Macaroon meringue torte Recipe

Make the meringue. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until foamy and beginning to hold a shape. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Add the vanilla and continue beating, gradually adding the remaining 7 tablespoons sugar until the whites form stiff, glossy peaks.

Make sure the bowl used for beating the egg whites is clean and free from any fat, as fat breaks down egg whites, preventing them from whipping properly. 

Mix the crushed cookies with the reserved 1 tablespoon sugar and the cornstarch in a separate bowl. Use a large rubber spatula to gently fold the cookie mixture into the meringue a little at a time, being careful not to deflate the meringue.

Preheat the oven to 175F. Line two 18 X 13-inch half-sheet or jelly-roll pans with parchment paper.

The meringue acts like glue, preventing the parchment from lifting up and disturbing the meringue rounds as they bake (if using a convection oven). Trace three 8-inch circles onto the parchment using a plate 8-inch cake circle as a guide to ensure that the rounds are of equal size: two on one sheet and one on the second sheet.

Gently scooping the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip, Ateco #26, filling the bag two-thirds full. Pipe small dabs of meringue in the corners of the pans, then press the parchment paper firmly in place.

Starting in the center and working your way around in a spiral, pipe a meringue circle on a prepared pan, holding the tip of the bag about 1 inch or so off the paper, letting the meringue drop down from the tip. This will give the meringue more height. (Piping meringue takes a little practice, so don't get discouraged if your first attempts aren't picture-perfect.) Pipe 2 more meringue circles.

Bake the meringue rounds for about 1 1/2 hours, or until they are firm and dry and release easily from the parchment, rotating the pans from front to back every 30 minutes. Allow the meringue rounds to cool, and further dry them overnight in the oven turned off. The meringue rounds are now ready to be filled. Or they can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated or frozen for up to 1 week.

Baking meringue rounds properly can be tricky since they must be baked long enough so that they are completely done on the inside. This takes a long, slow baking time. One way to ensure complete cooking is to turn the oven off after 1 1/2 hours and leave the meringue rounds in the oven overnight. If I find they need more baking when I check them in the morning, I turn the oven on and bake them for another 30 minutes at 175F.

Assemble the torte:

Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat at medium power at 20-second intervals, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Place a meringue round on a cake plate. Use an offset metal spatula to spread one-third of the melted chocolate over the meringue. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining two meringue rounds and chocolate. Set aside.

Beat the cream, confectioners' sugar, and liqueur at medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.

When the chocolate has set on the first meringue round, cover it with a 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer of the shipped cream and half of the sliced strawberries. Place the second meringue round on top and cover with another layer of whipped cream and the remaining sliced strawberries.

Set the last meringue round on top and cover the top and side with the remaining whipped cream. Gently press the almonds on the side of the torte and arrange the whole strawberries on top.

For an extra flourish, the whole strawberries can be dipped in chocolate, then placed on their sides around the top of the torte.

Adding confectioners' sugar to whipped cream helps to stabilize it. Granulated sugar tends to break down whipped cream, causing moisture to separate out, whereas confectioners' sugar absorbs the moisture because it contains cornstarch.