I hear the angels call my name

[venta]

I have two problems. Well, I have many. But there are two of a culinary nature, on which I hope some kitchenly types might offer advice.

1. Owing to the choux wreath  I have an imperial shitload of leftover eggwhites.
2. I am going to a neighbour for dinner tomorrow[*] and am requested to bring a pudding.

I feel the obvious answer at this point is "pavlova". However it (and any other meringue-based option) feels inherently summery to me. Too summery to be appropriate in fog-bound London in January. I'm sure I could buy strawberries and raspberries, but they'll be air-freighted in from Far Away, and probably won't be that great anyway.

What I do have, though, is some dark chocolate with ginger, and a lot of windfall cooking apples. So my current plan is: pavlova base, layer of chocolate (and ginger) ganache, layer of apple slices (baked with cinnamon and such), whipped cream on the top.

I might put something like the syrup from crystallized ginger in the whipped cream. And ideally I'd like something to make the whole thing look less "white".

So, questions:
1. Does this sound like a terrible idea?
2. Will ganache make meringue soggy?
3. Will whipping cream with syrup work, or will the syrup be too heavy?
4. Any ideas on the whiteness front? Maybe I should whip the cream with Winter Spiced Ribena...
5. Any ideas of anything completely different I could do with six egg whites? (Needs to be cooked and carried next door, so not something you'd eat straight after cooking.)

[*] Yeah, a neighbour. Not a friend who lives nearby, an actual neighbour whom I have only met as a result of the geographical proximity in our dwellings. Yeah, in London. No, I didn't think that was allowed either.

Comments

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

I think adding syrup to whipping cream make make it split because of the water; I'd stick to sugar myself. The ganache should be OK with the meringue, I think, although I'm trying and failing to imagine chocolate, ginger and apple as a flavour combination.

You could do macarons instead, sandwiched with chocolate and ginger ganache, or with apple butter (or some of each).

When I have leftover egg whites, I make cocktails, but they're not really make-ahead, and probably don't really count as dessert...

[venta.livejournal.com]

This is the kind of thing I worry about. Chocolate + ginger + apple sounds perfectly sensible to me... But then I used to eat Marmite + honey sandwiches, so I am clearly not to be trusted!

I hadn't thought of macarons, thank you! I've never made them before, though, and I'm not sure of my chance of success on a first attempt!

I used to eat Marmite + honey sandwiches

[stegzy.livejournal.com]

That's just mucky

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you'd say that even if I hadn't put honey in them!

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

My mum used to make a hazelnut meringue, which might suit your requirements as it both felt wintry and came out brown.

I don't think there was Baileys in hers, though, crikey: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/78604/hazelnut-and-baileys-meringue-cake

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hazelnut meringue would be a great answer, except my chap doesn't eat nuts and I've flirted with allergic reactions to hazelnuts before :(

That cake is scary!

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that sounds nice, and would go well with chocolate ganache!

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Well, that sounds perfect. Syrup might make cream too heavy to whip, try a small amount before doing the whole lot. If you make it the same day you'll eat it, probably won't make meringue soggy, and frankly if somebody turned up on my doorstep with that I wouldn't turn them away even if it did have soggy meringue in.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Glad it sounds nice to at least one other person :)

[Андрей Моргунов (from livejournal.com)]

Хороший кораблик

[lathany.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of chocolate, apple and ginger. I'm not good on cookery advice though.

[stegzy.livejournal.com]

1. Does this sound like a terrible idea? - Not sure about the pavlova base for a winter pudding.

2. Will ganache make meringue soggy? - what sushidog says

3. Will whipping cream with syrup work, or will the syrup be too heavy? Cream and syrup not usually a good idea unless it's on ice cream in a sundae

4. Any ideas on the whiteness front? Maybe I should whip the cream with Winter Spiced Ribena...- nooooo

5. Any ideas of anything completely different I could do with six egg whites? (Needs to be cooked and carried next door, so not something you'd eat straight after cooking.) - Yes.

Before I lived with Wife v1.0 who was diabetic, I used to do this pudding my nan taught me. I've made it a few times since but with Wife v2.0 being dairy allergic I don't make it often.

Stew the apples (maybe adding the ginger chocolate if you fancy it) and make a thick custard if you can (add any leftover yolks if you have them). Plop the stewed apples into a baking dish (or several baking dishes) and layer with the custard(which you could put the chocolate ginger in too if you're feeling adventurous). Next whip up the egg whites into stiff peaks adding sugar to make it sweet to taste and stiff. Next gently plop the stiff egg whites on top of the thick custard, sprinkle with more sugar and bake in a nice meringue friendly oven at a nice meringue friendly temperature until golden and brown.

Delicious hot or cold. But not very friendly to diabetics or dairy allergy sufferers.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I like the sound of that pudding - I just wussed out of trying something completely unfamiliar when I was going to inflict the results on others :) Will definitely try it out soon though (I have a lot of apples).

It's worth noting that if you have dairy allergy people around, you can actually make quite decent custard with soya milk (or buy soya custard).

Also I was joking about the Ribena ;)

[shermarama]

My usual solution for leftover egg-whites is chocolate mousse, so something more mousse-based? Or maybe something like this chocolate meringue roulade? Or, I'd look at maybe replacing the apples with cherries, because chocolate and cherry and meringue are a great combination (the ginger would probably sit fine in there too) and canned cherries would be fine for something like that?

[venta.livejournal.com]

As noted above, I was a bit wary of trying something I'd never made before when I was going to make people I don't know well eat it. I did really like the chocolate meringue roulade idea, though, and was nearly won over to it until I realised I didn't have a swiss roll tin of the right dimensions.

I looked around and found some recipes that made a smaller quantity - that would fit a tin I did have - but the recipes were all so very different that I got scared. Especially since making something pliable enough to roll up neatly seemed like something that could go really quite wrong!

I should definitely experiment with roulades, though. I'll get back to you :)

[deborahw37.livejournal.com]

Your Pavlova sounds fan and the Choux Wreath is stunning

I think if you assemble the Pavlova at the last minute all will be well, I'd be inclined to reserve the syrup and drizzle it on before serving. Just sprinkle some chocolate and cinnamon dusting on the cream


And post a piccie!