in. I'm sparing because, fond of chocolate as I am, I've gone overboard in the past. Using lots of cocoa in a meringue can make it taste heavy- not rich, just heavy. Don't worry about the discreet color-  the outside will remain the most delicate shade of milk chocolate throughout baking, but the interior will be a rich deep color, making a nice contrast when you crunch into it.

The water has just come to a boil so I pour in the pasta. Then I set a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and mound the meringue in the middle, playing with the spoon a little to end up with a messy, exuberant Baroque shape, slightly indented in the center, with a little coca sifted over the edges:

I put it in a slow oven (120 C/ 250 F) and forget about it for a while- in the meantime quartering our tomatoes and crumbling the cheese, mixing the pasta with these and some olive oil and some of the nice white pasta water for a little silkiness. I don't know which was easier- the pasta or the meringue- but I can tell you we were having our hot and cheerful lunch in front of a re-run of the Big Bang Theory (as our meringue crisped in the oven) within 15 minutes.

Lunch.

After lunch and the dishes and a little hanging around on the sofas, the meringue seems to have dried out enough. How to tell? Well, it will keep hardening up a bit as it cools, and we don't mind a soft middle, as long as it is hard enough on the underside to peel the paper off. So- if the surface is quite dry all over- not even a bit sticky- we should be fine. Turn off the oven and leave it in as the oven cools, just to be on the safe side.

All that was left to do was hull and wash the strawberries- arranging the fullest ones on the top and crushing the rest with just a bit of sugar to help them juice out a little, and then pouring those over as well. Then a box of heavy cream, whipped fairly stiff (soft peaks for whipped cream are thought to be more refined I know, but I like a nice stiff peak- more drama, more unctuous mouth-feel). This I mounded carelessly on the top, and, as i always have chocolate bars on hand, I opened one up and stroked a vegetable peeler down the sides two or three times. All this takes way less time than it does to make a green salad.

For maximum "Oh Mama what did you make for dessert?!" impact, and minimum time (to say nothing of its modest cost), there may be of no finer dessert:

A cake stand makes it almost too glamorous for a Wednesday.

This will be a mess in the morning, but even more delicious.

Pavlova of Guilt:

3 egg whites

dash vinegar

      beat until fluffy, then slowly add:

3/4 C (160 ml) white sugar

       beating all the while. At the end, fold in: 

2 T cocoa powder

        and mound it on to a baking sheet, sifting over a little more cocoa to decorate, if you like. Bake at 120C/240 F until the surface is completely dry to the touch.

Then:

        Whatever fruit you have, like strawberries, whole and crushed, with a little sugar, over the top.

And:

      200 ml/ 1 C heavy cream, whipped stiff and sweetened just a little. 

Let it sit a half hour or so before breaking into it, if you can.