Malted chocolate pavlova

Pavlova failures abounded this week. Ugh. Half of these photos are from when I gave up trying to make a meringue that didn't fall and just accepted that I'd wasted, like, 20 eggs making these stupid desserts.

But I'll back up: Pavlova! I love meringues and a pavlova is akin to a large meringue that has a softer, more marshmallow-y center. It's a decadent finish to a holiday dinner, but strangely light, which seems appropriate after ham or whatever other heavy things make up your Easter meal. It's also going to be almost 80 degrees here in NYC on Easter Sunday, so a light dessert might be nice. Good planning on my part.

Pavlovas should be easy: They require very few ingredients and very little active cooking time. But, I've learned the hard way (read: after 4 fallen pavlovas), that the technique can be tricky. I've put some lengthy notes below to explain what I did to achieve pavlova success on my 5th try. Victory in our time.

I've done A LOT of research on pavlova techniques in the past 14 days. Unfortunately, some of the advice is contradictory (why does that always happen?). In 20 years, when I've made 400 pavlovas, I'll update this post with a foolproof method for cooking them. Until then, here's what worked:

1) Cold egg whites are fine. Using cold eggs are not the secret because I also used cold egg whites in one of my fallen meringues. But I used them in my successful one, so don't worry about bringing them to room temperature before you get started.

2) Whip egg whites at a slower speed for a longer amount of time. I whipped the egg whites on a 4 with my stand mixer and had the best results when aerating the eggs a little more slowly. Using a lower speed also makes it easier to ensure that you whip enough, but not too much.

3) Whip the eggs almost to stiff peaks before adding the sugar. I read this advice on a random Australian listserv (I did a DEEP dive into pavlova-land) and it really helped. All of the other recipes I read told me to add the sugar when the eggs were at soft peaks, but that inevitably led to fallen pavlova. I tried to get some good photos of the soft peak stage, but was scared to stop the mixer, lest my 5th attempt fall too. Basically, you'll know you're at soft peaks when the bubbles that started earlier as froth become really really tiny, the eggs' volume increases, and you can see the tracks from the whisk going through the mixture. Once you get here, keep mixing for a few more minutes before adding the sugar. 

4) Don't overbeat the eggs. Once you've added the sugar, stop whipping as soon as the egg whites start looking glossy and shiny and check to see if you've achieved stiff peaks.

5) Sift the malt powder, chocolate, and cornstarch over the whipped meringue. I worked pretty hard to ensure that nothing deflated those eggs and the only time it worked was when I actually sifted the dry add-ins at the end. I also folded the ingredients together excruciatingly gently and JUST until things are mixed together enough. I left the batter a little streaky because I really didn't want them to deflate.

But fear not. If you're still reading, then you're already committed to making this and good on you. Regardless of what happens with the texture of your pavlova, it'll taste great. This recipe uses a lot less sugar than most because I find most pavlovas awfully sweet. I also love the flavor of malt. While the pavlova itself isn't overwhelmingly malt-y, it has a mild sweetness and chocolate-y flavor that melds perfectly with some lightly sweetened cream and the malted and chocolate candies on top. If I was doing this again, I would also dust the top with malt powder. But if I make another pavlova, my husband might divorce me.

Malted pavlova

Adapted from Nigella and Martha

6 egg whites
large pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp malt powder
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Separate the egg whites and yolks and set the yolks aside. (Be careful! Seriously, no yolks allowed in pavlova.) In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium-low speed ("4" on my stand mixer) until they start to get frothy. Add the salt and continue whipping. Look for soft peaks: (in case you didn't read this above) The bubbles that started forming when the eggs got frothy become really tiny, the eggs’ volume increases, and you can see clear tracks where the whisk cuts through the mixture. Continue whisking past this stage (still on speed 4) for about 3-4 more minutes.

Add the sugar in 2-3 Tbsp increments while continuing to whip. After each sugar addition, let your mixer go for about 1 minute to incorporate the sugar. Once your sugar is mixed in, continue whisking until the eggs look glossy and shiny. Stop the mixer and check that you’re at “stiff peaks.” To check: turn the whisk right side up and see if the egg whites stay in a peak or lop over—they should stay in a peak. Add the vinegar and then sift the cornstarch, malt powder, and cocoa over the eggs. Very gently, fold the ingredients together until JUST mixed.

