Or as we gals call it — Schaum Torte.
That’s my mom. She made a show stopping dessert and here’s the recipe:
First of all preheat your oven to 275 degrees, then cut up a large brown paper bag and line a baking sheet.
Now separate 6 six eggs. (Put the yolks aside to make a lemon custard, or, if you’re not inclined toss them away.) Beat the six egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Very, very gradually add two cups of sugar beating all the while, add a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of vinegar. Keep beating, babies, until the mixture is as glossy as a satin ribbon, I mean GLOSSY. Et voilà! That’s the most difficult part of this entire slice of heaven.
Place the mixture on the lined baking sheet – this is what the meringue looks like before I pop it into the oven:
Bake for one hour. As it cooks it will turn into mighty sugar-caramelized-high-rise-puff with about an inch thick shell. When the meringue is cool peel the paper away gently and place on a cake dish. Don’t freak if it cracks and settles because when you’re ready to serve it whip one pint cream until it holds a peak, add sugar to taste (just a bit because you want it to complement and kind of smooth out the crisp sugar shell with the cloud like sugar center). Garnish with the whipped cream and a pint to two pints of sliced strawberries, or sliced apricots and crushed pistachios with a sprinkling of grated lemon peel, or pitted cherries and raspberries or… You catch my drift.
Happy holiday baking!