Pavlova Roulade
Ingredients
- 6 hen or 4 duck eggwhites
- 150 gm caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 300ml carton thickened cream
- 1 tbs icing sugar mixture
- 2 cups of diced fruit
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 25x30cm Swiss roll pan with baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang.
Use an electric mixer to whisk the eggwhites until firm peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well. Continue whisking until sugar completely dissolves. Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla, gently fold with a metal spoon until just combined. Spoon into the prepared pan and use a pallet knife to smooth the surface. Bake for 30 minutes.
Place a large sheet of baking paper on your bench. Dust with icing sugar mixture. Turn the Pavlova, top-side down, onto the dusted baking paper. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool.
Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the cream evenly over the Pavlova, and spread the fruit over evenly. Carefully roll Pavlova, using the paper and tea towel as a guide, to enclose filling. Keep Pavlova wrapped in baking paper and tea towel. Transfer to a tray and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Place roulade on work surface, unwrap and dust with extra icing sugar. Cut into slices and place on serving plates.
"An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different."
Oscar Wilde
Chooks are one thing that everyone can own on our beautiful Tamborine Mountain if you so desire.
I love chickens, and would keep some but in running a cooking school I have to have a constant supply of eggs, so I rely on my neighbours beautiful duck eggs from their “Ruen Ducks” and their florescent yoked hen eggs from “Salmon Faveroles”.
Both are heirloom varieties of French poultry that Ellie proudly breeds.
I would recommend making friends with your neighbour that has layers and buy their eggs, that way you know they are fresh, and if you have ever fried a very fresh egg, you will enjoy the difference!
I love opening up my carton of eggs seeing the date written on in pencil, and my students get to see what a freshly cracked egg looks like, they are amazed!!
Being a French trained chef I use a lot of eggs.
Sometimes I may only need the white to make a meringue, so I freeze the yokes and use them another time for a crème brulee. Freezing does not affect the quality of a separated egg.
I use duck eggs the same way I use chicken, they are usually 50% bigger so the ratio is 3 chicken to 2 duck.
Our Recipes of the Week include three great ways to cook with eggs:
- Pavlova Roulade - a favourite on the Australian menu
- Creme Brulee – to use up the yolks from the pavlova
- Smoked Salmon Quiche - Salmon, dill and capers are a match made in heaven in this deceptively low fat creamy quiche
Compact, convenient and perfectly packaged, eggs are everything they're cracked up to be whether you're cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert.
We'll never know which came first, the chicken or the egg, but one thing's for sure my kitchen wouldn't be the same without the latter.
Creme Brulee
Ingredients
- 600ml thickened cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
- 2 strips of orange rind
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tsp corn flour (adds stability)
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- Extra castor sugar.
Method
Preheat oven to 150°C.
Heat the cream in a saucepan and add the vanilla, orange rind and cinnamon. Let infuse for 10 minutes
Beat yolks, cornflour and sugar till thick.
Strain the cream into the eggs and mix in.
Ladle the mixture into 6 medium or 8 small ramekins.
Place ramekins in a deep roasting pan. Pour boiling water into pan to come halfway up the sides.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes - the custards should still have a slight wobble when done. Carefully remove ramekins from oven and water bath, and set aside to cool.
Spread 1 heaped tsp of the extra sugar over the top and brown with a blow torch. Or place under a very hot grill.
Versatile and convenient, eggs are a vital ingredient in everything from cakes and meringues to sauces and custards. Or they can just be enjoyed on their own -- boiled, poached, scrambled, fried or baked.
Eggs are packed with goodness and very little else (they only have about 5g of fat each!).
They're relatively low in kilojoules, are a valuable source of protein and anti-oxidants, and contain more than 18 different nutrients, including calcium, iron, folate, zinc and every vitamin except C.
An egg consists of the shell, egg yolk, egg white and chalazae, which are the ropy strands of egg white that anchor the yolk in place.
Contrary to popular belief, these aren't imperfections or the beginning of embryos. In fact, the more prominent the chalazae, the fresher the egg.
Buying Eggs
There are three main types of eggs:
- cage eggs (which unfortunately make up 80 per cent of all eggs sold in Australia)
- barn-laid eggs
- and free-range eggs.
Here on Tamborine Mountain, I think we could proudly say that we would use mainly free range eggs. They range in size from 42g (medium) to 70g (jumbo). The average-sized egg is 59g, which is what recipes are based on.
Smoked Salmon Quiche
Ingredients
- 2 sheets ready rolled 25% reduced fat shortcrust pastry
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 300 ml light cream
- 3 eggs
- 200g smoked salmon, chopped
- 2 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup dill sprigs, finely chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line base and sides of a 24cm fluted flan pan with pastry. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and rice. Bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden.
Heat oil in a small, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cream and eggs. Whisk until well combined. Add salmon, capers and dill. Pour filling into pastry base. Bake for about 30 minutes until filling sets.
Storing Eggs
Keep fresh eggs between 4°C and 20°C. When stored at room temperature, eggs will age more in a day than they will after a week in the fridge. So, unless you use them quickly, store eggs in their carton in the fridge.
The carton will prevent the flavours of other foods penetrating the porous shells and affecting the taste of the eggs.
To test an uncooked egg for freshness, place it in a bowl of cold water -- a fresh egg will sink to the bottom, while a stale egg will float or stand on end.
Cooking Eggs
Use your freshest eggs for poaching and frying. It's best to use eggs that are at least three days old for hard boiling, otherwise the shell may stick to the white.
You can use your oldest eggs for baking cakes, quiches and frittatas.
They're great with bacon, asparagus, cream, cheese, ham, smoked salmon, chives, parsley, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Images from Microsoft Office.