Mound this mixture onto your parchment and smooth down the top a bit, leaving a slight divot in the center. Put in the oven and immediately reduce heat to 300. Cook for 60-70 minutes and then turn off the heat and let cool completely in the oven with the door closed.

The pavlova can be kept, well covered, for 2-3 days before being decorated with the cream and candy.

Whipped cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 Tbsp sugar
½ Tbsp vanilla extract

Combination of Cadbury chocolate mini eggs and Whoppers malted mini eggs

To assemble: Remove the parchment paper and place the pavlova on your serving dish. Some people like to invert the pavlova and put cream on the underside. I have no preference about this step. Mound the whipped cream on whatever side you like and top with the candy. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Green matzo ball chicken soup

Guys. It's almost Passover, which means, it's matzo ball season. I could eat matzo ball soup daily, but I always want it to feel like a MEAL and it often…doesn’t. There's usually just some broth and the balls. Occasionally you get a carrot or some celery, but there's not much to it. The consequence is that I take 100 years to order in a deli or a diner. I always want the soup, but what else do you get if you don’t want a bad diner salad, but want something with protein and veggies, but that isn't a full meal because you already have soup? CONUNDRUM. I think it might be the thing my husband hates most about me.

Anyway, I think the key to making a great matzo ball is in the timing: Once the matzo meal, fat, seltzer, eggs, salt, and pepper have been mixed together, this gloop needs to REST. I’ve rested the mixture for anywhere from 1-5 hours and I think the longer the better (without going crazy and leaving it, like, overnight).

I also suggest really beating the eggs well with a whisk or a fork. Make your wrist tired. You want the whites and yolks to be very well integrated to help keep the balls together.

Also, the seltzer is ABSOLUTELY necessary.

And a note about salt: I like my matzo balls salty, so if 3 tsp is too much for you, dial it back a bit.

So! This recipe is a long one and definitely best for a weekend or occasion. But there are many places where one could take shortcuts (use pre-made stock, rotisserie chicken, and pre-chopped kale and this is a much quicker process.) On the upside, this soup can actually pass for lunch or dinner, so if you put the time in, you get a rounded meal that's appealing to young (M) and old (me.) M has finally accepted eating leaves of green and not just in puree form, so he's into this soup.

I pureed my first batch to see how it went and it was delicious, but stringy and needed straining. The stringiness of the chives and kale stalks even made ME whip out the strainer and I avoid extra dishes like the plague.

Green matzo ball soup

For the stock:
6-7 lbs chicken (some combo of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts)
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
Whatever herbs you have/like (I usually toss in a handful of fresh sage and a tsp of dried thyme)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Lots of pepper
12 cups water (or more; make sure the chicken and veggies are fully submerged in water and replenish if too much evaporates while simmering)

Add all of the ingredients to a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 hours.

When stock is done, strain and collect all liquid. You should have anywhere from 9-12 cups (give or take depending on your cooking method and how much water evaporates).

Save the chicken meat, but discard the rest of the aromatics, veggies, and any skin or bones that were floating in the stock.

In separate containers, store the broth and the chicken in the fridge, covered, for at least 6 hours, or until the fat rises to the top and congeals. I usually leave it overnight. When cooled, skim the fat from the top and store in a separate container to use in the matzo balls.

For the matzo balls:
3 large eggs, well-beaten
3 Tbsp schmaltz or olive oil (I use the rendered fat from the chicken stock and top it off with olive oil if necessary)
3 Tbsp seltzer
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup matzo meal

Whisk the eggs very well. Combine all wet ingredients, plus salt and pepper, in a bowl and mix well. Add the matzo meal and stir well. If it feels lumpy or hard to stir, use your hands.

Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, but ideally 2-3.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

When chilled, form the dough into 12-16 golfball-sized balls using wet hands and drop each into the boiling water as soon as it’s formed. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 40 minutes.

For the soup:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 small shallots, minced
1 stalk celery. minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chives, chopped
3 cups kale, chopped and well packed
Salt and pepper
8-9 cups chicken stock (if not making your own chicken stock, try to find homemade from somewhere else- don’t use the stuff in a box from the store for this)
1 Tbsp
Shredded chicken (about 3 cups or whatever comes off of your cooked chicken from the stock)

Heat the oil in a large stock pot. Add the roughly chopped shallot and celery. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, kale, and chives and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes more.

Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Turn the flame to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes more to reheat. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Pour soup over the matzo balls and serve.

