Indoor S’mores

I contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. This sophisticated treat incorporates a smoky Lapsang Souchong tea to simulate a bonfire and a mellow-spiced Thai Iced Tea blend to add warm notes of vanilla, cardamom, and anise for a novel twist on a classic.

 Although likely an oral tradition passed along at campfires for quite sometime, the first published version of the “some mores” recipe can be found in a 1927 handbook: Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. By now everyone knows the formula: crunchy cookie + melty chocolate + gooey marshmallow, charred with a bit of smoke. There’s plenty of variations on that theme... The candy bar at Liddabit Sweets got me thinking about a sophisticated indoor version using Arbor Teas. Here, the cookie base is a toasted pecan shortbread laced with black tea, vanilla bean, cardamom, and anise, all care of Arbor Tea’s organic Thai Iced Tea blend. To invoke the requisite bonfire, a soft chocolate ganache layer is infused with their organic, smoked Lapsang Souchong. All is topped with a homemade marshmallow, singed by the flame of a culinary torch.

Indoor S’mores

Thai Tea Pecan Biscuit

makes ~28 cookies

2½ cups flour

1 rounded teaspoon Arbor Tea’s Organic Thai Iced Tea leaves

½ teaspoon coarse salt

4 ounces toasted pecans

½ pound (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

¾ cup sugar

1. Pulse flour, Organic Thai Iced Tea leaves, salt and pecans in food processor until finely ground.
2. In a stand mixer bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together, about 1 minute. Cover bowl and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350℉. Wipe muffin pans with softened butter. Press 1½ tablespoons of dough into each cup, packing firmly with the bottom of a juice glass.
4. Bake until edges are brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on a wire rack before topping with smoked tea chocolate ganache (recipe below).
   
   

Smoked Tea Ganache

22 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

2½ tablespoons golden syrup (or light corn syrup in a pinch)

1 teaspoon Arbor Tea’s Organic Lapsang Souchong Black Tea leaves

¾ teaspoon salt

1. Place chocolate and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the Organic Lapsang Souchong Black Tea leaves, heavy cream, and golden syrup in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a strong simmer, cover pan, and turn off heat. Allow tea to steep for 20 minutes.
3. Strain cream to remove tea leaves and return it to the saucepan. Bring to a boil.
4. Immediately pour over chocolate and let rest for 5 minutes before stirring. Stir gently for about 2-3 minutes until ganache comes together.

Putting it all together:

Working quickly, pour one heaping tablespoon of warm ganache on top of each cooled biscuit while still in muffin cups. Shake the pan from side to side and tap lightly on counter to level the ganache, and then press a marshmallow (see recipe below to make your own) into the center of each. Allow ganache to set until firm, about 1½ hours. Loosen s’mores from pans with a small offset spatula. Torch the tops of marshmallows with a small culinary torch or under a broiler before serving.

DIY Marshmallows

4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin

1¼ cups cold water, divided

¾ cup golden syrup (or light corn syrup in a pinch)

2¾ cups sugar

3 egg whites at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

powdered sugar for rolling

1. 
In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over ¾ cup cold water and let dissolve at least 5 minutes. Add remaining ½ cup water, golden syrup, and sugar to a 4-quart saucepan. Stir until combined, then bring to a boil without stirring, until the mixture reaches “firm-to-hard-ball” stage, or 250° F on a candy thermometer.
 This should take about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Once the syrup reaches the necessary temperature, pour it down the side of the bowl into the whites while the mixer is moving at low speed.
3. Next, add the softened gelatin and turn up the speed of the mixer to high, continuing to whip until stiff, thick and almost tripled in volume.
 Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Quickly spread the marshmallow cream across a large sheet pan lined with a piece of buttered parchment paper. The marshmallow should fully set in about 30 minutes.
5. Cut out desired shapes and roll the marshmallows in powdered sugar to prevent sticking.

Holy Basil Shortbread: an offering of love

I contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. This unusual shortbread cookie, which incorporates their new Tulsi tea, has a unique effect in kindling friendships since you'll want to share it with the people around you.

Holy basil (or Tulsi, which is sanskrit for “the incomparable one”) is an aromatic herb that, depending on the variety, grows either with green (Sri or Lakshmi tulasi) or purplish leaves (Krishna tulasi). This perennial shrub is traditionally cultivated for religious uses and as a medicinal in Ayurvedic practices. Tulsi is integral to the worship of the Hindu god Vishnu and his avatars Krishna, Rama, Hanuman, Balarama, and Garuda. This sacred plant is considered by some to be an incarnation of Lakshmi, Vishnu’s wife. Thus, a ceremonial offering of the leaves at the feet of Vishnu embodies an offering of love to the deity. A tea made from steeping the herb is also traditionally given to the dying to raise their departing souls to heaven.

