It’s cherry season here. As tempting as it is to eat them straight from the bag or dangle attached pairs from my ears, I like to save some for a few desserts. The following recipe for Cinnamon Meringue is a handy one for the looming silly season. These can be made ahead and stashed in an airtight box for a week. When you need a dessert, simply whip some cream and poach some seasonal fruit. The cinnamon adds another dimension to the meringue taste.
The Recipe
- 4 egg whites
- 225 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 300 ml cream ( 35 %)
- Cherries
- sugar
Preheat the oven to 120c. Line the baking trays with baking paper. Whisk egg-white until stiff. Gradually add caster sugar until mixture is glossy. ( do this slowly in stages). Add the cornflour, vanilla, vinegar and cinnamon and whisk until combined.
Draw 8 cm circles on the baking paper: turn the paper over so that you can still see the circles) and pile the meringue into each circle, smoothing the sides. Make an indent in the top and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove when cool and store in an airtight tin or plastic clip box.
Gently poach the cherries in a little water with strewn sugar to taste. This should only take around 5 minutes. Add alcohol, such as Kirsch or amaretto, if you like. Whip the cream.
Serve the individual meringues topped with cream and cherries with some of the poaching liquid, and serve an extra bowl of cherries on the side.
I also made these little meringues with a Christmas topping of caramel apples, fruit mince and brandy. It was so rich! Below is a peak of that version. The recipe is adapted from ABC Delicious, Let’s Do Lunch, 2003
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Lovely. I had a cocktail last week and they popped in a marinated cherry that had cinnamon in it – delicious. Last year I tried my hand at REAL Maraschino cherries and was very pleased with them. I was also shocked to learn how the commercial maraschino cherries are made. Here’s my blog post: http://ambradambra.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/maraschino-a-tale-of-two-cherries/
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Interesting to read this link. Thanks.
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Yum. The G.O. bought me home a bag of cherries last night… a lovely gift! For Christmas sweets I simply poach whatever fruit takes my fancy usually berries and cherries in a little vodka & sugar. I’ve never made meringues but I love eating them. Your recipe does make it look easy… hmmm 🙂
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It is very easy Ella. Now I am researching the vodka ideas you have suggested. Might be a way of stringing out the cherry season.
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We’re a while off cherry season here, but your meringues look so good… I’ll need to remember this recipe when the time is right next year. Meantime the Christmas topping looks fabulous too.
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Ah yes, at the other end of the planet- I guess some wintery fruits would work well. The original recipe had caramelised apples and fruit mince and butter- it was so rich, but very Christmassy. Perfect for a colder climate.
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Hoo ha! Whilst I still like to wear cherry earrings I think this is an equally useful (and delicious) way of utilising them. Two of my fave things, meringue and cherries. The cinnamon is a great touch.
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I think the wearing of cherry earrings is mandatory at this time of the year. Thinking about adopting them for party accessory.
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Snap! By some amazing coincidence I have 4 egg whites languishing in the refrigerator. And, I love cinnamon – a simple addition that looks like it turns plain meringues into something special. I guess I know what I’ll be making later today.
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Hooray. The power of suggestion. The cinnamon was a quaint addition- I thought four teaspoons might be overdoing it but no.
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Sounds and looks delicious!
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Hehe if I get a pair I always hang them off my ear. I can’t help it, it’s a habit 🙂
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Yeay, another cherry ear ring wearer!
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And do you have pip spitting contests? That was always a hit as kids!
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No, haven’t tried that one Fergie, but we do the rhyme thingy.
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Just been reminded that we have dinner guests tomorrow night, this sounds perfect. How many do you get from this recipe? Just trying to calculate what I can do in my ‘toy oven’.
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Oh I forgot to say! eight !!! I must revise the recipe. Thanks Fergie
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Cherry earrings are a Christmas dinner table antic in this household,then counting the pips, tinker tailor soldier sailor etc. a very unreliable a matchmaking tool! Meringue, cream fruit, the cooks perfect standby dessert. We lived in Wandin East surrounded by cherry orchards until the changing climate made winters too warm for the trees. We all moved away at about the same time! We still have a passion for cherries though
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We must come from the same cherry school. Tinker Tailer, soldier, sailer, richman, poorman, beggerman thief,is one of our old cherry time rhymes too but you have made a timely reminder- I haven’t indoctrinated the little ones yet. Thanks, this is really important! We try to grow cherries here, but the birds get them before we net. I guess they have attractive flowers! I didn’t know that about temperatures in Wandin. There are so many things missing from Wandin now. It was a source of fruit and flower for so long.
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Cherry trees are great value, beautiful blooms, gorgeous autumn foliage, then there’s the fruit. Your post yesterday has made me start thinking about making brandied cherries
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Yes, my thoughts were heading that way, or vodka.
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Sounds fluffy and delicious!
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Such a lovely looking dessert, and I’m so excited about cherry season too. Love this time of year!
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The cherry season marks the beginning of my over indulgence in stone fruit. I love it too.
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MMMMmmmm, these look gorgeous!!! Great recipe and fab photos! Plus I’ve never heard of cinnamon meringues but will have to give them a go!! Keep the recipes coming….!
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I do love meringues! I could eat them almost every day, but I don’t- they are so sweet! 🙂 Yours look yummy, especially with cherries!
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