By August heat. Made peach preserves and cobbler from the farmer's market peaches. The annual peach ritual. Six half-pints of preserves for January. One cobbler for tonight. The balance between future and present, between preserving and eating, between the Craig who plans and the Craig who wants cobbler now.
Earl Thomas is two and a quarter. He "helped" in the garden Saturday — picked two green beans and ate both of them raw, standing in the row, the beans crunching between his teeth. He looked up at me and said good, PawPaw. Two words. Good and PawPaw. The review of a two-year-old food critic who ate a raw green bean in a garden in Lexington, Kentucky, and found it good. That review means more to me than any review in any newspaper because it was honest and immediate and it came from a boy whose mouth was green and whose hands were dirty and whose grandfather was standing three feet away feeling something too large for the garden but exactly right for the heart.
The cobbler was for tonight and the preserves were for January, but after Earl Thomas went home with green-bean breath and dirty hands, I wanted one more sweet thing — something light enough not to compete with the memory of the afternoon, but present enough to close it properly. Cherry Berries On A Cloud is exactly that: a billowy, fruit-bright dessert that asks almost nothing of you and gives back something that feels like the soft end of a good summer day.
Cherry Berries On A Cloud
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (plus overnight cooling) | Total Time: 9 hours (including chill) | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- Meringue Base
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- Cream Layer
- 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- Fruit Topping
- 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat & prepare pan. Heat oven to 275°F. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan and set aside.
- Make the meringue. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved, about 8–10 minutes.
- Bake the base. Spread meringue evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave meringue inside with the door closed overnight (or at least 8 hours). Do not open the oven door during this time. The meringue will crack slightly — that’s normal.
- Make the cream layer. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Gently fold in the whipped cream until combined. Spread evenly over the cooled meringue base.
- Refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight to allow the cream layer to set.
- Prepare the fruit topping. Stir lemon juice into the cherry pie filling. Fold in sliced strawberries.
- Top & serve. Just before serving, spoon the cherry-berry mixture over the cream layer. Cut into squares and serve immediately so the meringue stays light and airy.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 410 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 57g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 185mg