This was my favorite dessert as a child whenever we had enough money to splurge at the local Italian Restaurant. Back then, my favorite part was the maraschino cherry on top and my least favorite was the sprinkle of toasted almonds, so I would gently scrape some off. Now, as an adult, I don’t even put the cherry on top and love the toasted almond topping. Go figure.

Anyway, for those familiar with making desserts this is simply a chilled Italian meringue folded with almond-flavored whipped cream, decorated with ground toasted almonds and a cherry then frozen. I guess if you’re very familiar with that, then it’s basically four steps.

For those who have never done this before, making the Italian meringue is the most difficult part and you will definitely need a thermometer. If you’ve never whipped egg-whites before, read up on it. Make sure the whites are cleanly separated from the yolks and do not come in contact with oil. The rest is pretty easy.

When I first made these, I used an electric hand mixer and that was very tricky. Now I have one of those pricey KithcenAid stand mixers. If you don’t have a hand mixer, you might want an extra pair of hands helping when the hot syrup is drizzled into the egg whites.

TOOLS:

• Electric mixer (preferably a stand mixer)
• Cany thermometer
• 1 qt. saucepan and bowls
• 12 cupcake paper liners
• Muffin pan for a dozen muffins
• Small food processor or blender
• Baking / cookie sheet pan
• A whisk or rubber scraper

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 eggs
• ¹/₄ tsp cream of tartar
• ¹/₄ cup of blanched almonds
• Almond extract (1 ¹/₂ tsp & ¹/₄ tsp)
• ³/₄ cup of sugar
• ¹/₄ cup of water
• 1 ¹/₂ cup chilled heavy cream
• ¹/₄ tsp Vanilla extract
• 12 candied / maraschino cherries for decoration

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350^oF
2. Place the paper linings into the muffin cups. Set aside until the end.
3. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, putting the egg whites into the mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl. Let the egg whites come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
   (Refrigerate the yolks and use them for something else.)
4. Spread the almonds on the baking sheet pan then bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted to a light golden brown. Do not over toast, so check at 7-8 minutes.
5. Put the toasted almonds into the food processor or blender and chop until fine.
6. Turn the chopped toasted almonds into a small bowl and mix with 1 ¹/₂ tsp of almond extract. Set aside for decoration at the end.
7. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites. (This is kind of optional, but can help insure a the egg whites whip up fully).
8. With the mixer on its highest speed, whip the eggs until they just form stiff peaks.
9. In the saucepan, mix the water and sugar.
10. First on a low heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved.
11. Then on a medium or medium high (depending on your stovetop) heat bring the sugar to a boil without stirring. You’re looking for a steady, but not rapid boil.
12. Continue boiling until the temperature of the sugar syrup reaches 236^oF.
13. Now, begin whipping the egg whites again on high as you drizzle in this very, very hot syrup. So be careful.
14. Once the syrup is in, you’ve made an Italian meringue effectively pasteurizing and sweetening the egg whites.
15. Put the egg whites in the refrigerator, covered, to cool down completely – at least 40 minutes.
16. After the 40 or so minutes, put the heavy cream into a medium or large bowl.
17. Add ¹/₄ tsp of almond extract and ¹/₄ tsp of vanilla extract.
18. With a mixer on high speed, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
19. Add the Italian meringue into the bowl containing the whipped heavy cream.
20. Now, using the whisk or rubber scraper, add in the gently fold the meringue into the heavy cream.
    (The goal of folding is to mix without loosing the incorporated air. Place the whisk/scraper over the middle of the bowl, then down to the bottom of the bowl. Now, going along the bottom bring it towards you, up along the side, and then over back into the middle, so you are “folding” the mixture over. Keep doing this, turning the bowl, until everything is evenly combined.)
21. Spoon the mixture into the paper linings, filling each one.
22. Top with toasted almonds and then a cherry in the center.
23. Freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.