Chocolate Cup with Berries

Chesterfield Inn is the perfect place to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Because of the calendar this year, the holiday will continue here from Thursday until Sunday, February 14, 15 and 16. So make a date with that special someone right now, and plan to come for overnight or for dinner at our romantic New Hampshire Inn!

We’ll have some very special Valentine’s Day desserts featured next week, such as Chocolate Mocha Mousse, Chocolate Cups with Fresh Raspberries and Strawberries, and Chocolate Tissimo Cake. If you’re not a  chocolate lover, we’ll also have Maple Creme Brulee and Apple Cranberry Crisp.

Our special Valentine’s Day cocktails will include a Kir Royale , made with Prosecco, Chambord and raspberries, and our delicious Black Cherry Cosmo, garnished with brandy soaked cherries. You are welcome to enjoy a cocktail by the fire in the parlor before you go into the dining room.

If you can get away overnight, check out our Date Your Mate Package, which includes champagne, dinner for two and breakfast in bed! Romance is in the air this week at the Chesterfield Inn!

I’m so excited about this new dessert that I want to share the recipe so that others can try it! It’s delicious, easy to make and beautiful to look at! It’s called a Pavlova, and I discovered it when I was invited to a holiday party that was focused on international food and wine. My assignment was to bring a bottle of wine and a dessert from New Zealand. The wine was easy because I love New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, so I picked up a bottle of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc from the Kim Crawford Vineyard. The dessert was a bit more challenging; I had no idea what New Zealanders enjoy for dessert.

I did a little research and discovered the Pavlova. A Pavlova is a dessert made with a meringue base, covered with about an inch of whipped cream and topped with the fresh fruit of your choice. I chose strawberries, raspberries, and kiwi in keeping with the season. It has to be made just before serving so I made the meringue and whipped the cream, cut up the strawberries and kiwi ahead of time and packed it up to take to the party to assemble at dessert time. It was easy to put together, and looked great! Everyone loved it!

Here’s my recipe for Pavlova, which serves 8-10 people.

1/2 cup egg whites at room temperature (from about 4 eggs)

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar

12 strawberries, trimmed and sliced

2 kiwi fruit, peeled, cored and sliced

1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a mixer until foamy. Add sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla and whip until stiff and glossy, about 6-8 minutes more. On a sheet pan, trace a 9-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. Flip paper so that you can see the circle and pile the meringue in to the circle. Smooth top, without losing the loft of the meringue. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the door open and leave in the oven until it is cool.

Whip the cream with the brown sugar and slather it on top of the meringue. Top with fresh fruit and serve. Bon Appetit! If you’re at our Chesterfield NH Inn on New Year’s Eve, we’re going to make individual Pavlovas for our special New Year’s Eve dessert. I bet they’ll be great with champagne!

We’ve got a new place to send you when you’re looking for things to do in the area. Kringle Candle Company opened in 2009 in Bernardston, Massachusetts, a short 20 minute drive from our New Hampshire bed and breakfast.

Kringle Candle is owned by Mick Kittredge III, the son of the Mike Kittredge who founded the famous Yankee Candle in Deerfield, Massachusetts.  The candle shop specializes in scented candles, with 36 scents, such as peppermint twist, Nantucket rose, gingerbread, and frosted cake. The candles are all white, for the purest light, in beautiful glass containers that can be re-purposed for many things once the candle been finished. They also have votives, tea lights, fire starters, and home decor items.

Kringle owns 200 acres of property in Bernardston, and on the property you’ll find the Kringle store, bulit in 2010, and the newly opened Christmas Barn and The Farm Table restaurant, opened in late October 2011. The Christmas Barn is a two story former dairy barn filled with Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, toys, gifts, and more candles. The Farm Table restaurant is in a 200 year old house, beautifully renovated and decorated, where you can enjoy brunch, lunch daily and dinner as well. They have a full bar and wine list and feature local fare. Enjoy a visit during your stay at our New Hampshire luxury inn!