For Cook Club this month, I decided to make one of my favourite desserts – spectacular and far simpler to make than you’d think, but it’s a bit too full-on for everyday. Here in Australia, where we celebrate Christmas in summer and our delicious berries are in season, well, a triple-layered Pavlova has to be the perfect Christmas Day dessert ~ Mandy

What You Need:

• 200ml of egg whites. I find it easier to measure egg whites this way, because at my place the eggs come in all shapes and sizes from our backyard chickens.
• 1 ½ cups of caster (super fine) sugar.
• 200g of dark chocolate.
• 400 ml of cream: 200ml for whipping, plus another 200ml for mixing with the chocolate.
• Mixed berries. I used strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.
• 2 ½ teaspoons of white vinegar.
• 3 tablespoons of cornflour.

How it’s Done:

Preheat oven to 130 degrees C. Line three baking trays – I use pizza trays – with baking paper, and mark a circle on each, aprox 20cm in diameter and set aside.

Very carefully separate your egg whites from the yolks. I use a groovy little kitchen gadget that I think came via Tuppaware years ago, but on the days when that gets lost in my junk drawer, just cupping your (clean) hand and letting the whites slide through your fingers does a pretty good job.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on their own until they turn white with foamy peaks. Add the caster sugar little bit by little bit on medium-high. Be patient! Make sure each sugar edition has dissolved before adding the next lot. An easy way to check this is by rubbing a little mixture between your fingers. If you can still feel grit from the sugar, beat a little longer. Once complete, your mixture should be white, stiff and very glossy. At this point, add the vinegar and cornflour to stabilise the mix (Confession – I forgot to add the vinegar and cornflour, but it still worked.)

Divide mix into three, and spoon onto your baking trays. Using your circles as a guide, smooth out mixture as much as possible, and keeping the sides tidy. Add to the oven, turn heat down to 120 C. Bake for 1 hour, 10 mins (Confession – mine were ready at one hour exactly, so do keep an eye on them), then turn off the oven, open the door and allow the meringues to cool completely.

While your meringues are cooling in the oven, melt the chocolate over a double boiler with 200ml of cream. A double boiler is basically a saucepan with a little bit of water in it and low heat, and another large bowl placed directly over it. Don’t allow steam or water to come into contact with your chocolate. Stir constantly, and eventually it will come together in a chocolate sauce. Allow to cool.

Prepare berries, and whip remaining 200ml of cream. I always add a dash of vanilla extract. On a serving dish, very carefully place one of your cooled meringues. Using about a third of your chocolate ganache mixture, smooth on top of the meringue, followed by a third of the whipped cream and berries. Place your second meringue on top and repeat the process, then the final meringue, chocolate, cream and berries.

For serving on Christmas Day, you could add more berries to the plate, tinsel or baubles to decorate.

Good luck Cook Clubbers, I’m looking forward to seeing what Bel comes up with!

And now… Belinda videos her efforts and tries the Jamie Oliver trick. #whipit

‘Clariel’ is the prequel to the much-loved Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. With it, he takes fans of the series to six hundred years before the starting point for his first book, ‘Sabriel’.

It’s an exciting time for me because I finally get to see what all of the fuss is about with Garth Nix. Also – as a bonus for being patient, not lazy – I am able to read the Old Kingdom series from the absolute beginning. I am aware of being very much in the minority here but also, I hope, well placed to judge whether it can stand on its own as a story.

Let me begin by stating that I often struggle with overly complex epic fantasy, mainly because I need to use my whole brain to keep track of it all and then can’t operate my body. I didn’t experience that problem here, mainly due to the clarity of the author’s vision and the lack of unnecessary clutter in telling the tale.

And what a wonderful tale it is. The book’s namesake, Clariel, lives in the Old Kingdom, a world ruled by powerful bloodlines, organised through a class system based on Guilds and defined by two very different kinds of magic. The common and widely taught Charter Magic was laid down by the Ancients as a form of control over the wilder, more elemental Free Magic. The Charter is divided into five governing bodies, three of which are inherent in the bloodlines of the Abhorsen, the Royal Family, and the Clayr.

The story follows a fundamental time in the life of 17 year old Clariel, cousin to the King and granddaughter of the Abhorsen. When we meet her she is stewing over being uprooted from her peaceful life within the Great Forest, and brought to live in the King’s home city of Belisaere. Here she is a wild thing, caged, yearning to join a group of rangers and live out her life surrounded by trees and silence. But her parents have a very different future in mind for her, involving an advantageous union with a politically scheming family. Unbeknown to all, however, Clariel is heiress to more than mere wealth and position.

