Lemon Raspberry Pavlova (GF)

Forgive my unexpected time lapse between posts.  By now, I ought to know that when I’m taking a trip back to North Dakota (which is where I've been the past two weeks), I really won’t have time to finish a post, even if I have the best intentions of doing so, haha.  I’m also sorry for not sharing this lemon raspberry pavlova with you sooner! It’s a keeper. 

Every time I make a pavlova for dessert, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It’s very easy to make & naturally gluten free, not to mention super tasty. Luckily, I’ve gotten a couple friends hooked on it, and they remind me to make it :) When one of those aforementioned friends celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago, I knew it was the perfect time to test out a pavlova variation that has been rolling around my head for quite a while.....

 Most often, when I’m making pavlova, I make a version of the Berry Pavlova I posted last July; however, this time, I switched things up. I don’t know if there’s a way to make a pavlova more elegant than it already is, but somehow crafting it into individual portions seems to do the trick. Plus, they’re easier to serve at a dinner party (which is where I served these). And using tart lemon curd as the filling pared wonderfully with the sweet meringue shell. Top little whipped cream and a few raspberries & you’re set with a spectacular dessert.

Pavlova Shells
Yields 4 servings 

2 ea Whites
3.5 oz / 1/2 c Granulated Sugar
Vanilla Bean Paste/Vanilla Extract (optional, I forgot to add it to mine & they still tasted great!) 
1 tsp Cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 250 F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & spray with cooking spray .  
3. In the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites.  Mix on medium-low speed until they become foamy.  Gradually add the sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time. 
4. Once all the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed to high & whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks and becomes very thick & glossy.  
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl & add a splash of the vanilla bean paste/extract. Mix on high speed one additional minute.  
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer & sift the cornstarch over the meringue.  Use a silicone spatula to gently fold in the cornstarch, taking care not to deflate the meringue.  
7. Use a large portion scoop to portion the meringue into 4 small mounds on the prepared parchment. Use a small offset spatula to hollow out the center slightly to make room for the filling & fruit that will be added after baking.  
8. Place the pan into the oven & immediately drop the oven temperature to 225 F. 
9. Bake the pavlovas for 30 minutes, rotate the pan & bake for 15 to 30 additional minutes.  When done, the outside will be dry & firm to the touch, but the interior will be soft & marshmallow-y Ideally, the pavlovas should remain very pale cream in color. If they begin to brown, reduce the oven temperature, or even turn the oven off & allow the residual heat to finish the baking process. 
10. Cool completely before assembly. If not planning to assemble & serve the pavlovas immediately, tightly wrapped the completely cooled meringue shell & store at room temperature so that it retains it’s crispy shell. 

Lemon Curd

sorry, I do not have a volume measurement for this recipe. If you run out of time to make your own curd, you could substitute store bought :)

80 g Egg Yolks

126 g Granulated Sugar

100 g Lemon Juice

25 g Heavy Cream

65 g Butter

1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, whisk together yolks, sugar, juice, cream, and butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture just reaches a boil (do not let boil). 
2. Strain curd through a fine sieve into a bowl. 
3. Cool curd with its surface covered with plastic wrap (pressed into the curd, so that it doesn’t develop a skin), and chill. Alternately, chill over an ice bath (with plastic pressed into the curd). 
4. Curd may be refrigerated for up to 2 days. 

Assembly

Assemble just before serving

Cooled Pavlova Shells

Chilled Lemon Curd

Whipped Cream

Fresh Raspberries

Mint (optional garnish--my grocery store was completely out, so I couldn’t use any...) 

1. Gently press the center of the pavlova shell to indent it a little further. 
2. Spoon a little lemon curd into the indentation.
3. Top with a quenelle (or dollop) of whipped cream & sprinkle with a few raspberries. Optional: garnish with a few sprigs of fresh mint. 
4. Serve immediately! 

Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon (GF)

Is it a coincidence that I awoke thinking of pancakes on Mardi Gras? I think not......  Well actually, I was thinking more of muffins (these muffins to be exact), but pancakes provide a little more instant gratification (and I don’t have to wash the muffin pan).

Last week I discovered a great new pancake recipe when husband requested pancakes one morning for breakfast, but today was my first attempt at making them gluten free.  To further mix things up, in addition to substituting my favorite GF flour, I also added some lemon zest & frozen wild blueberries.   Somehow the flavors taste like spring (lemon) and summer (blueberry) and give me hope that this crazy winter won’t last forever.

We don’t do a lot of “fancy” breakfasts around here.  Greek yogurt (for him) and gluten free granola or cereal (for me) with coffee seem to be the norm these days. But every once and a while, one needs a special breakfast during the week. I foresee these pancakes also making it into our “brinner” (breakfast for dinner) rotation that we do from time to time.  Go ahead, indulge a little :) 

p.s. Don’t be alarmed at how liquid the batter is--they’ll turn in to one of the best textured pancakes I've ever made at home. But I do think the smaller pancakes turn out better than the larger ones!  

Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon (GF)
adapted from Martha Stewart
yields 8 medium pancakes

2 Tbl Granulated Sugar
Zest of 1/2 a small lemon (add more zest if you prefer a more noted lemon flavor)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
4.4 oz Gluten Free Flour (I used Jeanne's GF AP Flour Mix, or substitute regular AP flour if not GF)

1 large egg
2 Tbl Vegetable Oil (or could substitute butter that has been melted and cooled)
1 c Milk

Blueberries (I used Frozen Wild Blueberries)
Cooking Spray (or butter or additional vegetable oil) for greasing the skillet.
Butter & Maple Syrup, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 200 F. (I use my toaster oven)  
2. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar with the lemon zest to infuse the lemon flavor into the sugar. Add the powder, salt & GF flour. Whisk to combine. 
3. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the egg with the vegetable oil.  Add the milk & mix.  Add the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined (if using regular flour, be careful to mix only until just combined). 
4. Heat a small skillet over medium to medium high heat.  Grease the skillet well.  Pour between 1/8 c and 1/4 c batter into the skillet.  Immediately drop frozen blueberries over the surface of the pancake.  Cook until the top has lost it's sheen and begins to look dull, and the bottom of the pancake is golden brown. Flip & continue cooking until golden brown on the other side. 
5. Transfer the cooked pancake to the preheated oven & repeat the process with the remaining batter. Grease the pan between pancakes. 
6. Serve the pancakes with butter & maple syrup (or a blueberry syrup would be lovely). Store any leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

To continue my “Week in the [Project] Life” series for Project Life 365, today’s prompt is #dinner.  For background on this project, please read my previous #breakfast post and #lunch post. You can find me on Instagram @lauravein and Project Life 365 at @projectlife365.

#dinner: Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken with potatoes, carrots, parsnips & onion 

Every so often, I just need to roast a chicken.  I need the therapy of chopping the veggies & slathering the bird with thyme butter... the intoxicating aroma as everything roasts & the vegetables caramelize... the comfort of eating something so simple, yet so spectacular.... the assurance of the leftovers providing future meals with minimal effort.  We all have days where we just need a “win” to counteract bad things that have happened (or good things than haven’t happened). Roasting a chicken is always a win. 

Roasting a chicken is also easy.  The prep always takes a bit longer than I anticipate, but the end results are completely worth it. Whether you make the meal for just yourself or serve it at a dinner party, it never fails to impress.

But do you want to know my favorite part? It’s the vegetables underneath the chicken.  Sure, you could cut up some potatoes, carrots, parsnips (optional), and onions, throw in a few garlic cloves & roast them all together in the oven. But they won’t taste nearly the same.

There is something almost magical about the chicken juices mingling with the veggies as they cook together and caramelize.  Trust me, fit absolutely as much veggies as possible underneath the chicken!   There will never be too many leftover roasted vegetables.

Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a newbie, make sure that roast chicken is part of your repertoire. And don’t forget to save the carcass for chicken stock!  No one should be without a great go-to roast chicken recipe.  Below is my go-to recipe. Check back tomorrow for my #dessert post!


Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken w/ potatoes, carrots, parsnips, & onion (Gluten Free) 
adapted from Ina Garten recipes found here and here  
makes approximately 6 servings, depending on chicken size

I’m to the point now where I don’t necessarily use a recipe when I fix a roast chicken, but I did manage to record amounts on my most recent experience.  

For the Veggies: 
1 large yellow onion, cut into 6 wedges (mine was approximately 14 oz) 
11 small/medium carrots, peeled & cut into 2” chunks (mine weighed about 12.65 oz)
24 oz Yukon Gold Potatoes, unpeeled, cut into pieces
3 small Parsnips (mine weighed about 3.5 oz) 
6 garlic cloves, peeled 
nonstick spray
5 Tbl olive Oil (approximately 2 oz) 
1 roasting chicken (5 to 6 lbs)
1 Tbl Kosher Salt
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
For the chicken: 
1 medium chicken, giblets & neck removed (mine was about 4.7 lbs)
Kosher Salt
Black pepper
1 head Garlic, halved 
1 lemon, halved
1 bunch fresh Thyme
2 Tbl Butter, softened
1 bunch Thyme 

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. (and make sure your oven is clean first! Or the high temps may cause it to smoke).
2.  Remove the chicken from the refrigerator & allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes while preparing the vegetables. 
3. Spray a large roasting dish liberally with nonstick cooking spray.  Peel & cut the onion into wedges. Peel & cut the carrots & parsnips into 2” pieces. Cut the potatoes. Peel the garlic cloves. 
4. Place the veggies into the roasting dish.  Drizzle with liberally olive oil, salt & pepper & toss to coat. Set aside.
5. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. Set on top of the prepared vegetables. Salt & pepper the cavity of the chicken & stuff with the halved head of garlic & lemon, plus a few springs of thyme.
6. Mix the softened butter with some thyme leaves & some kosher salt.    
7. Spread the butter all over the surface of the chicken & underneath the skin on the breast. Carefully slice a couple sprigs of thyme underneath the skin. Liberally salt and pepper the outside chicken. Optional: tie together the legs with kitchen twine. Add additional thyme springs on the veggies.  
8. Place the pan into the oven and roast, uncovered for approximately 1.5 hours, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Check the temperature of the thigh area, not the breast, but make sure the thermometer does not hit the bone.  
9. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven & transfer the chicken to a separate plate. Cover with foil. 
10. Stir the remaining vegetables & return the pan to the oven. Allow the vegetables to roast an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until they are nicely browned.  
11. After the chicken has rested & the veggies are done roasting, carve the chicken & serve with the vegetables.  Drizzle juices over both. 
12. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator or freeze for longetivty.  Freeze the chicken carcass for making homemade chicken stock.

Props
Baking Dish: Le Creuset
Plates: Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles Pink
Silverware: Hampstead from Williams Sonoma 
Napkins: Williams Sonoma (no longer available)