I knew the weekend was going to be a scorcher, but being out in the Sunset I thought we’d be spared much of the intense heat. In relative terms that’s been true. Instead of the 106 degrees in San Jose, it was around 90 in my neighborhood–but 90 without A.C.–so not much motivation to cook, even less to bake. Nevertheless, being the glutton (for punishment) that I am, I still managed to eek out a few projects.

On Friday afternoon, before the heat wave truly hit us, I baked a batch of Pavlovas. Anytime I post a dessert remotely meringue-like and/or berry forward on IG, I’m flooded with comments from former Scala’s cohorts requesting I make these ethereal meringue clouds–an airy thin outer shell, so fragile just the slightest mishandling will cause it to crack, revealing a pillowy, marshmallowy interior. The sensation of that crisp wafer-like exterior dissolving into nothing more than a sweet whisper, yielding to a meltingly soft interior is nothing short of sublime. Add some ripe berries and stone fruit perilously perched a bed of soft whipped cream and you’ve got yourself the ultimate summer dessert.

What gives pavlovas their characteristic dual texture is the addition of vinegar and cornstarch to the whipped egg whites and sugar. The key to achieving that delicate exterior is to not over whip the meringue. A too stiff meringue will create a thicker outer shell which will crack as the interior expands during baking. You want to whip the whites and sugar until just stiff and glossy, before folding in the cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla.

At Scala’s we used the biggest scooper available (5 oz.) to portion out big billowy mounds of meringue, taking a metal tablespoon dipped in cold water to create the signature shallow divot in center (to hold luscious whipped cream), producing quite a show-stopping giant meringue that never failed to garner countless “oohs” and “ahs” as it made its way through the dining room. For my homemade batch I used a smaller 2 oz. scooper, which took a little less time to bake.

For those of you who want the recipe up front now (I know who you are), here it is:

Pavlovas

Yield: about 1 dozen individual

• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/8 t. sea salt
• 1 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 t. champagne (or distilled) vinegar
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

1. Combine whites and salt in a mixer bowl. Whip to soft peaks on high.
2. Reduce speed to medium high and gradually add in sugar a little at a time. Continue whipping meringue to stiff peaks.
3. Fold in cornstarch, then vinegar and vanilla by hand.
4. Scoop meringue onto parchment-lined sheet pans, spaced at least 2.5″ apart. *Tack down the corners of parchment with meringue. DO NOT use non-stick spray. Create a shallow divot in the center of each mount with the back of a wet tablespoon.
5. Bake meringues in a preheated 290F degree oven for about 1 hour. Reduce heat to 275F degrees if meringues take on too much color after 30 mins. Meringues are done when you can gently lift them off the parchment.

By the time temperature in the Sunset hit the 80’s late Saturday morning, the idea of baking seemed downright preposterous. Not so ridiculous was starting a pot of Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, where the bulk of the cooking would be done in a slow cooker over 4 hours. I’ve been craving this dish for the last couple of weeks, trolling the internet for a good recipe. I got up early on Friday morning to fetch the necessary ingredients from my neighborhood Asian market, which included a hefty piece of boneless beef shank from the butcher, fermented chili bean paste, a sweet apple, an orange, a couple ripe tomatoes, more scallions, ginger, and onion, white pepper (finally!), and fresh noodles. I won’t lie, for a dish that seems so simple and straightforward, there are a lot of ingredients, mainly aromatics. A number of the recipes on YouTube recommend using a pre-made spice mix, conveniently packaged in individual satchels you can just drop into the braising liquid.

I would’ve probably done that except I did have all the required spices in my pantry and a package of these nifty little permeable satchels from Diaso so I simply made my own spice bag. I started off by blanching the beef shank in boiling water with lots of scallions, sliced ginger and a few garlic cloves for about 3 mins. before cutting the beef up into 2″ chunks. I came across one recipe where smaller beef shanks were left whole, but since mine was a behemoth by comparison I opted to cut it up into more manageable pieces after it was blanched.

