What to do with leftover eggwhites - Mini Pavlovas

When I was home last week, friends asked if I still bake at home since I do that at work everyday."Of course! I can bake anytime for the people I love." I am sure a lot of people feel the same way too. It doesn't matter if it's an elaborate cake or some simple cookies. Freshly baked goodies make people feel loved and special.

Although I have just started work in the hotel for less than a week, I already noticed that colleagues from different departments like to stop by the bakeshop from time to time. Everybody is curious about the goodies we make for the day. If luck is on their sides, they may even get a taste of something fresh out of the oven. It still amazes me sometime to see people's contented smile, when given something as simple as a warm chocolate chips cookies.

Which is what I almost baked when I was home, but there's leftover eggwhites from other baking projects that OCT brought to my attention.
"Can you use up the eggwhites first before making other recipes?"
"Sure."

Almost immediately, some dessert ideas come to mind. The first one is pavlova. Minimum effort, improportional gratification. Instead of making one big pavlova, I piped the meringue into individual portions. Store in an airtight container, they can be kept for a week under room temperature or up to a month in the freezer. A perfect standby for the unexpected dinner party!

I topped the meringue shells with some whipped cream + homemade lemon cream and fruits we have in the fridge. A few strips of candied citrus zests help to balance the sweetness of the meringue but it's completely optional.

A simple and low fat dessert that both OCT and I enjoyed. Next, another simple recipe to use up MORE of the leftover eggwhites(much to OCT relief).

Mini Pavlovas

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
fruits of your choice

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and cornstarch, followed by the vanilla extract and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes.

Fill the meringue into a piping bag with star tip. Pipe the meringue onto the parchment paper. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the outer side feel dry and hard when touched. Turn off the oven, keep the door ajar, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Remove the meringue disks from the parchment paper when they are completely cool. If not consumed immediately, keep them in airtight containers. They can be stored at room temperature for a week or freeze for a month.

When ready to serve, top meringue shells with sweetened whipped cream. Note that the recipe below is just a guide. I usually just whip some heavy cream in a bowl to soft peak, combined with vanilla extract and fold in some lemon cream. Taste to adjust.

Sweetened Whipped Cream:
2/3 cup cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon cream

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until firm. Don't overbeat! Fold in the lemon cream.

Pile your choosen fruits onto the cream. Enjoy!

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Chocolate Mousse Cake for a special man

OCT's birthday falls on October. Every year, as his special day approaches, I'd pile a few cookbooks on his lap and ask him to pick one as his birthday cake. Ever since I started baking, his request has always been mango cake. Yes, we both love mango, a lot. So I granted his wishes the past two years. We love mango so much that I even make a mango cheesecake for my birthday last year too.

This year however, I think it's time for a change.
"How about having something different for your birthday this year?"
"hmm...but I like mango cake."
"you know, mangoes are not in season now...I will need to use the frozen stuff and you know they are not as flavorful as the fresh ones."
"really? *sigh*....then I will have a chocolate cake"
"great choice, my Lord !"

Then it was up to me on which chocolate cake to make. In the end, I chose a chocolate mousse cake. The cake base was a coffee genoise I adapted from Roland Mesnier's book, and the chocolate mousse was the same one I used for my birthday cake. While the cake turned out disappointedly dry and flavorless, the low fat chocolate mousse was as delightful as I remembered.

I love how the low fat chocolate mousse tastes deceptively rich and sinful. Instead of using heavy whipping cream, eggwhites was used to make the safe meringue. It was then folded into the chocolate mixture to provide the cloud-like texture to the mousse.

I am not inclined to share the genoise recipe, based on the result I got. Instead, I would recommend anyone interested in making this cake to use this recipe. Of course making the lady fingers from this recipe would make the delicious chocolate mousse cake extra special too.

Not wanting to add unnecessary calories with buttercream decoration, I simply adore the cake with hazelnut brittle I have left from another cake.

Before OCT reached home from work, I took out some of his favorite toys to take a picture with the birthday cake. After that,I prepared a seafood noodle, along with 2 eggs for his dinner. The dinner he has requested, along with the chocolate cake. Noodle signifies longevity in Chinese. My mother in law used to cook noodle on OCT birthday every year before he came to the States, and that responsibility has passed down to me now. :)

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