She is a girl in a constant state of conflict: both powerful and powerless. Frustrated and constrained, she gives the appearance of compliance and allows herself to be groomed for a role in Guild Society. Beneath the façade, however, Clariel has plans to escape.

It all goes awry when a planned uprising overthrows control of the Kingdom, and Clariel must delve deep inside herself and awaken her true nature to survive.

I found ‘Clariel’ to be a powerful tale of hidden potential realised, particularly in the discovery and acceptance of your true self. I think the character is a worthy example for young readers who, like Clariel herself, spend so much time wrestling with their own nature. I also particularly liked Nix’s handling of her lack of romantic interests and solitary nature. Often this tricky area is left deliberately vague, leaving the reader to wonder what the writer is trying to imply and often reaching the wrong conclusion. I enjoyed the clarity and simplicity of Nix’s explanation.

‘Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?’ is a proverb mentioned. And indeed it could be said to be the central question of the story. Do you choose your own destiny, or accept the one that has been given? The significance being in understanding that you always have a choice, even if it is only acceptance. I think this is an important concept to impart to young people, particularly as feelings of powerlessness can be such a governing force in youth.

I very much get the sense that Garth Nix is absolutely at one with the world of the Old Kingdom. He knows precisely what is important to set the stage and you get a marvellous sense of being swept along with the action. I never felt disengaged or as though I lost sight of Clariel’s character amidst all the goings-on. He never relies on prior knowledge either, making it a true prequel to the series.

There is also an interesting and realistic interpretation of magic, along with plenty of high stakes action, twists and turns. It is perfectly pitched for the older end of the YA spectrum, with enough plotting, misdirection, revelations, duplicity and scheming to impress even the most jaded teen. Younger readers may find it a bit serious.

I have a great affection for writers who have a gift for names. In my opinion, good names – whether of places, people, objects, events or ephemera – draw the reader in and predispose them to engage with the world more deeply. Tolkien, JK Rowling, George RR Martin, Derek Landy and Mervyn Peake are a few fantasy authors that stand out for me as great ‘namers’, and to that worthy list I would also add Garth Nix.

After dipping my toes into the Old Kingdom with ‘Clariel’, I am certainly rubbing my hands together at the thought of diving into the rest of the series.

Boden UK website is worth a browse – both women’s and girl fashion. If you like skirts, there are some great looks to choose from.

Alayna Cole shares a simple Just Right biscuit recipe.

6 tbl butter/margarine

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 tbl milk

1 cup flour

2 cups cereal (for this batch I used a mixture of Just Right and Special K, but I’ve also used Crunchy Nut before and any similar cereals would also work)

1. Cream butter and sugar with an electric beater
2. Add vanilla and egg. Continue mixing until soft and fluffy.
3. Add flour and milk. Fold.
4. Add cereal. Fold.
5. Place heaped tablespoons of mixture on a greased baking tray.
6. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes, until golden

Belinda Hamilton compares the book and film version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

The Book

I was a little surprised by how short this book is, but with a highly concentrated story. So much fits into such a small package. Confronting themes are abundant and–forget about staying comfortable–you’re forced to look at the beauty in the ugliness.

I love the diary/letter writing format. Though it allows you to easily put the book down and take a break, the story is strong enough to have you picking it straight back up the moment you’re able to.

The characters are easy to relate to and well fleshed out. I felt for each of them in their personal struggles and each and every one had their own arc and progression. It is no wonder this film has received critical acclaim.

The Film

Stephen Chbosky directed this one so it’s no surprise that it is a brilliant film adaption.

Emma Thompson, Ezra Miller and Logan Lerman are the perfect picks for their characters and, I must admit, Ezra as Patrick is my favourite of the three. *sigh*

The drug-use scenes are suitably disturbing and Charlie’s mental state is depicted with respect and brutal honesty. This is something I find to be extremely important when mental illness is still such a taboo.

I was gripped and entertained, but also kept off-centre and confronted. I did like it, but I’ll have to be in the right mood to rewatch this film.

The wrap up

There don’t seem to be any big scenes missing and the shock value is still as strong in the film. The book and the film were created by the same man, so the adaption is as close to the author’s vision as it could ever be.

Despite this, I’m still going to say the book is better in the long run.

The only difference for me is the internal voice as I was reading versus the narration in the film. In my mind Charlie is a gentler person, but that may be just down to my interpretation.