Country Chic – In True SMEG Style

Chase away the chill this winter and turn those extra hours spent indoors into a culinary adventure with the latest in a long line of award-winning designer cookers from Smeg. Cooking should always be a pleasure – and with a cooker like this you can ensure that it always will be.

Say hello to the charming, new Victoria Range Cooker, still boasting the same instantly recognisable made-in-Italy style of the iconic Smeg Victoria design line, but now in a 90cm wide configuration that’s as roomy as ever.

You’ll be able to cook and bake all day with 165-litres of usable space across three dedicated oven cavities: a main oven with nine smart cook functions; a tall, full-length auxiliary oven with nine flexible cooking levels (perfect for batch baking) and a separate fully variable and powerful grill oven. With an intuitive air cooling system, triple glazed doors, impressive energy efficiency rating, a six-burner gas hob, plus all the chef-grade technology to match – the Victoria TR93 Range Cooker from Smeg is a great investment. It looks superb in either cream, glossy black or timeless stainless steel.

For an added dose of vintage glam and to give your kitchen the ultimate style update, pair the TR93 Victoria Range Cooker with Smeg’s newly debuted ’50s Retro Style Stand Mixer.

Every inch of this mixer has been expertly designed. Irresistible soft curves and playful personality aside, this mixer makes use of Smeg’s smart technology for total preparation precision. It comes in a selection of delightful colours, with a variety of optional artisan accessories that will make showing off your culinary flair a piece of cake.

Try this delicious and indulgent Smeg-style Pavlova recipe, specially created by celebrity chef and Smeg brand alchemist Stacey Lee Chan.

VANILLA BEAN PAVLOVAS

Makes 6 mini Pavlovas

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 300g caster sugar
• 30ml cornflour
• 2.5ml vanilla bean pods

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

2. Using the Smeg stand mixer, beat the egg whites and salt at a medium setting until soft peaks form.

3. Add the sugar a little bit at a time before beating the mixture for a minute or so on full speed. Don’t stop the mixer to add the sugar, as it needs to be a continuous process to trap as much air as possible in the egg whites.

4. The whisking will be complete when the mixture is glossy and shiny and no evidence of sugar is visible.

5. Sprinkle the cornflour over the egg white mixture and, using a clean spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and vanilla bean pods. No more than six folds.

6. Spoon the Pavlova mix onto a lined and greased oven tray. Try not to fiddle too much, as you want to get it in the oven quickly. Speed is the trick here.

7. Bake at 150°C for 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 100°C. Bake for approximately another 30 minutes, or until it’s lightly golden. It must still be soft and marshmallow-like in texture in the middle.

8. Cool to room temperature and dress using fresh cream and fruit.

Visit smeg.co.za for more information.