Chocolate Pavlova

Ingredients:
6 Large Egg Whites
1 cup of Sugar
1 tsp of White Wine Vinegar or balsamic vinegar
¼ cup of Cacao Powder, sifted
1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp of Salt

For the cream:
1 1/2 cups of Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp of Powdered Sugar

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Using a 8” pie plate as a guide, draw a 8” circle on a piece of parchment paper with a pencil, turn it over (so that the pavlova is not touching the pencil) on a baking sheet and set aside.

2) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (make sure your bowl and attachment are extremely clean with no grease residue anywhere otherwise the egg whites wont whip) beat the egg whites and salt until they start becoming stiff peaks but don’t look dried out.

3) With the beater running, gradually add in the sugar, one tbsp at a time, beat until it becomes thick and glossy but not over beating otherwise they will deflate.

4) Using a spatula, fold in the vanilla, cocoa powder and vinegar, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.

5) Spoon this mixture in the center of the circle you’ve drawn on the parchment, and using either a spoon or off set spatula, spread this mixture evenly around the 8” circle, making sure you have a slight edge so this means the center will be a tiny bit of an indent.

6) Bake the pavlova for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the door slightly, and allow the pavlova t cool in the oven completely!

7) In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream until it forms soft peeks, add the sugar and continue to whisk until it forms stiff peeks. Set in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

8) When ready to serve, cover the pavlova with the whipped cream, scatter your strawberries over the top and finish it off with some chocolate shavings.

American Pancake

Ingredients:
150g flour
10g baking powder
250ml milk
1 egg
50g sugar
15g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Mix flour, baking powder, milk, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk.
2. Whisk egg white to soft peak.
3. Fold into flour mixture
4. Add in melted butter.
5. Preheat non-stick pan.
6. Cook large scoop of batter until golden brown.
7. Drizzle icing sugar, maple syrup and berries.

Strawberry Meringues

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs (whites only)
• 100 g Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 100 g White Chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup Thickened Cream
• 500 g Strawberries
• 2 tsp Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 130°C or 110°C fan. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Using electric beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating well between each addition. Beat in the cornflour, vinegar and fold in gently. Beat in the vanilla.
2. Spoon the mixture onto the trays and spread out to make four 8cm rounds. Use the back of a spoon to make an indent in each meringue. Bake for 1 hour, swapping trays from top to bottom shelf halfway through cooking. Turn off the oven and prop the door open slightly. Leave in oven to cool completely.
3. Combine the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and stand over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate is just soft. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Refrigerate for about 45 mins, until it is cold and has the consistency of thickened cream. Beat with electric beaters until like whipped cream.
4. Chop the strawberries and set half aside. Place the rest into a food processor with the icing sugar, and process until smooth. Spoon the cream mixture into the meringues, and top with chopped strawberries. Drizzle the sauce over.

Yam Cake

Ingredients:

350g yam
250g rice flour
20g corn flour
900g water
dried shrimp
shallots
garlic
sesame oil
chix stock
spring onions
red chillies
sesame seeds
salt & pepper
five spice powder (optional)

Method:

1. Heat a pan over medium high heat, and fry the shallots and dried shrimps until they become aromatic. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the cubed yam to the pan, and fry it with the shallot and dried shrimp mixture until it browns.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the rice flour, corn flour and water, and stir until it forms a smooth paste. Take care to ensure there are no lumps in the mixture.
4. Add the flour mixture into the pan slowly, and stir until everything forms a thick paste.
5. Add the salt, pepper and five spice powder, and mix well.
6. Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl/plate and steam over high heat for 45 minutes, or until cooked.
7. To serve, sprinkle with deep fried shallots, chopped spring onions, sliced chillies and chopped dried shrimp.
*Some chilli sauce and sweet sauce on the side is highly recommended.