Wider Horizons

In celebration of Lethbridge College’s 60th anniversary, Wider Horizons asked the chefs to find recipes that link the Culinary program’s past and future, as well as ones that are easy to make and delicious to eat.

In this issue, Chef Heng (Commercial Cooking 1993, Professional Cooking 1994) has taken the pavlova – a dessert that has been part of the Culinary and Chef Apprentice curriculum from the start – and updated it with chocolate and balsamic vinegar in a recipe first introduced by Nigella Lawson. The crisp and chewy chocolate meringue, dotted with chocolate bits, is light and airy, and made all the more succulent when topped with some whipping cream and fresh fruit. It is an easy, gluten-free recipe that can be made year round, using whatever fruit is in season.

This meringue-based dessert is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and is believed to have been created in her honour either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. It is frequently served during celebratory and holiday meals – and so is the perfect way to kick off the college’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

To sample some of the delicious creations from student chefs at Lethbridge College, book a table in the Garden Court Dining Room, by calling 403.320.3230.

Ingredients

For the chocolate meringue base
6 ............................ large egg whites
300 grams ............................ sugar
3 tablespoons ............................ cocoa powder (sieved)
1 teaspoon ............................ balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
50 grams ............................ dark chocolate (finely chopped)

For the topping
500 millilitres ............................ whipping cream
500 grams ............................ raspberries or other berries or fresh fruit
3 tablespoons ............................ dark chocolate (coarsely grated)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
  2. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
  3. Sprinkle the cocoa and vinegar into the egg whites, and then the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.
  4. Mound on to a baking sheet eight to 10 small, fat circles, smoothing the sides and top.
  5. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C/ 300ºF and cook for about 35 minutes. The meringues should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the soft, marshmallow-like centre beneath your fingers.
  6. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringues cool completely.
  7. When you’re ready to serve, place the discs on dessert plates or a serving tray.
  8. Whisk the cream until it is thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue. Then scatter over the raspberries.
  9. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls, and sprinkle it gently over the top, letting some fall on the plate’s rim.
  10. Serves eight to
  11. Bon appetite!
Wider Horizons
Lethbridge College
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