Yummy Coco Nutty Pavlova Log Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Mix the spread. In a bowl add cream cheese, sour cream and Hidden Valley® Original® Ranch Dips Mix. Fold with a rubber spatula until combined.
• 2. Toast walnuts. In a pan on medium heat add walnuts and toast while tossing until fragrant and a sample is warm throughout, soft and slightly chewy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• 3. Mix toppings and assemble. In a shallow bowl toss walnuts, raisins and cranberries. Fill the concave side of each celery section with the cream cheese spread. Press each "log" spread-side-down on the topping mixture to get toppings to stick. Serve room temperature with the filled side facing up.

Steps:

• Butter a jelly roll pan, line with parchment paper, butter the paper and sprinkle with flour, tapping to remove excess flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the machine up to high, and beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, continue to beat until shiny but not stiff. Add the flour to the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Add l/4 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture, whisking to lighten the mixture. Then return the yolk mixture to the egg whites, and fold gently. Scrape into the prepared pan and even the top by running a long offset spatula across the surface. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, l2 to l5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Set aside.
• Place cooled hazelnuts on a kitchen towel and rub together to remove skins. Place the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for l minute. Add the hazelnut oil through the feeder tube and process until a paste forms.
• Melt chocolate in a medium bowl placed over simmering water, or melt in a microwave oven. Add the melted chocolate to the hazelnut paste and set aside.
• Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the hazelnut/chocolate mixture. Keep covered in the refrigerator until needed.
• To assemble the cake roll:
• Trim the edges of the sponge cake. Place the Hazelnut mousse on the cake layer. Spread the mixture evenly over the cake, leaving a l inch space along the long side. Using the parchment paper to aid you, carefully roll up the cake into a thick log, enclosing the mousse. Leave the wrapped, rolled-up cake on the sheet pan and refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours.
• Melt the chocolate. In a small pot, heat the coffee and cocoa. Add the sour cream. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture and combine completely. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside until of spreading consistency.;
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line l or 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside. Fit a large pastry bag with a #4 or #5 plain tip and set aside.
• Beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Turn speed to high, slowly pour in half the sugar, add vanilla and continue to beat for l minute. Slowly pour in the remaining sugar and beat until the whites are very thick and shiny, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Immediately spoon half the mixture into the prepared pastry bag. (Meringue will begin to break down if not used soon after it is ready.) Hold the pastry bag upright over the prepared baking trays, squeeze out 26 to 30 mushroom caps, making different sizes, placed about l inch apart. The caps can be different sizes, since real mushroom caps are never identical.
• Again, holding the bag upright over the other tray, lifting the bag as you squeeze out the meringue, form 26 to 30 stems, each l/2 inch to l inch high, placed about l inch apart.
• Place the trays in the oven and bake until the meringues are firm to the touch and can be lifted easily from the trays, about l l/2 hours. The meringues should be dry, but should not take on any color. Remove the trays to a cool dry spot. When cool, with a small knife, trim any pointed tips on the caps and stems, if desired.
• Melt the chocolate in a small bowl, and holding the caps upside down, spread a little chocolate on each one. Attach a stem and leave them upside down until the chocolate hardens. When ready, turn mushroom cap side up, and dust lightly with sifted cocoa.
• Set aside until ready to use for decoration.
• To decorate and serve:
• Remove pan with cake from refrigerator and place wrapped cake on a firm surface. Carefully unwrap cake. Using a serrated knife, from one end cut a 2-inch piece of cake on the diagonal. Set the cut piece aside.
• Cut out a piece of cardboard the length and width of the cake. Cover the cardboard with foil and place the cake on it. Spread a little frosting on the bottom of the small cut piece and set on top of the cake roll. Using a small spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake as well as the small piece atop the cake. With a wooden skewer or the point of a small knife, make furrows to simulate bark along the sides and top of the cake.
• Arrange Christmas greens, plastic holly, and Meringue Mushrooms around the Yule Log. Sift powdered sugar over the whole thing to simulate snow. Fresh cranberries can be scattered around for added color.

Steps:

• For the meringue: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Add the sugar and 1/2 cup water to a very clean medium saucepot and mix until the sugar is moistened. Heat over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the mixture begins to boil. Continue boiling until it reaches 240 degrees F on a candy or instant-read thermometer, 3 to 4 minutes,
• Meanwhile, pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until they begin to froth up, about 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar and continue whisking until very thick and frothy but no peaks have begun to form, 2 to 3 minutes.
• When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature, turn off the stand mixer and add the syrup to the egg whites. Immediately turn the mixer to high and whip until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds very stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Add the rosewater and whip 5 seconds to fully incorporate. The meringue should be smooth and silky and hold its shape when you scoop it from the bowl.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Form 8 pavlovas between the 2 sheets, dividing the batter as evenly as possible. To form each pavlova, scoop out 2 to 3 large spoonfuls of the meringue, heaping them on top of each another on the parchment. Make a divot in the center of each, forming a shallow well with the back of the spoon, and smooth out the sides. Leave enough room between each pavlova to allow them to expand slightly. Sprinkle the sides of each pavlova with the chopped pistachios.
• Just before loading the baking sheets into the oven, lower the oven temperature to 225 degrees F.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from front to back at least once, for about 2 hours. To check if the pavlovas are done, lift them from the baking sheets and gently poke them to make sure the outsides are completely firm and the centers are still a little soft. Let them cool completely on the baking sheets.
• For the whipped cream topping: Whip the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar and seeds from half of the vanilla bean and whip to medium peaks, 1 to 2 minutes.
• To serve, top each meringue with whipped cream and garnish with sliced figs.