#102. Pavlova daises with baked Apricots and whipped crème fraîche & yoghurt cream
You know that feeling at the back of your mouth when you eat a sour fizzy sweet or suck on a slice of lemon (a regular pastime…) – the feeling that makes you involuntarily squint, grimace, and pucker your lips? Now imagine that happening every time you eat something such that you look utterly crazed as you try to eat a meal. And then to really cement the freakishness of the situation, you start to grow a third cheek, a sort of hamster pouch at the back of your jaw (just on one side because asymmetry keeps things interesting, doesn’t it?). That’s exactly what happened to me last Saturday and I’m telling you now it was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever experienced, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was a VERY bad sign, but given that it was the weekend, I had to sit tight and ride the hamster wave until Monday morning when I could make a dentist appointment (big thanks to Mum for her constant reassurance that my third cheek wasn’t the beginning of the end).
By Monday it was actually much better, but I still wanted to check in with Mrs Teeth that nothing was exploding in my mouth. She explained that a salivary stone had most likely wedged itself in the salivary duct in my cheek. So every time I put something in my mouth, my salivary gland (that one that lives at the back of my jaw) was pumping out saliva (I’m sure you’re all thoroughly enjoying this detail), as it should to help break down the food, but it couldn’t get through the channel so sort of errr, backed up in the gland (hence the hamster pouch). I’m not going to lie, the science at play here sort of fascinates, me but omg it was so weird and painful. ANYWAY, that was some extra entertainment last weekend – NOT - and my mouth still hurts because apparently that sort of disturbance has a lasting consequence.
In other news… Ok so, it’s a well-known fact that athletes require rest days to aid recovery and repair and whatnot, but I’m thinking this should probably apply to spectators of sport too. I feel like I need a holiday after this first week of Olympics action – the adrenaline and excitement has been something else. To be clear, I am NOT complaining, I’ve had the most fabulous week tuning in from 6:45 each morning to well into the evening, I’ve been totally swept along with the wave of hope, joy (sometimes despair and sorrow), but also euphoria and ultimately love - I can’t wait for the next 7 days of fun. I’ve also felt so inspired… I’m contemplating a late come back to sport, maybe in another event; triathlon, swimming, gymnastics, just give me a couple of weeks, I reckon I’d be up to it! (spoiler, I wouldn’t, I did some lunges in the gym on Monday and every time I sit down, I feel like someone’s punching me in the thighs!)
My Olympic highlights from week 1 -
Everything about Simone Biles - her strength and bravery, her smile, her performances - QUEEN!
Commentary from Clare Balding, Becky Addlington and Mark Foster - their energy and enthusiasm is infectious.
Adam Peaty - quality athlete, great performance against the odds - I so hope he goes on for another Olympic cycle.
The French ICON Léon Marchand - I’m obsessed with this guy, champion swimmer and just the coolest kid in town. The BBC informs me he’s nicknamed ‘La Baguette’ which is also VERY on brand over here!
Tom Daley - delightful human, astonishing performance - as with Peaty, I hope he keeps going!
… also enjoyed thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the diving!
Both the male and female triathlons - these races looked utterly brutal but also, I felt totally inspired. I really fancy a go at triathlon although the swimming terrifies me - how the athletes swam against the Seine’s current I do not know, I swear I’d have needed water wings and a snorkel!
The British Women’s quadruple skulls - they won by a fingernail - thrilling race! The men’s eight was similarly impressive!
Every Murray/Evans match and every Nadal/Alcaraz match - both were wonderful displays of sporting class, camaraderie and joy!
Aside from mouth-gate and Olympic chat -
I can’t get enough of the sunshine - I just LOVE the warm weather - it smells like holiday which gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. I also very much enjoy ‘keeping hydrated*’ with fruity, icy delights; melon, frozen fruit, ice cream, fro-yo and sorbet have been the big hitters this week.
* (my justification for eating these things in excess!)
…as SOON as I put on a clean top, I drop food down it and the harder I try to stay clean, the clumsier I am with food drippage - I really MUST invest in an apron!
I’m reading Lessons in Chemistry again and I’m loving it as much, if not more than, the first time around! SUCH A GOOD BOOK!
I made some impromptu custard tarts on Thursday morning and tried to be clever by making a ‘new and improved’ sweet pastry (words we NEVER like to hear from a supermarket or from my own mouth as it turns out) as well as a lemon infused pastry cream - both were totally underwhelming which left me grumpy! The pastry was quite nice, it was superbly short - it had that melt in the mouth quality - and was delicately scented with lemon… but it lacked something and I’m not quite sure what, I think it missed some crunch! I’ve been on a quest to find a perfect super-rich and short pâte sablée style pastry for a while, I’m yet to land on my version of perfection, but I’ll let you know when I do. Meanwhile, the pastry cream - well, lemon infused pastry cream doesn’t crop up much and there’s a very good reason for that - it doesn’t taste great! If you want something creamy and lemony, make a lemon posset, lemon curd or set lemon tart! I also didn’t cook the pastry cream for long enough so ended up with soupy custard! Altogether this was a fail… ‘you live, you learn’ as they say, but also #annoying!
On the plus side, I made a very spontaneous, focaccia on Saturday that despite my random approach to it (I forgot about it half way through, faffed with it too much in the tin and accidentally baked it too high so the crust looked DARK) ended up being one of the best focaccia’s I’ve made - it was a plain affair - just oily and salty, and I’m now angry at myself for not paying better attention to what I did… I find instances like this slightly heartbreaking - when you make something really great and can’t be 100% sure what you did!
I also made cheese scones on Monday, a lovely little mango and coconut Swiss roll that I’m hoping to share with you next week AND my take on ‘Pavlova daisies’ which I’ve got all the details for below - they are so delicious and summery, and they just make you smile because they’re sunshine in dessert form, I so hope you like them!
Right, I think that’s about everything I have to report - I hope you’ve all had a lovely week!
Sending my love as always,
Steph X X X
Pavlova daises with baked Apricots, whipped crème fraîche & yoghurt cream.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think there is a summer dessert that rivals meringue paired with creamy stuff and fruit. It’s so simple yet elegant and comforting on every level. This recipe barely needs any introduction, but I’ll give you a quick overview, nonetheless.
First up, I’ve given you my take on a GOOD meringue - special mention to Nicola (Lamb) for the flower shape inspo - it’s got crunch and a bit of chew, it’s pearly white and it’s yum! Then we have my baked apricot recipe - I HATE to toot my own horn, but these are such a knockout - they taste wonderful paired with the tangy cream and crunchy, chewy meringue but also… omg, upgrade your porridge (yes porridge in summer is still a vibe) and top it with these jammy jewels and some yoghurt - it’s a heavenly combo! Finally, the creamy element has some tang from the yoghurt and crème fraîche which cuts through the sweetness of the meringue perfectly.
ENJOY!
Pavlova flowers
Ingredients
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Comfort Chronicles to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.