To make the braising liquid, I stir-fried more scallions, garlic and ginger, along with sliced onion until translucent, then added the light and dark soy, rice wine, chili bean paste, rock sugar, bay leaves, orange peel, and some chicken broth, and brought everything to boil before tossing in the beef chunks, chopped apples and tomatoes. I let everything simmer for a couple of minutes before transferring the whole lot into my slow cooker.

• 

• 

• 

• 

4 hours later, I had fork tender beef and an intensely flavored, unctuous braising liquid, which I strained out and diluted with some of the beef blanching liquid I reserved earlier. To complete the dish, I placed a small handful of chopped scallion at the bottom of a large soup bowl, then arranged a neat pile of cooked noodles in the center, flanked by blanched baby boy choy, a little bit of pickled mustard greens and beef chunks, and ladled in the spicy beef broth, drizzling on a little bit of sesame oil to finish.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The verdict? According to Krislyn, it was one of the best beef noodle soups she’s ever had, so I guess my first try was a success–definitely well worth all the sweat, from both cooking and eating it. Paired with a glass of iced Coconut Thai Iced Bobo Tea (yes, I know I said I wasn’t sure it was worth the labor to make my own boba pearls), it was a most satisfying meal on a very very hot day.

• 

• 

I didn’t follow any one specific recipe for Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup per se, but rather culled ingredients and techniques from various recipes. If you don’t have all the spices in your pantry to make the mixed spice satchel, I recommend just buying a packaged spice blend for beef noodle soup. I’ve listed out the spices I used in mine. I’m not much for really spicy food so I omitted the fresh chilis from my recipe. Feel free to add as many to the braising liquid as you like.

Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

Yield: about 4-5 servings

• 2 lbs boneless beef shank
• 2 bunches scallions
• 1 large ginger root, peeled & sliced
• 8 large garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled & sliced
• 2 T. dark soy sauce
• 2 T. light soy sauce
• 1 t. sea salt
• 3 T. rice wine
• 1-2 pieces rock sugar (depending on size)
• 1 1/2 T. fermented chili bean paste
• 2 c. low sodium chicken broth
• 1 large or 2 medium cinnamon sticks
• 1 spice packet*
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 large strips orange peel
• 1 sweet apple, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 package fresh or dry noodles
• 4 heads baby boy choy, blanched until just tender
• sesame oil
• pickled mustard green, optional

1. In a large pot bring to a boil about 4 qts. water, one bunch of scallions cut into thirds, 1/2 of the ginger, and 3 cloves of garlic. Blanch the whole beef shank 3 mins., then remove to cool. Strain out the blanching liquid and reserve about half.
2. Once the beef shank is cool enough to handle, cut it roughly into 2″ chunks
3. Heat some vegetable oil in a deep skillet or wok and stir-fry the onion, remaining ginger, and 1/2 bunch scallions (cut into quarters) until onions are translucent. Add in soy sauces, rice wine, salt, chicken stock, rock sugar, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, spice satchel, and orange peel and bring to a boil, then add the beef chunks, apple, and tomatoes. Simmer for another 2-3 mins.
4. Transfer everything into a slow cooker. Add enough water to cover the beef and other ingredients. Cook on high setting about about 4 hours. or until beef is fork tender.
5. Remove the beef and set it aside. Strain out the braising liquid into a medium pot, then dilute with reserved blanching liquid, adjusting for taste and strength. Simmer the broth for 2-3 mins.
6. Cook the noodles until just tender.
7. Chop the scallions and sprinkle a handful into the bottom of each soup bowl.
8. Place a neat pile of cooked noodles in the center of each bowl, then arrange the beef, bok choy, and pickled mustard greens (optional) around it.
9. Ladle on the hot broth and finish each bowl with a little drizzle of sesame oil.

Spice Mix (per satchel)

• 6 star anise
• 1 t. fennel seeds
• 1/2 t. cumin seeds
• 1 t. szechuan peppercorns
• 1 t. cloves