Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Cinnamon Meringue Torte

This has been served at our Christmas Eve party for many years, and is my personal favorite. My mother used to make it, but my sister has taken over that duty and gave me the recipe printed below.

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Meringue: Cover a cookie sheet with a piece of heavy paper and draw a circle 8 inches in diameter. Beat two egg whites with a 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. vinegar until soft peaks form. Blend 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon together. Gradually add to white until very stiff peaks form and the sugar is dissolved.


Spread meringue within circle on paper. With the back of a spoon, build a rim about 2 inches high, leaving a 1/2 inch thick bottom. Bake in preheated 275°F oven for 1 hour. Turn off heat and let shell cool 2 hours or longer. Do NOT open oven until total time is up. Shell should be cool before filling.


I usually make the shell the night before and let it stand overnight in the oven.


Filling: Melt 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate bits in a double boiler. Cool slightly, then spread 2 tbs. over the bottom of the shell.

Blend two beaten egg yolks and 1/4 cup water together. Add to remaining chocolate. Chill until thick, around 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Whip 1 cup heavy cream gradually adding 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, beating until cream is stiff. Spread half of whipped cream mixture over chocolate in shell. Fold remaining whipped cream into the chilled chocolate mixture and spread on the whipped cream in the shell.


Chill several hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate curls or pecans.


This can be a tricky recipe, depending on the weather and humidity. Sometimes, it works perfectly. Sometimes, not so much. Make sure the egg white and whipped cream are beaten to stiff peaks. I usually double the cinnamon. The egg yolks are NOT cooked so this is a forbidden recipe by modern standards. Mom liked it because the yolks and white were even. Most meringue recipes, you end up with something left over.