Martha's Minions: Pavlova
I am not a big alumnist and I am not a big joiner. I don't feel warmth when I reflect upon Cayuga's waters, and I don't regret the move to avoid all things sororital. You'll have to make a good case to get me to go to college reunion (though there's something I love about my high school reunions...maybe it's the fact that our bonds go deeper, into carpools and siblings, first kisses, loves lost, and those that might just rekindle if the guys could just lose the extra 50 they gained since they stopped playing soccer).
That said, I have a bottomless pit of alumni love when I think about my colleagues from the countries top finishing school for professional domestic artists.
Yes, we women and gay men of Martha Stewart Living have a special bond; some call it post-traumatic stress disorder, while others reflect upon our Omnimedimoment as the time when standards were lifted, inflated, gilded and varnished in the pursuit of all things beautiful and useful.
For a short but powerful 2 years, I was part of a team of people behind Martha, creating flower pot cakes, styling those lick-the-page photos, and figuring out how to create your own mother's day bonnet using licorice, dental floss, lilac blossoms and a glue gun.
Martha's White-on-White Birthday Cake? My friend Sarah made it! Ms. Stewart's Summer Berry Cobbler? C'etait moi! Perfect Petifores? Created by that smooth talker Johnny Beezers.
Martha (and by this I mean the company, not the woman) ventures up to RISD, various culinary schools, and the country of Brazil to handpick creative minds and hard workers who want to find an office where they can play hard. People who would have been just as happy churning butter, or sitting in a sewing circle, but have taken it to the next level.
People who work for Martha eventually leave the company, and go on to work for competing TV shows or magazines. Since Martha (the caterer, the media company, the brand) has been around for more than 2 decades, you can't show up at a new gig without there being at least one Martha person in the room.
I recently found myself on a shoot with a magnetic cameraman who had worked for Martha in the nineties. Though we didn't overlap, we knew the same people and the same culture, and could communicate in Martha-ese the way my grandparents spoke in Yiddish. This came in handy when I was fumbling my way through a short segment about an herb bouquet, and couldn't figure out how to bring it all together.
It was the first shot of long day, standing in the cold, and I was taking up valuable team time with my fumbling. Magno, increasingly frustrated, put down his camera, walked over to me and said quietly, "Allison: it's just a "Good Thing". You know what you're doing. Do it."
And then: an instant click, the way a jujitsu student can execute a move he's practiced a zillion times before without even thinking. Suddently I had the concept, the words, the cadence, the segment. And that was a Good Thing.
Pavlova
By Allison Fishman, The Wooden Spoon
Although Pavlova's roots are Australian, this feminine, dainty dessert always feels very Martha-like to me. Easy, elegant, but interesting with a varied texture and layered flavors, this dessert is built to be customized (vary the berry toppings with other fruits, the whipped cream with lemon curd, etc. etc.), and is perfect for Mother's Day, or Ladies Who Lunch.
Makes 10 to 12 filled cups.
For meringues:
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup superfine sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For topping:
2 pints berries
Zest of 1 lemon
Sugar, as needed
2 cups chilled whipping cream
1. For the meringues: Heat oven to 200F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add egg whites. Beat on medium-low speed with whisk attachment until frothy; add cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium high, and when thick and voluminous, add 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. Continue beating at medium speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. Turn to medium-low and add remaining sugar.
3. Portion beaten egg whites by the heaping quarter-cupful, and dollop onto the baking sheets (approximately 5 to 6 per sheet). Use the bottom of a tablespoon to “hollow out” the meringues; bake 1 1/2 hours. Turn the oven off and let meringues cool for a few hours in the oven (this will continue to dehydrate the meringues).
4. Meanwhile, combine berries, lemon zest and sweeten with sugar, as needed. Set aside, for at least 15 minutes. Beat whipping cream until doubled in volume, and take to soft or firm peaks as per your preference.
