The Chefs are:  Don & Mary Ann Mayer

This classic berry pavlova recipe filled with lemon whipped cream filling and garnished with assorted summer berries.

Pavlova (named after the ballerina Anna Pavlova) is a crisp,

yet soft meringue shell, fresh fruit topping, and some variety of whipped cream filling.

 Meringue Ingredients:

• 4large egg whites room temperature
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1cup (200 g) fine caster or granulated sugar
• ½teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2teaspoons cornstarch
• 1teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Berry Filling:

• 1¼cups (300 mL) heavy whipping cream cold
• 3tablespoons high-quality store-bought or homemade lemon curd
• 1teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• zestof 1 lemon
• 2cups fresh mixed berries such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
• confectioner’s sugar for garnishing (optional)

Instructions 

Prepare the Meringue Shell: Preheat your oven to 275°F with a rack in the center position. Using parchment paper, trace a 8-inch diameter circle on the paper with a pencil. Flip the parchment paper over, so that the pencil side is facing down.

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl. Whisk over medium speed until the egg whites soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high. Slowly add the sugar, sprinkling in one tablespoon at a time, and continue beating for roughly 3 minutes. Continue to whisk over high speed until the meringue mixture reaches stiff peaks and is glossy, an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract, cornstarch and lemon juice, and whisk on high speed for an additional minute until well combined. Fold with a spatula to ensure that all the ingredients are incorporated well.

Gently transfer the meringue to the center of the circle on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Smooth the meringue into a thick disk using the edges of the circle as a rough guide. The meringue should be roughly about 2½ to 3 inches tall.

Bake the meringue until crisp, pale in color, and dry to touch, roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door. Allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 to 1½ hours. It should be crisp, dry to touch, and have a slightly cracked appearance.

 Prepare the lemon berry filling: Just before serving, place the chilled heavy cream in a clean bowl and beat the cream, starting at a low speed and gradually increasing to high, until it reaches soft peaks. Using a spatula, fold in the lemon curd, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

 Carefully transfer the meringue shell to a flat serving platter; meringues are very fragile, so you may want to use the parchment paper to do this or alternatively, serve it on the sheet pan. Top the meringue with the lemon curd cream, followed by the mixed berries, and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve in large scoops. Pavlova is best enjoyed the day it is baked, as meringue will gain moisture and lose its crispness with time; leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Lime Meringue Pie
Kevin Donnelly

Having a lime tree in my backyard, I am very fond of lime desserts, including my Key Lime Pie. For this Mini-Tasting, I chose to take a Lemon Meringue Pie recipe, and substitute limes for the lemons.

Ingredients

• Homemade Pie Crust*
• 5 large egg yolks(use the whites in the meringue below)
• 1 1/3 cups (320ml) water
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh Lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. lime zest
• 2 Tbsp. (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

Meringue

• 5 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making Lime meringue pie. I always make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
2. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Partially blind bakey our pie crust. (Follow blind baking instructions through step 9.) Tip: You can get started on the Lime meringue pie filling steps while your crust is blind baking. But making the filling is time sensitive because you will temper the egg yolks, so if multi-tasking isn’t your thing, just wait until your crust is done blind baking before beginning the filling.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
4. Watch the video above to see how I work through each of the following steps.
5. Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, Lime juice, and Lime zest together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will be thin and cloudy, then eventually begin thickening and bubbling after about 6 minutes. Once thickened, give it a whisk and reduce heat to low.
6. Temper the egg yolks: Very slowly stream a few large spoonful’s of warm Lime mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn heat back up to medium. Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. See my video above as an example. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter. Spread filling into the warm partially baked crust. Set aside as you prepare the meringue. (Don’t let the filling cool down too much as you want a warm filling when you top with the meringue in step 7. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.)
7. Make the meringue: With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Spread meringue on top of filling. (I like to make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon. See video above.) Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meringue is browned on top. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
9. Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Lime meringue pie tastes best on day 1 because it doesn’t keep very well. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. Best to enjoy right away.

Shrimp, Bean & Leek Stew

Ingredients
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp.
lemon juice
1 tsp. sweet or smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb. peeled, deveined large shrimp
(tails removed)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 large bunch of leeks, trimmed and
halved lengthwise, white and green
parts sliced crosswise 1/2-inch
thick (or 1 large onion, minced)
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans or
other white beans, rinsed
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions
COMBINE lemon zest, paprika, garlic, 3/4 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss
to coat.

MELT butter over medium-high heat
in large pot.

ADD shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2-3 minutes.

TRANSFER shrimp to plate using aslotted spoon; set aside.

ADD leeks, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until leaks are soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

ADD beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil over high.

LOWER heat and simmer, 8-10 minutes.

STIR in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, parsley and lemon juice.

SEASON with salt and pepper.

—Recipe courtesy
OCWS member Janet Peal