In ayurvedic traditions, holy basil is considered a rasayana, which translates from sanskrit to “path of essence”, a kind of "elixir of life" that is believed to promote longevity. Taken as an herbal tea, dried powder, fresh leaf, or mixed with ghee (clarified butter), it is used as an adaptogen, promoting a healthy response to stressors. It also is thought to remedy common colds, headaches, stomach problems, and even heart problems due to its purported anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic, antibacterial, and cardioprotective effects.

Because it is sacred, most Vaishnavite Hindus do not encourage the use of holy basil in culinary preparations (although Tulsi leaves offered to Lord Vishnu may be eaten raw by themselves). Even uprooting or cutting a branch from a living Tulsi plant is considered to be quite offensive, according to Hare Krishna followers. That being said, if you’re not adverse to the inauspicious, incorporating holy basil into recipes can impart a complexity of aroma and taste. Tulsi leaves are comprised of a long list of beneficial phytonutrients that lend both healing and aromatic (flavor) attributes. These include oleanolic acid (birch), ursolic acid (apple peels), rosmarinic acid (rosemary), eugenol (clove), carvacrol (oregano), linalool (floral spice), and β-caryophyllene (black pepper spice). Here I use Arbor Tea’s Organic Holy Basil Tulsi (which is the Krishna purple-leaved variety) in a special shortbread recipe. The dried Tulsi leaves are toasted to intensify the flavor of the essential oils before being mixed into the butter-laden dough. Once baked, a layer of tempered chocolate is poured over the cooling shortbread, creating an incomparable cookie meant to be offered devotedly to your beloved.

Holy Basil Shortbread

• ¼ cup plus 1 TBS sugar
• 2 tablespoons Arbor Tea’s Organic Holy Basil Tulsi loose leaf tea
• 1¼ cups flour
• ¼  cup powdered sugar
• ¼  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 teaspoons milk
• ½  cup unsalted butter
• 8 oz chocolate, chopped into pieces for tempering
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly butter shortbread mold and sprinkle with 1 TBS of sugar.
2. Heat a small pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add tulsi leaves, and shake pan to distribute tea into a single layer. Toast for about 2 minutes, until tea is fragrant but not darkened. Depending on your leaves, this may happen much more quickly; watch it carefully. When leaves are fragrant, transfer them to a bowl and let cool for a couple minutes.

1. Combine the remaining sugar and toasted tulsi leaves in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, flour, and salt to the bowl and pulse a few times to combine. Then add the milk, vanilla, and butter and pulse several times more, until a dough forms.
2. Turn dough onto into shortbread mold and press into an even thickness. Use a fork to prick the dough all over.
3. Bake the shortbread until it is a light golden brown, about 35 minutes.
4. Melt chocolate and bring to proper temper (see instructions below). Pour on top of baked shortbread and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. 
   
   
   Makes 9 2”x 2” cookies.

Tempering chocolate

1. Set ⅓ of the chocolate aside. This will be the “seed” chocolate needed in the second step. Place the remaining chocolate in a clean, dry bowl over a simmering double boiler. Insert a thermometer and heat the chocolate to 115°F. Do not allow the temperature to rise over 120°F, which will burn the chocolate making it unusable.
2. Once the chocolate melts to 115°F, remove the bowl from the heat (don’t allow condensation to enter the bowl, which can cause seizing if water comes into contact with chocolate). Add the remaining ⅓ seed chocolate. Stir very vigorously until the thermometer reads 80°F. As the chocolate cools it will change in thickness and texture.
3. Once it reaches 80°F, place the bowl back over the simmering double broiler briefly and rewarm to 88-91°F. Remove any seed chocolate that remains and pour over the shortbread. Allow to cool.

Amy Atlas Wannabe

Last week my friend Jo got married. The wedding venue was a spectacular farm, complete with gorgeous barns, rolling hills, and a peaceful lake. Jo hired a super talented florist and one of the best local caterers in town. Heather (Sweet Heather Anne) and I were lucky enough to be asked to do an Amy Atlas-esque dessert table for the reception. Jo was such a laid back bride and gave everyone a lot of creative freedom to work within her vision. Her theme was a series of playful vignettes, packed with the charm and vintage worthy of a photo spread in Once Wed. Here's a peek at her penny candy table. See what I mean? Adorable!

And this is how the dessert table turned out. To pull the look together, Heather and I used various cake stands, jadeite platters, metal canisters, and a lovely floral tablecloth from Jo's collection of vintage treasures.