Yield:

Smoked salmon, goat cheese, and chive eggs

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

Five ingredients and fifteen minutes are all you need for this easy and flavorful dinner, a fancy breakfast, or a fun brunch.

Take me to the recipe!

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

So, this dish started its life as an omelette, but if you’re anything like me, no matter how hot you get your pan and how much oil you use, certain days omelette’s just hang on tight. And since we’ve pretty much sworn off nonstick pans, scrambled eggs are our destiny.

Anyway, I first made these eggs for Father's Day 2015 and they’ve been in the rotation ever since. They’re delicious and SO FAST. If you want dinner on the table in under 20 minutes, make these. If you want a “special” breakfast that doesn’t take ages, make this. You get it!

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

These eggs are so basic, but the salmon and chives and cheese make them creamy and salty and herby.

 A couple of notes:

• I don’t salt the eggs because the salmon is so salty that I don’t often need more.

• Don’t overcook these babies. These eggs are best when they’ve just barely stopped jiggling.

• I DO cook the salmon a little bit because, strangely, I don’t love the texture of smoked salmon. I love raw salmon and cooked salmon, but that in-between phase isn’t my favorite. Just a little bit of heat makes the texture of the thinly sliced fish a little closer to cooked salmon, so it’s more to my taste. If you like smoked salmon, leave it out during the cooking and then add it on top of the cooked eggs to maintain the original texture.

Eggs, salmon, chives, milk, and goat cheese are all you need for an easy and healthy dinner, lunch, breakfast or brunch. #meandthemoose ##eggrecipes #eggs #salmon #easybrunch #quickdinnerrecipes

Smoked salmon, goat cheese, and chive eggs

Time: 15 minutes, all active
Yield: Enough for two adults as a main course, 4 people as a side dish

1 Tbsp olive oil, butter, or fat of choice
6 eggs
3-4 Tbsp milk (whole or 2% both work)
2-3 oz goat cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives
5 oz wild smoked salmon (or, one small package), torn into smaller pieces or roughly chopped.

Heat the butter or oil over a medium flame.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and vigorously whisk with a fork until the whites and yolks are well combined.

Add the milk, goat cheese, and chives and whisk again until the ingredients are reasonably incorporated (the goat cheese will still be in clumps).

When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture and add the salmon. Lower the flame to medium low or low.

Move the eggs around with a rubber spatula scraping the cooked layer from the bottom and letting the raw eggs run into the open spots. Repeat until the eggs are soft, but cooked, about 3-4 minutes.

Pizza rolls

pizza rolls | Me & The Moose. pizza dough, pesto, and turkey pepperoni make these pizza rolls (just swap the walnuts in the kale pesto for sunflower or pumpkin seeds or leave them out entirely) a more lunchbox-friendly pizza option. #meandthemoose #pizzarolls #lunchboxideas #lunchboxrecipes #lunch #pizza #pesto #pepperoni

Today is Pi day and Friday is St. Patrick's Day and the closest we're getting to a themed meal here at M&TM headquarters is kale pesto pizza rollups which are just barely a pizza "pie" and just barely green. Needs must.

We love pizza around these parts, but pizza doesn't always love us. A toddler with pizza grease and tomato sauce all over him is just a prelude to an APARTMENT with pizza grease and tomato sauce all over it. These rolls help a lot! Using homemade pesto means you can control the amount of grease. Encasing everything in dough also keeps the toppings from topping your home. These rolls also keep well in the fridge or freezer as long as they're re-crisped well in the toaster or the oven before being eaten. 

pizza rolls | Me & The Moose. pizza dough, pesto, and turkey pepperoni make these pizza rolls (just swap the walnuts in the kale pesto for sunflower or pumpkin seeds or leave them out entirely) a more lunchbox-friendly pizza option. #meandthemoose #pizzarolls #lunchboxideas #lunchboxrecipes #lunch #pizza #pesto #pepperoni

To get this cleaner, healthier version of pizza, you have to do a tiny bit more work than just slapping some sauce and cheese on a rolled out dough and popping it into the oven, though not much more. First, you have to roll the dough into a rectangle, which can take a bit of doing. Make sure your sauce layer is thin since overfilling the middles can cause the rolls to fall apart. You also want to be stingy with the cheese and salami (if using) for the same reason. But the rolling up means that you'll still get tons of cheese and toppings in each bite. 

