SOFT SWEET SCRUMPTIOUS CLOUDS

Soufflés are the first things we think of when we think of light-as-a feather foods. Pavlovas quickly follow. And then there are the feather-light cakes and pancakes to consider. Here are the lightest, most beautiful, dreamy treats we could find right now. And they are gorgeous!

CLASSIC PAVLOVA  --  ALICE MEDRICH

While this recipe is a classic, Alice Medrich recreates it with exceptional beauty and grace. And she has a few tricks up her sleeve that will ensure feathery perfection for you.

Classic Pavlova

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar, preferably superfine
• 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar or ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 ½ pints strawberries, 2 half pints raspberries, blackberries, or other berries, or about 3 cups sliced peaches, nectarines, or kiwis (or a mixture)

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven for a single large pavlova, or in the upper and lower thirds for individual pavlovas, and preheat the oven to 275°F. Trace a dark 7-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper and flip it over on the baking sheet. Or, for individual pavlovas, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the meringue: If your sugar is not superfine, spin it in the food processor for 15 seconds. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together thoroughly.

Combine the egg whites and the vinegar or cream of tartar in a large clean, dry bowl and beat at medium-high speed (with a stand mixer) or at high speed (with a handheld mixer) until the egg whites are creamy white and hold a soft shape when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the sugar mixture a heaping teaspoon at a time, taking 2 ½  to 3 minutes in all; you should have a very stiff, creamy meringue.

• For a single large pavlova, scrape the meringue onto the traced circle and use a long metal spatula or a rubber spatula to sculpt the mass into a low dome—smooth or swirly, it’s up to you. Bake the pavlova for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until it is golden brown with a distinct pinkish-beige hue and feels crusty on the surface, though it will be marshmallowy inside. If it’s cracked on the surface, that’s okay.​
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• For 8 individual pavlovas, scoop 4 equal portions of the meringue onto each lined baking sheet, spaced well apart. Sculpt each portion into a small dome, about 4K inches in diameter. Bake for 1 hour, until the pavlovas are golden pink and crusty on the surface and marshmallowy within, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time.

Set the baking sheet(s) on a rack to cool completely (pavlovas may sink a little). If you are not serving the pavlova(s) the same day, cover the meringue(s) loosely and leave at room temperature; it keeps for several days.

To assemble the dessert: Beat the cream, with the vanilla, if using, until it is almost stiff. Top meringues with whipped cream and garnish with the fruit.

Credit: “Excerpted from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2012. Used with permission.

SOUR CREAM SOUFFLÉS -- ALICE MEDRICH

While Alice Medrich’s Sour Cream Soufflés are brilliant in the “pure” form, as a beautiful cloud of simple soft tang, her chocolate-laced and berry-bottomed variations just plain sent us over the edge.

Sour Cream Soufflés

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• Softened unsalted butter and sugar for coating the ramekins
• One 8-ounce container sour cream
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon, orange, or tangerine zest
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 5 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

Equipment:

• Six 6-ounce ramekins
• Baking sheet
• Electric mixer

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter and sugar the ramekins and place them on the baking sheet.

Combine the sour cream, egg yolks, flour, salt, vanilla, and citrus zest in a large bowl and stir until blended.

With the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in another large clean, dry bowl at medium speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat at high speed until the whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold about one-quarter of the egg whites into the sour cream mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

Divide the batter among the ramekins, filling them nearly full. (The unbaked soufflés can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Sprinkle the top of each soufflé with sugar. Bake the soufflés for 15 to 18 minutes (or a couple of minutes longer if the soufflés have been chilled), until they are puffed and slightly golden brown. Serve immediately, with sauce, if desired.

Variations:

Chocolate-Laced Sour Cream Soufflés

Omit the citrus zest. Fold ¼ cup chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate into the batter with the egg whites. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra chocolate. Increase the baking time by a couple of minutes.

Sour Cream Soufflés with Berries on the Bottom

After buttering and sugaring the ramekins, drop 5 or 6 raspberries, or 4 or 5 blackberries or boysenberries, into each one; they should fit loosely, with space between them. Sprinkle a generous ½ teaspoon sugar over the berries in each ramekin. Proceed as directed above.

