Mascarpone Chocolate Meringue Cake

I have been playing with egg whites lately.  Oxheart Resturant is a horribly bad influence.  I am trying to make something similar to their carrot cake but have gone all over the place because of it.  But I have more ideas!  I knew it was meringue based so I decided to try a meringue cake.   I came across this one at Sweetapolita and decided to give it a try.

I made half the recipe, cut the sugar back in both the cake and the mascarpone filling.  I do not really like chocolate ganache so I used my chocolate syrup and I changed the mascarpone fililng recipe.  It was very different then what I would expect from a cake (a good thing since cake and I have texture issues).  It was different enough that I did not know if everyone else would like it but you know what?  It disappeared and I was told I could make it again.

Mascarpone Chocolate Meringue Cake

Note:  Here is a different way to make a similar cake by the Balkan Lunchbox.

6 egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1 pinch salt

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup of the best cocoa you can buy

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add sugar, slowly, and continue beating until it reaches glossy, stiff peaks. Using a small offset palette knife, spread an even layer (apprx 1.5″ thick) of meringue in a six inch circle on the baking sheets.

Bake for approximately 2.5 hours or until dry and crisp, rotating pans every 20 minutes, and then leave in turned-off oven for another 60 minutes.

Remove from oven and leave on tray in cool, dry area, until you are ready to use. 

While the meringue circles are baking, cream the mascarpone and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar together in a bowl.  Cover and set aside.

In a pan, bring the water and sugar to a boil.  Let boil for one minute.  Turn off the heat and whisk in the cocoa.  Let cool.

To assemble, on a large plate, put one meringue.  Spread half the mascarpone mixture on top.  Drizzle with the chocolate syrup.  Place another meringue disc on top.  Spread the rest of the mascarpone mixture on top and drizzle with chocolate syrup.  Place the last disc on top and drizzle with more chocolate syrup.  How much chocolate you use is up to you.

Slice and serve.  It is crispiest the first day it is made and then it starts to get a marshmallow texture which is kind of interesting. 

This was just the first one.  More to come.

the loved ones like this even better!

When we go camping, we never seem to have any internet reception and I have been putting my recipes on this blog.  No hardcopy!  Which means that a lot of times I am baking and cooking off the top of my head.  Also, I do not always have all the ingredients I normally use.  Yes, my camping kitchen is well stocked but it is just not my everyday kitchen.

And after a day outside, a lot of times we like something sweet after dinner.  Or before dinner.  Or for breakfast.  Or before breakfast.  Or at 3.00 am.....

I put together a chocolate cake this last time that I was told by both parties that were with me is even better then what I thought was the go to recipe.  I guess that is what you get from baking off the top of your head.

This cake actually lasted a little bit longer then the last one but that was due to sleep and we having one less adult mouth to feed.  

Another Chocolate Cake

9 tablespoons cocoa

7 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs, separated

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup sorghum

1/4 cup arrowroot

1/2 cup millet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter an 8 inch round pan.

In a bowl, place the 3 eggs whites.  Beat until frothy.  Add the granulated sugar.  Beat until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.

In a pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Take off the heat and mix in the cocoa, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Mix in the egg yolks.  Mix in the flours.

Take about a third of the egg whites, and mix into the cocoa mixture.  Once mixed, fold in the rest of the egg whites.  

Pour into the prepared pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a knive comes out clean and the cake has come away from the sides of the pan.

Enjoy.  You may wish to step back if anybody in the house hold knows the cake is out of the oven....

another way to cook polenta

It has been a long week here.  A lot of coughing and feeling like uck going on with everyone.  Then I finished skating today with my ankle hurting.  It just hurts sometimes after I cracked it about a year and half back.  But then I would never overdo, really (cough, cough, cough).

I love the slow cooker method for making polenta.  But there are times where I do not plan well enough, the slow cooker is being used, or I just need more then it can hold.  Or there feels like there is an elephant sitting on my chest who is green with purple spots or purple with green spots (depending on the day - and his name is Sylvester) and I just want something comforting.  I find this method works wonders.

Mix up the polenta with the liquid of your choice in an ovenproof pan that can also be used on the stove.  For every one measure of polenta, you want four measures of liquid.  Add a bit of salt and butter.  Bring it to a boil.  Cover and put it in a 350 degree oven for at least 1 hour.  You can even leave it in longer.  If you want to leave it in for a couple of hours, turn the heat down to 250 degrees Fahrentheit.

Then use the rest of the space for other bits of dinner and you have polenta.  At 350 degrees, I can bake a couple loaves of bread, roast some meat, maybe even roast some vegetables, and bake a crisp.  Yes, this is really my life and it is pretty wonderful....

gluten free caramelitas

I was thinking about trying a carrot cake tonight but the Tall Short Person wanted us to try caramelitas.  She and her friend Miss A had made them.  The Tall Short Person said she could eat the whole pan.  My Dad had sent homemade caramels for Valentine's Day so I figured why not.  I can make carrot cake another day.

Gluten Free Caramelitas

32 unwrapped caramels

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup millet flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup arrowroot flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1 cup gluten free quick oats

4 to 6 ounces chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 8 inch by 8 inch pan.  It should be at least two inches deep.

In a heavy saucepan, put the caramels and cream.  Over a low heat, stir until the caramels are melted into the cream.

Mix the melted butter, brown sugar, flours, and oats together.  You will have a crumble mixture.  Press half of the mixture into the bottom of your baking dish.  Bake for ten minutes.  The edges should be lightly brown.

Pull out of the oven.  Spread the chocolate chips over it.

Pour the caramel over the chocolate chips.

Sprinkle the rest of the crumble mixture over the caramel.  Bake for another 15 to 25 minutes.  You want the caramelitas to be golden.

The one piece of advice that I can give you is wait until the caramel is cool enough not to burn your mouth before you eat this!  

It is incredibly decadent and sweet and a small bit goes a long way.  As it cooled it held together more like a bar but we never let it get to room temperature so I do not know well the gluten free version will hold together as a bar.  I know it serves very well in a bowl and a spoon, eaten like apple crisp.

We will see what happens tomorrow.  Maybe I will get my cake.  Though I really will not need it until next week when the caramelitas are all gone.  That is if there are any left when I get home from work!

lamb shawarma

A few weeks ago, my Beloved came downtown to have lunch with me.  We tried the new middle eastern resturant Phoenicia.  The location on the west side of town has always been lovely and the downtown location is quite nice too.  But it is not eating at home.  I have to admit that it is hard for me to eat out most of the time now and even makes me a bit uncomfortable.  While we were eating, I mentioned that I could try to make the shawarma at home and my Beloved's eyes glowed.  So I tried.  

I used lamb chops and the shawarma turned out quite well.  It would have been more like what we had out if I cut it up into small chunks but I was lazy and did not.  It is really quite easy but you do have to plan about twelve or more hours in advance due to the marinating.

Lamb Shawarma

3 pound lamb chops (shoulder preferred)

2 cups plain yogurt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

lemon from 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 onion, thinly sliced

The day before you wish to have the shawarma, mix the yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, lemon, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oregano in a gallon ziploc bag.  Add the chops and squish the marinade all around.  Put in the refrigerator for at least twelve hours.

When you are ready to cook the lamb, put the two tablespoons of olive oil in a very large skillet.  Heat over medium high heat.  Add the onion and let become golden and carmalize.  Add the lamb chops and marinade.  Bring to a boil, cover, and let cook until the lamb separates easily from the bone.

Serve with rice and sauce (recipe coming) and enjoy.  Smaller chunks will get more marinade but this was quite lovely.  

This will be made again.