Garden Party...part 2

My friend, Susan from Savoring Time in the Kitchen is hosting a Garden Party at her blog this weekend so please CLICK HERE to see her party as well as all the other's joining in. Susan was the first person to show me Rooguchi clematis and I fell in love...I just planted this one this spring and isn't it a beauty?
The gardens are especially beautiful right now with the daylilies blooming...
and butterflies flitting about.
The wildflower border is blooming and all the annuals are bright spots of color.
At this time of year, unless it is extremely hot or raining, I eat all my meals outdoors.
After all the physical work in the gardens I was really hungry so I made a huge old fashioned meat & potatoes meal for supper. I set the table with my Kitchen Garden dishes and we started with a salad.

Sides were grilled fresh beets and new little red potatoes which I guess aren't techinically roots but tubers but there isn't a bowl for that ;)
Nothing dainty about the size of our steaks...so obviously no dessert...
unless you count the candy corn vine...
or the pineapple lilies.
By this morning, I was second guessing posting this meal for my garden party since obviously there are no recipes involved. So today I decided to try a summer recipe I have wanted to make for awhile. I set a more intimate table in the satellite gazebo...
where we dined by candlelight.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or as we say in MN, Supper - they all taste so much better when eaten in good company.
I brought the "Minnesota Nice" to the blogger garden party...
and made my first Pavlova! With a dessert like this we wanted a simple supper so Jeff fired up the grill and
we had a hot dog and mini peppers. Had to save room for dessert after all ;)
Dessert was not picture perfect but sure tasted great! We savored every forkful as...we watched some more goldies...
and bluejays attend the party.


Pavlova with Berries and Whipped Cream - recipe from our local newspaper columnist, Sue Doeden

4 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch, sifted
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pints fresh berries of your choice
Extra powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet with no sides. Draw a 9- or 10-inch circle on the parchment, using a plate as your guide. Turn the paper over so the drawing is on the bottom. It will show through the parchment.

Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. If you are using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites at low speed until they are very foamy. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add superfine sugar, beating until the sugar is dissolved after each addition. Beat the mixture 5 to 10 minutes, until it is very shiny and thick. Fold in cornstarch and vinegar.

Spread meringue mixture into the marked circle on parchment paper. Use the back of a spoon to shape evenly, spreading meringue to the sides and leaving a slight depression in the middle, similar to a nest. Run the flat side of a knife up the edge of meringue mixture, all the way around, making furrows. This strengthens the Pavlova and gives it a nice decorative finish.

Bake the meringue in preheated 250-degree oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven. Leave Pavlova to cool in the oven with door slightly ajar. It will take at least 2 hours for the Pavlova to cool completely.

Use a wide metal spatula to carefully loosen the baked meringue shell from the parchment paper. Slide the meringue onto a cake platter.

An hour before serving, beat heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until firm.

Spoon sweetened whipped cream into the meringue shell and spread evenly. Spoon berries carefully over the whipped cream, leaving a border of cream and meringue. Sprinkle the Pavlova with powdered sugar just before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

The full article and link to the recipe can be found HERE.

I will definitely make this one again!

Marsha - Thumbs UP
Jeff - Thumbs UP