Meringue and cherry torte. Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius. Then line two baking trays with baking paper. Draw 3 17 centimetre circles on the paper, one on one tray and then two on the other. Then turn the paper over on the trays. Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites in a clean dry bowl until firm peaks form. Start gradually adding sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and whisk well after each addition. Once you've added all the sugar, keep whisking for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the sugar dissolves completely. Divide the meringue mixture into three even portions. Spoon each portion onto one of the circles on the tray. Use the circles as a guide to help you gently spread out the meringues to form a two centimetre thick disk. Bake the meringues, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for about an hour and a half or until they feel dry to touch. Turn the oven off and open the door so it's slightly ajar. Then leave the meringues to cook completely. To poach the cherries. Take a medium saucepan and combine cherries, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, almond extract, and half a cup of water. Sir occasionally over medium heat for about 10 minutes, the syrup should thicken slightly. Pour into a heatproof bowl. then discard the star anise and cinnamon and set aside to cool completely. Put the cream mascarpone and amaretto, if you're using it, in a bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk until soft peaks form. To assemble the torte. Start by placing a meringue disk on a serving plate. Top with one quarter of the cream mixture and spoon over a third of the cherry mixture. Keep layering with the rest of the meringue disk, cream mixture and cherry mixture finishing with cream mixture. This twist on the traditional Pavlova makes a beautiful centrepiece for your Christmas table. For the full recipe, see the description below. For another Christmas showstopper, head to our cherry ripple cheesecake video here. |