Don’t fret — if these recipes intimidate you, it was my first time, too. I second-guessed putting mayo with avocado in the chicken salad, and I was thoroughly prepared for the pavlovas to fail. I don’t have a great history with whipped egg whites. Both of these recipes are my attempt to replicate things I’ve eaten at restaurants. I’m not a trained chef, so though I was willing to try, I was pretty skeptical.

But I am a learner. When I was sitting at a restaurant in Kildare, Ireland, trying not to eat the best strawberry dessert I’ve had in a long time too quickly, I promised myself I would learn to make pavlovas. But then I Googled how to make pavlovas and balked. Whipped, baked egg white sent me back to the great macaron disaster that happened in my oven in 2019. I envisioned melted sticky egg whites all over my oven. But I learned from that disaster — do not grease the baking sheet because fat and whipped egg whites are mortal enemies.

And lesson learned, because these pavlovas turned out so good — even if I did probably bake them five minutes too long. According to the experts, they should not be yellow. However, I was thrilled that they were neither melted nor burned and were mostly correct. And the salad was better than the restaurant! You won’t succeed if you don’t try.

So, I would encourage you to try some new recipes. They might fail, but, on the other hand, they might turn out amazing! As I teach my students, use your resources and your brain, and if you do fail, you’ll at least learn something. And if you succeed, then you’ve accomplished something wonderful. In fact, these recipe attempts gave me so much energy from my success, that I just might be excited to try making maca rons again.

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD

SERVES 4

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded or diced

2 cups cooked black beans

½ cup finely diced red onion

½ cup finely diced cilantro

FOR THE DRESSING

1 large ripe avocado

2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/3 cup lime juice

¼ tsp each of salt, cumin and chile powder

1-2 Tbsp water

1. Blend all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender until smooth.

2. Toss the rest of the ingredients with the dressing and serve over a bed of greens.

STRAWBERRY PAVLOVAS

SERVES 2

FOR THE PAVLOVAS

3 egg whites

½ tsp cream of tartar

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

FOR THE FILLING

½ lb strawberries, cored and cleaned

¼ cup strawberry jam

¼ tsp vanilla

WHIPPED CREAM FOR 2 PAVLOVAS

½ cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

¼ tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. With the mixer on high, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks, then sift remaining ingredients and whip on high until combined.

3. On an ungreased cookie sheet lined with parchment, make two equal piles of the egg whites and shape into a circle with a large well in the middle.

4. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the outside of the pavlovas are set and pretty dry. The inside will be like a marshmallow and very sticky.

5. Cool for two hours minimum, but longer is more desirable.

6. Add with filling of choice and garnish with fresh fruit.

Originally published in the Summer 2024 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Summer Recipes — Lessons I Learned In My Kitchen