5. To assemble: Just before serving (as the meringues will sog if they sit), place each meringue on a dessert plate, top with whipped cream and berries and serve.
That said, I have a bottomless pit of alumni love when I think about my colleagues from the countries top finishing school for professional domestic artists.
Yes, we women and gay men of Martha Stewart Living have a special bond; some call it post-traumatic stress disorder, while others reflect upon our Omnimedimoment as the time when standards were lifted, inflated, gilded and varnished in the pursuit of all things beautiful and useful.
For a short but powerful 2 years, I was part of a team of people behind Martha, creating flower pot cakes, styling those lick-the-page photos, and figuring out how to create your own mother's day bonnet using licorice, dental floss, lilac blossoms and a glue gun.
Martha's White-on-White Birthday Cake? My friend Sarah made it! Ms. Stewart's Summer Berry Cobbler? C'etait moi! Perfect Petifores? Created by that smooth talker Johnny Beezers.
Martha (and by this I mean the company, not the woman) ventures up to RISD, various culinary schools, and the country of Brazil to handpick creative minds and hard workers who want to find an office where they can play hard. People who would have been just as happy churning butter, or sitting in a sewing circle, but have taken it to the next level.
People who work for Martha eventually leave the company, and go on to work for competing TV shows or magazines. Since Martha (the caterer, the media company, the brand) has been around for more than 2 decades, you can't show up at a new gig without there being at least one Martha person in the room.
I recently found myself on a shoot with a magnetic cameraman who had worked for Martha in the nineties. Though we didn't overlap, we knew the same people and the same culture, and could communicate in Martha-ese the way my grandparents spoke in Yiddish. This came in handy when I was fumbling my way through a short segment about an herb bouquet, and couldn't figure out how to bring it all together.
It was the first shot of long day, standing in the cold, and I was taking up valuable team time with my fumbling. Magno, increasingly frustrated, put down his camera, walked over to me and said quietly, "Allison: it's just a "Good Thing". You know what you're doing. Do it."
And then: an instant click, the way a jujitsu student can execute a move he's practiced a zillion times before without even thinking. Suddently I had the concept, the words, the cadence, the segment. And that was a Good Thing.
Pavlova
By Allison Fishman, The Wooden Spoon
Although Pavlova's roots are Australian, this feminine, dainty dessert always feels very Martha-like to me. Easy, elegant, but interesting with a varied texture and layered flavors, this dessert is built to be customized (vary the berry toppings with other fruits, the whipped cream with lemon curd, etc. etc.), and is perfect for Mother's Day, or Ladies Who Lunch.
Makes 10 to 12 filled cups.
For meringues:
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup superfine sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For topping:
2 pints berries
Zest of 1 lemon
Sugar, as needed
2 cups chilled whipping cream
1. For the meringues: Heat oven to 200F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add egg whites. Beat on medium-low speed with whisk attachment until frothy; add cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium high, and when thick and voluminous, add 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. Continue beating at medium speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about 4 minutes. Turn to medium-low and add remaining sugar.
3. Portion beaten egg whites by the heaping quarter-cupful, and dollop onto the baking sheets (approximately 5 to 6 per sheet). Use the bottom of a tablespoon to “hollow out” the meringues; bake 1 1/2 hours. Turn the oven off and let meringues cool for a few hours in the oven (this will continue to dehydrate the meringues).
4. Meanwhile, combine berries, lemon zest and sweeten with sugar, as needed. Set aside, for at least 15 minutes. Beat whipping cream until doubled in volume, and take to soft or firm peaks as per your preference.
5. To assemble: Just before serving (as the meringues will sog if they sit), place each meringue on a dessert plate, top with whipped cream and berries and serve.
posted by Allison Fishman Task at 9:15 AM
1 Comments:
Yuuu-uum. I made the lemon curd today and was researching to figure out if the pavlova would be better with out without the whipped cream under the curd, and found your site...very cool.
Post a Comment
<< Home