KosherEye.com
By Laura Frankel
I have taken the usual meringue to a new level. These crispy delicious layers are my cake layers to sandwich rich chocolate mousse (See Chef Laura's Chocolate Mousse recipe here.)
Once the cake is assembled the crispy meringue layers soften up to a chewy consistency. The cake can be made 2 days ahead and stored in the freezer in a spring form pan.
Ingredients
1 cup (4 ounces) shelled, roasted, salted or unsalted pistachios
1/2-cup confectioners' sugar
6 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Draw three 8-inch rounds on parchment paper; place, marked sides down, on 2 baking sheets.
Rub nuts in a towel to remove skins. Coarsely chop nuts; transfer to a sieve, and shake over a paper towel (if desired, reserve dust for garnish); set aside.
Stir together nuts and confectioners' sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
Put egg whites, granulated sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer; set bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat on medium speed, increasing to high when soft peaks form; continue until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Gently fold pistachio mixture into egg-white mixture. Pipe 1/3 of the meringue onto each parchment circle.
Bake meringues 1 hour. Switch positions of sheets; reduce temperature to 175 degrees. Bake, switching positions of sheets after 45 minutes, until meringues are dry and crisp and can be lifted easily from parchment, 1 to 2 hours. Turn off oven; let meringues cool in oven 45 minutes. Remove, and let cool completely on sheets. Store in airtight containers, up to 3 days.
Notes
Recipe: Kosher, parve, passover, pesach