Happy Ending
December 20, 2019
Another twist on Nigella Lawson’s Meringue Gelato Cake? Yes sir. Last year’s candy cane version was such a hit I couldn’t resist trying to see how it worked with chocolate and coffee. Turns out it’s fantastic. And, with only the slightest tweaks to the original. I started with stirring two Tbsps of turbinado sugar and two rounded Tbsps of instant espresso powder into 1 1/4 cup whipping cream until dissolved. Chill the cream, your beaters and bowl while you prep a standard loaf pan by lining it with plastic wrap leaving enough overhang to cover your contents once the pan is filled. Then shave into thin shards 1 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate and crush two cups of store bought chocolate meringues…in this case, Trader Joe’s Cocoa Chip. Whip the flavored cream to soft peaks and gently fold in the crushed meringues, chocolate and two tablespoons of Bourbon until combined. Fill the prepared pan with the mixture, smooth, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least eight hours or over night. To serve, umold onto a serving platter and cut into slices. Serve with a simple sauce of equal parts semi-sweet chocolate and cream with a dusting of crushed caramelized hazelnuts for a lovely crunch.There you have it, a perfect ending to your holiday feast. Serves 6-8. Simple enough.
The candy cane version from last Christmas can be found here. https://simplequietmodern.com/2018/12/23/simple-finish/
photos: gp
Simple Finish
December 23, 2018
A quick twist to Nigella Lawson’s Meringue Gelato Cake will have you serving up the perfect sweet ending to your holiday dinner with barely any effort at all. Much like my Pistachio Semifreddo, it’s as easy as whip, fold and freeze. Start by lining a loaf pan with plastic wrap leaving enough to fold over the contents of the filled pan. Next, roughly crush 2 cups of store-bought meringues…Trader Joe’s Vanilla or peppermint are perfect. Measure 1 oz. of candy canes and crush in a zip-lock with a rolling pin and shave 1 oz. of dark chocolate into fine shards. Lastly, whip 1 1/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream to soft peaks. Now, gently fold the chocolate, crushed candy canes, meringues and 2 tablespoons of white Creme de Menthe into the whipped cream. Spoon mixture into the prepared pan, level and fold plastic wrap over to cover. Freeze at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. To serve, unmold onto a serving platter and cut into thick slices. A simple sauce of equal parts dark chocolate melted into heavy cream with a splash of white Creme de Menthe and a light touch of candy cane dust finishes each serving beautifully. Serves 6-8.
photos: gp
If you’d like Nigella’s recipe, it can be found here: https://food52.com/recipes/77525-nigella-lawson-s-meringue-gelato-cake-with-chocolate-sauce
Feeling more pistachio than peppermint? My recipe for Pistachio Semifreddo can be found here: https://simplequietmodern.com/2015/05/24/whip-it-fold-it-freeze-it/
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