Daring Bakers Challenge: Chocolate Pavlovas With Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard

I won’t ever forget the day that I made these pavlovas. I got laid off from my job, and they were there to greet me when I got home. Chocolate certainly has a soothing quality, and this double chocolate dessert (with cream on top) definitely eased my pain. The meringue cookies are soft and chocolatey inside, the chocolate mousse is bittersweet, and the crème anglaise adds the perfect touch of sweetness.

I’ll be taking a hiatus from blogging for a few weeks. When I return, I will most likely have a lot more time to spend baking and visiting everyone’s lovely blogs! So I leave you with this doozy of a dessert for chocolate lovers.

The pavlova dessert was named after ballerina Anna Pavlova. She is most recognized for her role as The Dying Swan. And rightly so, as her performance is enthralling. I attempted to honor Miss Pavlova by fashioning a tutu out of the dessert ingredients.

Not quite as fabulous as I had hoped, but if you squint really hard you might see the resemblance! The meringue pictured below decided to grow a swan neck of its own.

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

There were four components to make for this challenge: chocolate meringue cookies, mascarpone cheese, chocolate mascarpone mousse, and crème anglaise. It sounds daunting, but all the pieces came together easily and relatively quickly. They’re all delicious on their own and the crème anglaise makes an excellent ice cream base!

The changes I made are as follows: omitting alcohol and citrus. I don’t like the combination of citrus and chocolate. So for the sake of edibility, I omitted the lemon zest and orange juice from the original recipe.

Chocolate Meringue Cookies (Pavlovas)
Yield: 12 cookies (more or less, depending on size and shape)

3 egg whites
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 200° F. Make sure that the rack(s) you will be baking the cookies on are as close to the center of the oven as possible. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Add the egg whites to the bowl of your mixer and mix on medium speed with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. This will take a few minutes, so be patient!

Increase the mixer speed to high and begin to add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while the mixer is going. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Again, this may take a while. This whole process took about 15 minutes for me. The egg whites should be firm but still moist. If you rub some of the meringue between your fingers, it should be smooth. If you can still feel the grainy sugar, continue to beat until all the sugar dissolves.

Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients. It will seem too dry at first, but as you continue to fold everything will come together.

Fill a pastry bag with the meringue and pipe it onto the cookie sheets, or free form it in any shape you desire.

Bake the meringues for about 2 hours, or until they are dry and crisp. The outside of the cookies will form a hard shell. When the meringues are done, turn off the oven and crack the door. Let them sit inside until cool. This should prevent the meringues from cracking.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse
This recipe makes far more mousse than you will need for the pavlovas, but it’s delicious by the spoonful!

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used organic whipping cream)
9 ounces dark chocolate (preferably 72%), chopped
1 2/3 cups mascarpone
pinch of nutmeg

In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of the cream over medium high heat. When it comes to a boil, add the chocolate and stir constantly until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl, and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the mascarpone, nutmeg, and the remaining cup of cream. Beat with the whisk attachment on low speed until well combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Do not overbeat, as the cream may break (and you’ll have butter, but that’s not what we’re after here)!

Add about 1/4 of the mascarpone whipped cream into the melted chocolate and stir until combined. Fold in the remaining cream mixture until well incorporated. You can use a pastry bag to apply the mousse to the pavlovas, or just dollop it on top with a spoon.

Mascarpone Cream
Yield: Lots! This is half of the recipe provided, and still makes enough to drizzle over all the pavlovas plus make some delicious ice cream.

1 recipe crème anglaise (see below)
1/4 cup mascarpone
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used organic whipping cream)

Prepare the crème anglaise as directed below. After passing the cream through the sieve, allow it to cool on the counter for about 15 minutes. Gently whisk in the mascarpone, and allow the mixture to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Whip the heavy cream with a mixer until it forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled crème anglaise.

Crème Anglaise

1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns a pale yellow.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, cream, and vanilla extract until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat. Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan, and place the pan back over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon as the mixture heats.

When it is thick enough to lightly coat the back of your spoon, remove it from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh sieve. If you are continuing with the recipe, follow the mascarpone cream instructions above. If not, cover and refrigerate the crème anglaise until chilled.

To assemble the dessert: use your creativity to pipe or spoon the mousse on top of the pavlovas. Drizzle mascarpone cream over the top and enjoy!