Walnut Meringue Layers Recipes

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cover and refrigerate., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk and mix well. Spread into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans; set aside., In a small bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold in 1 cup nuts. Spread meringue evenly over batter. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. , Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until meringue is browned and crisp. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes (meringue will crack)., Carefully run a knife around edge of pans to loosen. Remove to wire racks; cool with meringue side up. To assemble, place one cake with meringue side up on a serving plate; carefully spread with custard. Top with remaining cake. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment. Using a cake pan or a ruler, trace a 9-inch square on each piece of parchment.
• Whisk walnuts, 3/4 cup superfine sugar, the confectioners' sugar, and salt.
• With an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in walnut mixture with a spatula. Spread batter evenly onto traced squares on parchment, and smooth tops.
• Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off oven, and let cool in oven until completely dry, about 75 minutes.
• Carefully peel meringue layers from parchment, and let cool completely on wire racks.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Whip the egg white with a whip attachment until stiff.
• Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Fold in the walnuts.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and remove from the pan. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Beat egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add salt and baking powder. Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended after each addition; continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla; mix well. Gently stir in walnuts and crackers. Spread onto bottom and up side of well-greased 9-inch pie plate.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.
• Fill with fruit and whipped topping just before serving.

Steps:

• Make meringue:
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Beat egg white with a pinch of salt in a small deep bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until meringue holds stiff glossy peaks, 3 to 5 minutes. Fold walnuts into meringue, then spread into a 9- by 6-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake meringue in middle of oven until crisp, about 1 hour. Slide meringue (on parchment) onto a rack and cool completely. Peel off paper and break meringue into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Make sauce and semifreddo:
• Line bottom of molds with rounds of wax paper or parchment. Cut 10 (10-inch-long) strips of wax paper or parchment (wide enough to cover sides of molds) and arrange, ends overlapping, around insides of molds. Put lined molds in a baking pan (for transferring to freezer).
• Purée blackberries in a food processor, then force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding seeds. Divide purée evenly between 2 bowls. Stir 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice into 1 bowl (for sauce) and chill, covered. Stir remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice into other bowl (for semifreddo).
• Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a metal bowl with a handheld mixer at medium-high speed until doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Set bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water and beat until mixture registers 160°F on thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and chill mixture until cool, about 10 minutes. Fold in blackberry purée (reserved for semifreddo) gently but thoroughly.
• Beat cream with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks and fold gently into blackberry mixture, then fold in walnut meringue pieces. Spoon into molds, smoothing tops if necessary, and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze semifreddi until firm, at least 2 hours.
• To serve, dip each mold in a bowl of hot water 3 seconds, then wipe dry and invert onto chilled dessert plates, using paper to help pull each semifreddo from mold. Remove paper and let desserts stand at room temperature 10 minutes to soften. Serve with blackberry sauce.
• *Available at some cookware shops and Bridge Kitchenware (800-274-3435 or 212-838-1901).

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350° F. and butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, knocking out excess flour.
• On a baking sheet toast walnuts in middle of oven until 1 shade darker, about 8 minutes, and cool. In a food processor grind walnuts fine.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt. In a small cup stir together espresso powder and water. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture, espresso, walnuts, and oil until just combined.
• Spoon batter into cake pans, smoothing tops, and bake in middle of oven about 25 minutes, or until pale golden and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on a rack 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert cake layers onto rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl beat together cream cheese and 2 tablespoons maple syrup until smooth.
• Assemble torte:
• Arrange 1 cake layer on an ovenproof serving plate and with a pastry brush gently brush top with 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly onto layer and top with remaining layer. Brush top of torte with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup. Torte may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring torte to room temperature before proceeding.
• Make frosting:
• Let whites stand at room temperature 1 hour. In a 1-quart heavy saucepan bring maple syrup to a boil over moderate heat and simmer until a candy thermometer registers 235° F. (be careful it doesn―t bubble over).
• While maple syrup is simmering, in bowl of a standing electric mixer beat whites with cream of tartar and a pinch salt until they just hold stiff peaks. Add hot maple syrup in a stream, beating until meringue is thickened and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Preheat broiler.
• Immediately frost torte with a narrow metal spatula, mounding extra meringue on top and drawing it up with a fork to form peaks (see photograph, page 111). Broil torte about 4 inches from heat until tops of peaks are pale golden, about 30 seconds. Let torte stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Pour into 3 parchment-lined 9-in. round baking pans; set aside., In a large bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Spread meringue evenly over cake batter; sprinkle with remaining walnuts. , Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes (meringue will crack). Loosen edges of cakes from pans with a knife. Using 2 large spatulas, carefully remove 1 cake to a serving plate, meringue side up. Carefully remove remaining cakes, meringue side up, to wire racks. , In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully spread half the filling over cake on serving plate; top with half the raspberries. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake. Store in the refrigerator.