“Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder,
Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you’ll be fairies all.”
-Emily Dickinson
Before the cherry season passes us by, I want to put up my mom’s cherry torte recipe. It has a chewy, meringue-y crust that is not too sweet. If you use canned cherry filling you can make this in about half the time, but it will be a much sweeter dessert. It’s best served warm.
Serves: 6
Prep time: one hour
Ingredients
- 4 cups pitted cherries
- ¾ cup of sugar for crust and ¾ cup of sugar for cherry filling
- 3 egg whites
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- dash of salt
- ½ cup saltine cracker crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Directions
- Beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating to stiff peaks. Add vanilla.
- Mix nuts, cracker crumbs, baking powder and cornstarch. Fold into egg white mixture. Spread in greased 9-inch pie pan and bake in 300 degree oven for 40 minutes. Allow crust to cool.
- Place pitted cherries and ¾ cup of sugar in a saucepan and cook at medium-low heat until soft, but not soggy. Drain liquid from cherries. When crust is cooled, spoon cherries on to crust and serve.
- Note: I used small baking dishes in the photos. If you decide to make the torte in smaller containers, decrease baking time from 40 to 30 minutes.
- This is a big favorite of mine because the crust is unusual – very chewy and delicious because of the beaten egg whites in it.
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