Heather made the cakes, three total and each a different flavor; I made the pastries; and together, we made 8 dozen painted sugar cookies!

The cake design was inspired by Jo's wedding attire, a striking teal mermaid gown with ruching from bodice to floor and a peacock feather hair piece.

The cake flavors were a ginger sour cream cake layered with apricot-ginger jam and topped with a vanilla buttercream, a caramel cake with praline crunch buttercream, and a rich chocolate cake with mexican-spiced chocolate ganache.

In addition to cake and cookies, beautifully rustic apple and raspberry pies made by Helen and Blake of EAT catering also had prominence on the table.

The pastries included chocolate dulce de leche bars, mexican wedding cookies, and brown butter spoon cookies sandwiched with either my homemade raspberry or apricot jams.

A small detail of which I'm most proud for the display is the signage. I was stumped by how to prop up the labels and disenchanted with the numerous cheesy place card holders available for purchase.

Then DIY inspiration hit. When looking through Jo's vintage tableware collection, I saw these: rusty mattress springs with alligator clips welded to the tips meant to be used to display the table numbers.

I made a miniature version by twisting 18-gauge copper wire into the necessary shape. Then, to eliminate the shiny, new-penny look, soaked the wires in a "tarnishing" solution borrowed from a jewelry-making friend to give the perfect brown/black patina.

Making this table (every step from concept to execution) was so much fun! A perfect use of my interests and talents. It would be a dream to quit my day job and instead do this full time. Watch out Amy Atlas, one day I may just get the courage to take the leap...

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Bombe

Confessions from my middle school lunch box: Little Debbie Swiss Rolls were my fav! And they tasted even better straight from the freezer. Oh how my leanings in consuming preservatives and packaged foods has changed nowadays. This doesn't completely rule out a place for Swiss rolls in my diet. It just means I'd make them myself now...from scratch...if I had a hankering.

Making this Swiss roll was the first time I've ever baked a rolled cake. Well, to be honest, this was my second time baking a rolled cake--the first attempt at this recipe was a crumbly, cracked mess. But the second time around, from those mistakes, I adapted a rolling technique that was much better (or one could argue was obsessive and constantly fidgety). Now I'm all set to put my skills to the test come yule log season or jelly roll craving.

To complete the bombe, two layers of ice cream separated by a layer of fudge lie beneath the cake. I wanted the ice creams to appear as swirled as the Swiss rolls, so I chose to mix in black currant curd to the vanilla-thyme layer and fudge ripple to the dark chocolate layer.

Homemade ice cream was a perfect way to use the 18 egg yolks I had leftover after taking their companion whites to make an exceptionally large batch of buttercream for my friends' wedding cake/cupcakes. Also, this was a great opportunity to try recipes from two of my newest cookbooks: Lola's Ice Creams & Sundaes and Perfect Scoop.

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Bombe

Vanilla-Thyme Ice Cream Swirled with Black Currant Curd

from Lola's Ice Creams & Sundaes

1 vanilla pod

fresh thyme sprigs, tied in a bundle

750 ml whole milk

450 ml whipping cream

12 egg yolks

240 g sugar

Put the milk and cream in a large sauce pan. Halve the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add both the pod and the seeds and the thyme to the milk and cream. Heat to just below boiling. Cover, take off heat and set aside to steep. After 20 minutes of steeping, remove the vanilla pod and thyme bundle, but do not discard. Re-warm the mixture to just below boiling again.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Add a third of the warm milk-cream to the egg-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. While continuously stirring, return this custard mix to the pan with the rest of the milk-cream. Slowly heat the custard stirring constantly until the temperature reaches 80° C. Maintain this temperature for 15 seconds. Do not allow the mix to boil or it will scramble.

Turn off the heat and continue whisking the custard for a few minutes to reduce the heat. Transfer the mixture to a container, add in the reserved thyme and vanilla pod. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight.

Before churning in your ice cream machine, remove the vanilla pod and thyme.

Black Currant Curd

makes about 2 cups

1 pint black currants, rinsed

2 TBS water

½ cup sugar

2 TBS unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

Place the black currants and the water in a non-corroding saucepan. Cover and cook on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until the currants are mushy. Pass the currants through a food mill to produce about 1¼ cups puree. Stir the sugar and butter into the warm puree and heat, stirring constantly. Whisk the eggs and the egg yolk just until mixed, then whisk in a little of the hot currant mixture to heat the eggs. Return to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is well thickened and has reached 170° F. Pour into a container, cover and chill.

