Recipes from friends:
Valentine’s Day 2020

You know love is in the air when we start breaking out the Pavlova!

Keeping with tradition, the Chef Works® blog is once again posting a Valentine’s Day recipe. Of course, you don’t need to make these just for today. These are recipes you can take with you all through year — whether you’re dating, single, married or just want a treat.

We turned to Chef Summer Schott, friend of the Chef Works® blog and corporate executive pastry chef for Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, for a recipe that is going to melt hearts and taste buds.

Schott previously appeared on the Chef Works® blog as part of our Talk of the Town feature on Columbus, Ohio last August. She was kind enough to come back and provide us with this amazing recipe.

“Pavlova is a traditional dessert that was created and named after the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova in the 1920s, so it’s fun to bring it back in the 2020s,” Schott said. “Its base is a light, crisp meringue with a soft center. For the Valentine’s Day feature, we crack the meringue and fill it with soft truffle like dark chocolate ganache filling and fresh berries. Then it is topped with a strawberry mousse and other fun garnishes so it is full of color and surprises when you crack into it.

“This is the perfect, shareable dessert for Valentine’s Day and is a different approach to the usual chocolate desserts we see. If you are making it at home, you can even pipe your meringue into a heart shape.”

This is definitely one of the more intensive recipes we’ve ever published on the Chef Works® blog – requiring multiple side projects to create the Pavlova, ganache, strawberry mousse and raspberry shortbread.

But we’re confident the end result is worth the effort yourself or to share with that special someone.

We also understand that this recipe can be a bit overwhelming for some. So if you don’t want to go through the full process, Chef Summer recommends only making one or two elements — such as the meringue and mousse or ganache with fresh berries.

Thanks to Chef Summer and the team at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants!

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VALENTINE’S DAY PAVLOVA

Pavolva
6 each

3 oz egg whites
¼ tsp kosher salt
6 oz sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp vanilla extract

1. Whip egg whites with salt until foaming soft peak.
2. Slowly add half of the sugar while whipping to medium peak.
3. Mix cornstarch and reaming sugar and whip to firm peak.
4. Add vanilla and whip until incorporated.
5. Scoop with 3 oz scoop onto sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 275 low fan for 60 mins or until crunchy on most of the outside with a soft center.
7. Cool and store in air tight container.
8. Dust raspberry powder in desired shape on plate with stencil or freely.
9. Place Pavlova on plate and crack a hole in the top with a spoon.
10. Spoon in warm or room temp ganache and add some berries inside as well.
11. Place a quenelle of strawberry mousse on top of pavlova.
12. Garnish with more berries, broken shortbread crumble, and chocolate pearls as desired.

Ganache 
2 cups

9 oz heavy cream
10.5 oz bittersweet chocolate (55%)
2 ½ Tbs unsalted butter

1. Heat cream just to a scald, do not boil.
2. Pour cream over chocolate and butter that has been cut into small pieces
3. Whisk till evenly combined and then pour into container to set.

Strawberry Mousse
1 Quart

3 each Silver Gelatin Sheets
1 cup cold water to bloom gelatin
12 oz Strawberry Puree
2 cup Heavy cream
2 oz powdered sugar

(red food color optional for brighter color)

1. Bloom gelatin in cold water, then remove and squeeze out excess water.
2. Heat half of the puree until just hot then add gelatin while stirring.
3. Once gelatin has dissolved, remove from heat and add your remaining cold puree. And cool.
4. Whip cream and powdered sugar to medium peaks.
5. Fold cooled puree mixture into whipped cream until it is one color.
6. Let mousse cool and set up for several hours or overnight.

Raspberry Shortbread
1/4 sheet tray

6 oz unsalted butter
4.5 oz sugar
1 Tbs freeze dried raspberry powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
7 oz flour
1 tsp red food color

1. Blend all ingredients in mixer until it becomes a solid dough
2. Press out onto a parchment lined half sheet tray.
3. Bake 300 low fan for 25 – 30 mins.
4. Let cool and break into crumbles.
5. Store in airtight half quart containers and freeze

Assembly of Valentines Day Pavlova

1 Pavlova or meringue
2 Tbs Raspberry Short bread
3 Tbs Mixed Berries
3 Tbs Ganache
2 Tbs Strawberry Mousse
1 tsp Chocolate Pearl Crisps for Garnish
Freeze Dried Raspberry Powder for Garnish

1. Dust raspberry powder in desired shape on plate with stencil or freely.
2. Place Pavlova on plate and crack a hole in the top with a spoon.
3. Spoon in warm or room temp ganache and add some berries inside as well.
4. Place a quenelle of strawberry mousse on top of pavlova.
5. Garnish with more berries, broken shortbread crumble, and chocolate pearls as desired.

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If you prefer savory to sweet, you might like last year’s Valentine’s Day recipe for Scallop and Garlic Chive Dumplings, courtesy of Chef Nick Tall.