I took Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction's advice about refrigerating the dough and fillings for 30 minutes after rolling them into a log, but before cutting and cooking them, but I'm not completely sure it was necessary as I've made these without that extra step and found the rolls similarly loose. A few pieces of advice: Try to make this roll as tight as possible. Use your sharpest knife to cut the rolls and don't make them more than 1-inch wide. Also, feel free to tighten and crimp the outside layer of the dough as you transfer the cut pieces to the baking sheet. 

pizza rolls | Me & The Moose. pizza dough, pesto, and turkey pepperoni make these pizza rolls (just swap the walnuts in the kale pesto for sunflower or pumpkin seeds or leave them out entirely) a more lunchbox-friendly pizza option. #meandthemoose #pizzarolls #lunchboxideas #lunchboxrecipes #lunch #pizza #pesto #pepperoni

Pizza rolls

Time: About 30 minutes, mostly active
Yield: about 15 rolls

1 store-bought or homemade whole wheat pizza dough
½ cup kale pesto (scant)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
4-5 oz Turkey salami or pepperoni
1/8 cup corn meal
Tomato sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 425 and line a baking pan with parchment paper. Roll or press out the pizza dough on a separate piece of lightly floured parchment paper until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Spread a very thin layer of the kale pesto over top and make sure to get all the way to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Add salami or pepperoni if using.

Along the longer side, start rolling the dough as tightly as you can. Continue rolling until the dough and fillings form a log. Transfer the log and parchment paper to a baking pan and chill for 30 minutes (or not, see above note).

After chilling, cut 1-inch pieces from the roll and dip one cut side into the corn meal to prevent sticking. Place the cornmeal crusted side on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the pieces are cut, sprinkle lightly with parmesan and bake for 15-18 minutes until the outsides are golden brown.

Honey, lemon, and ginger spelt muffins

I had a really cliched parenting day yesterday. I spent 30+ minutes tearing around our apartment frantically trying to find M's lovey that was NOWHERE. I finally found her (him?) in my camera case. I forgot that M can do zippers, so I threw the bag back into the closet while straightening up not realizing that he had put lovey in there while I photographed these muffins. Guys. I even picked through the garbage. THE GARBAGE. And then had an entire conversation with Ethan about how we can lojack the thing.

Before someone suggests that we get multiple lovies for this exact scenario, be assured, we're way ahead of you. But our smart cookie knows that the replacement lovey is an imposter and is not soothed.

The (thankfully temporary) loss of lovey was especially harrowing because today is M's first sick day in months. I don't mean to brag, but he hardly ever gets sick. I can say that out loud now because I'm not worried about jinxing myself anymore. Of course he got sick the week that all of our classes were cancelled thanks to a mid-winter school break AND it was 65-degrees, so we spent the entire time outside. Go figure.

When I get sick, Ethan makes me his mom's home remedy of chopped fresh ginger and lemons boiled to death in a few cups of water and then combined with honey. I don't know why it's so soothing, but it makes my throat feel better, eases my coughs, and generally feels warm and cozy. M isn't so into this strong tea, but I put the flavors into a muffin that's also tasty and soothing.

Have I talked about spelt flour here before? I really like it as a replacement for white flour in breads and baked goods because it has a very similar taste and texture. However, it has a lot more protein and fiber than the plain old AP variety. You can really replace white flour with spelt flour in most baking recipes with little or no modification. (Disclaimer: I haven't tried EVERY recipe with spelt flour, but everything I've tried has worked well. I would not replace cake flour with spelt flour as I think it would change the texture of the finished product, if you care about that sort of thing.)

One more note: These muffins really benefit from fresh ginger. I have this ginger grater and it's a really handy tool. I made my last batch with powdered ginger and they weren't the same. They're fine though, so if powdered is your only option, use 1.5-2 tsp depending on how strong a ginger flavor you want.

Honey, lemon, and ginger spelt muffins

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 scant cup of full fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
zest of 1 large lemon (or 1.5 small lemons)
¼ cup lemon juice
2 eggs
1½ tsp baking powder
½ baking soda
2 cups spelt flour
1-1.5 tsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
¼ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the yogurt, olive oil, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ginger. Whisk each egg individually into the batter. To the same bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until just combined.

Prep your muffin tins by either spraying or wiping with olive oil or adding cupcake liners. Do this after mixing the batter in order to let your leaveners (baking soda and baking powder) start to work. Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Yield: 12 muffins