Mixing it in: The curd should be throughly chilled before using. Just before you remove the ice cream from the machine, spoon some on the bottom of the storage container. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the curd between layers of ice cream. Avoid stirring it in as it will make the ice cream muddy looking.

Deep Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Fudge Ripple

from Lola's Ice Creams & Sundaes

500 ml whole milk

500 ml whipping cream

40 g cocoa powder

250 g dark chocolate (70% cacao)

3-4 fresh coffee beans (optional)

6 egg yolks

150 g sugar

Heat the milk and cream in a pan to just below boiling, then remove from heat. Make a paste with the cocoa powder by mixing it with a little heated milk and cream. Add the paste to the warm milk-cream and whisk continuously over a very low heat for 4-5 minutes in order to cook out the powdery taste of the cocoa.

Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir from time to time until the chocolate melts. Add the melted chocolate and coffee beans to the milk and cream. Stir until everything is combined.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the warm milk to the egg-sugar mix and return the mixture to the pan. Heat the custard, stirring constantly, to 80° C. Maintain this temperature for 15 seconds. Do not allow the mix to boil or it will scramble.

Turn off the heat and continue whisking the mix for a few minutes to reduce the temperature.

Transfer the mixture to a container. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight.

Churn in your ice cream machine.

Fudge Ripple

from David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop

makes 1 cup

100 g sugar

80 ml light corn syrup

125 ml water

50 g cocoa powder

½ tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

Mixing it in: The fudge ripple should be throughly chilled before using. Just before you remove the ice cream from the machine, spoon some on the bottom of the storage container. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the sauce between layers of ice cream. Avoid stirring the fudge ripple into the ice cream, as it will make it muddy looking.

Swiss Rolls

For the cake:
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (225 grams) sugar, plus extra for rolling
6 TBS (45 grams) all purpose flour
5 TBS (40 grams) cocoa powder
2 TBS (30 ml) boiling water

For the filling:
2 cups (500 mls) whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, cut into ½ cm pieces (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 TBS (70 grams) sugar

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Brush a half sheet pan with a neutral-flavored oil and line with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat until very thick; when the beaters are lifted, they should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and gently fold into the egg mixture with a spatula. Then, fold in the boiling water.

Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan, spreading it evenly into the corners. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the cake is springy to the touch.

Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and generously sprinkle it with sugar. Upon removing from the oven, immediately turn the cake onto the towel and peel away the parchment paper. Trim away any crisp edges and generously sprinkle sugar over the cake. Starting from the long edge, roll the cake along with the towel. Be careful not to apply too much pressure, as the cake will crack. Place the wrapped roll on a rack to cool, seam side down. Allow the cake to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

To make the filling, grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a coffee bean grinder until throughly mixed together. Skip this step if you are using vanilla extract. Combine the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture in a large bowl and beat until very thick.

When the cake has cooled completely, open the roll and spread the cream mixture evenly, leaving a ½-inch border. Roll the cake up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge seam side down until ready to use.

Assembly

Line the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang. Cut the Swiss roll into slices approximately 2 cms thick.

Arrange two slices at the bottom of the bowl, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the remainder of the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze until the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes). Meanwhile, set the first layer of ice cream out to soften.

When ready to proceed, remove the bowl from the freezer, peel back the plastic wrap cover and spread the ice cream over the cake slices and up the sides of the bowl. Replace the plastic wrap and freeze until firm (at least 1 hour).

Pour the fudge sauce over the frozen ice cream layer, cover with the plastic wrap and freeze until firm (at least 1 hour). Meanwhile, soften the second flavor of ice cream.

When ready to proceed, spread the second layer of ice cream over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours until completely set.

When ready to serve, peel back the plastic cover, and used a serrated knife to level the bottom of the cake so that it is flush with the bowl. Place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down. Carefully lift off the bowl and peel off the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outside of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water.

Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

Tea-Laced Shortbread Trio

I often contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. Here is the latest recipe I shared using a few of their teas.

Requiring only a handful of ingredients, few things are more simple, yet so satisfying to make than classic shortbread. These delicate cookies complement a glass of milk or a cup of tea equally well, and their buttery, not overtly sweet nature takes on additional flavors with ease. Here I've paired a basic shortbread dough with three classic organic, loose leaf teas from Arbor Teas: Earl Grey Black Tea, Matcha Green Tea, Masala Chai Black Tea. With each tea selection and a few additional mix-ins, three distinctive flavors and hues spring from the platform of a once plain dough. Try all three, or mix and match to your own preferences. The standard shortbread recipe presented here is endlessly adaptable, so don't hesitate to play to your tastes. As a technical aside, though, know that it can be a bit tricky to work with such a butter-laden dough. Success in perfectly shaped cookies comes from keeping the dough well-chilled before rolling and again before baking. Also placing the cookie sheet furthest away from the heat source, in the bottom third of the oven, will prevent spreading as they bake.