Credit: “Excerpted from Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2012. Used with permission.

THOMAS KELLER’S CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ

Jennifer, of Seasons and Suppers, took a crack at making Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Soufflé and she did it proud.

She also found that she could make them ahead of time, a definite advantage for these feather light deep dark beauties.

Jennifer offers some great tips for soufflé success! You can find them on her site, Seasons and Suppers. Be sure to check out the Thomas Keller's Chocolate Soufflé as well! It's to die for – you must take a look at the recipe.

FEATHERLITE PANCAKES -- ROSA PARKS

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks had a favorite pancake recipe: Featherlite Pancakes. She wrote and kept it on the back of an envelope that was recently discovered amidst a cache of her personal papers in the Detroit house where she lived.

Here is the recipe as it appears on that envelope:

Featherlite Pancakes

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 c flour
• 2 Tbs baking powder
• ½ tsp table salt
• 2 Tbs sugar

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 c milk
• 1/3 c peanut butter
• 1 Tbs shortening, melted, or oil

Directions:

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until mixed evenly.

Cook at 275 degrees F on heated griddle.

NUTMEG FEATHER CAKE -- PENZEYS

Penzeys is a fabulous purveyor of high quality spices. They’ve got a heavenly way to use their intensely flavored nutmeg: Nutmeg Feather Cake.

Nutmeg Feather Cake

• 1/4 Cup butter
• 1/4 Cup shortening
• 11/2 Cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 Cups sifted cake flou
• 1-2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Cup buttermilk

Caramel Frosting:

• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1 Cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 Cup milk
• 2 Cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans and line with cut-out wax paper or parchment circles (may also use a greased 9x13 pan). In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.

In another bowl sift together the flour, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition.

Divide between the cake pans and bake at 350° for 30 minutes (40 for a 9x13) until springy and golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, turn carefully out of the pans, then let cool completely before frosting.

The caramel frosting is awesome, but tricky the first few times you make it. The cream cheese frosting on page 16 is also awesome and quite easy.

Frosting: Making this icing successfully relies on stirring and watching continuously and having everything on hand and ready to go so you don't stop to search for or measure an item. The sugar can granulate out, leaving tasty but gritty frosting, or it can turn very hard. You need the cake ready to be iced before you start.

Place a large bowl half-filled with cold water in the fridge. Have your hand mixer ready. Heat the butter in a small saucepan until melted. Stir in the brown sugar. Heat to boiling over medium, stirring constantly. This will take 5-10 minutes; the bubbles will be big and lazy.

When you see them, reduce the heat to low and let it boil, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in the milk. Heat to boiling again (bump the heat up to medium if necessary) and then remove from the heat right away and cool to warm, stirring.

This takes just a few minutes. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar. At this point you will switch from stirring to beating. Remove the pan of water from the refrigerator; place the saucepan of frosting in the bowl of cold water.

Be careful not to splash water into the pan. Add the vanilla. Beat on high until smooth and of spreading consistency. If the frosting becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. We ended up stirring in about 2 TB. extra milk for very shiny, smooth frosting.

Frost the cake as soon as you stop beating, and be quick and efficient about it, not too much fussing, because it hardens as it cools. It is obviously easier to frost a 9x13 pan, but you should be able to nicely frost the layer cake before the frosting hardens. This may sound daunting, but it is worth for the amazing caramel flavor.

Serves: 16

Read more about Soft Beauty all this week on BeautifulNow, including Soft Places to Land, Soft Furry Feathered Beauties, The Beauty of Soft Dawns, Soft Grey Inspiration, and A Beautiful New Kind of Cloud. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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PHOTO CREDITS: 

1. Photo: by Sang An. Classic Pavlova. From Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich.
2. Photo: by  Sang An. Sour Cream Soufflés. From Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich.
3. Photo: by Jennifer M. Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Souffle. Chocolate Souffle.
4. Photo: Courtesy of Andreas Lindmark. Featherlite pancakes.
5. Photo: Courtesy of Penzeys. Nutmeg Feather Cake.
6. Photo: By steve mcnicholas. “Clouds Forming.”