End of Christmas.

Christmas has officially ended for me. :(

My Christmas Floral Arrangement!

My sister picked the flowers. (:

This was quite a challenge. The flowers were tall and it would be a pity to cut it short but I had to use the shorter vase because my sister's taller vase was broken by the workers that renovated her house.

It was a delicate balancing act to make it stand since there was no pebbles to hold it up. I decided to use the stems and leaves and I cheated by using the ribbon to tie and hold it together.

It worked. (:

Christmas Baking!

:D IT'S CHRISTMAS SOON! :D

I adore Christmas season. They make people happy and it is such a joyous period. (:

When it is Christmas, I am free to bake and I love baking Pavlova the most because the meringue is just so pretty!

Pretty meringue! So Shiny. (:

Dusted with dark cocoa! Beautiful, isn't it?

Fat Pavy in the making!

Fattest Pavlova I ever made!

Before the collapse...

After the collapse!

Pavlova with the topping. Pity that the picture isn't that sharp. :(

Close up!

Even more close up :D

iNGREDIENTS

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FOR THE CHOCOLATE MERINGUE BASE:

• 6 egg whites
• 300g caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sieved
• 1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
• 50g dark chocolate, finely chopped

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 500ml double cream
• 500g raspberries
• 2-3 tablespoons coarsely grated dark chocolate

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 23cm in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150°C/gas mark 2 and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.
3. When you're ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate's rim.

Serves: 8-10.

Recipe posted by Nigell

Taken from Nigella's Website.

Video tutorial! ^^