Earl Grey Shortbread
makes ~2 dozen 1-inch square cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Earl Grey black tea leaves, finely ground*
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¼ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Matcha Shortbread
makes ~2 dozen 1-inch square cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons matcha green tea powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¼ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Chocolate Chai Shortbread
makes ~2 dozen 1-inch square cookies

¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon masala chai black tea leaves, finely ground*
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
¼ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Method

Whisk flour, tea, (cocoa powder, if using) and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar (and zest if using) and beat until fluffy. Add the flour/tea mixture to the mixing bowl, then beat on low speed until just incorporated. The dough will be very soft.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper (or plastic wrap), shape into a disc, and wrap tightly to seal. Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ⅜-inch thickness and cut into shapes. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Chill cookies in the refrigerator on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes or until firm. Re-roll the scraps and cut out more cookies, as above, chilling the scraps between batches.

Bake the shortbread in the bottom third of the oven, one sheet at a time until the edges are golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.

*You can grind the tea leaves in a small food processor, spice grinder, coffee grinder, or by using a mortar & pestle.

Chocolate Pavlovas with Chicory Chocolate Mousse (and Juneberries!)

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

I've never made a pavlova, so this was an exciting endeavor for me. Also, it's always nice (as a frequent ice cream maker) to include additional uses for leftover egg whites in your repertoire. What challenged me though was deciding what story to tell in this blog post...

I could have written about Anna Pavlova, whose airy tutu inspired the dessert, and the rivalry between New Zealand and Australia in claiming its invention. But I think most people have heard this before...

Or I could have gone on about the creole-inspired chocolate bar (New Orleans style chicory coffee + cocoa nibs + 70% cacao Sao Thome bittersweet chocolate) I used to make the chicory chocolate mousse (isn't that fun to say!), and the southern origins of the consumption of chicory root as an obstinate substitute for coffee during the Civil War. But others far more knowledgeable than me can give you that history lesson...

Instead, I rather introduce you to juneberries, aka serviceberries or saskatoons or sugarplums or shadberries or chuckley pear. That's a lot of pseudonyms for a wild fruit that is quite often overlooked and quite frankly under appreciated. These purplish red berries grow on amelanchier trees, small trees planted for their ornamental value in urban landscapes throughout North America. The berries taste similar to a blueberry but have an edible seed with flavors akin to an almond.

Sadly, most people look at you strange if you forage "suspect"-looking berries from a tree growing on a busy main street downtown. But for the adventurous, juneberries are a special treat. When ripe, they taste perfect out of hand or can be used in pies and jams or on top of ice cream or to garnish pavlovas, as they pair well with chocolate.

Unfortunately, with competition from the birds and a short fruiting season, they won't be available too much longer. I preserved the remaining berries from my foraging haul by incorporating them into a batch of strawberry jam. That makes for a little bit of June whenever I fancy, no matter the calendar month.

Chocolate Pavlova
makes about 2 dozen 3-inch rounds

6 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 TBS (220 grams) white granulated sugar
½ cup (60 grams) confectioner’s sugar
⅔ cup (60 grams) cocoa powder

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 TBS at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)

Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)

Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon. The meringues will expand slightly during baking, so keep this in mind when determining final shape.

Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

makes about 4 cups

1½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream
9 ounces (255 grams) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1⅔ cups (390 mls) mascarpone*
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp (30 mls) Cognac (I recommend Kelt. It has an interesting maturation process that involves a 3 month ocean voyage.)

*Here is a link to a recipe, if you are interested in making your own mascarpone from scratch. I recommend doubling this recipe to have enough mascarpone for use in both the mousse and the cream drizzle sauce below.

Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream in a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature until cool.

Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl of a standing mixer. Using a whisk attachment, whip on low speed for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the cognac and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)

Mix about a fourth of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse to pipe atop the pavlova.

Crème Anglaise
makes 3 cups

1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste
6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.

In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream and vanilla and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Take off the heat.

Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from overcoagulating (or curdling) the eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of the spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling)

makes about 1 quart

1 recipe crème anglaise (see above)
½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone into the chilled crème anglaise. Put the cream in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.

**The quantity this recipe makes is more than sufficient for garnishing the pavlova. Freeze the remainder in the canister of your ice cream maker for a light and creamy, custard-style ice cream.**

Assembly:

Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Garnish with fresh fruit if desired.