Desserts

MERINGUE HEARTS WITH MINT ICE CREAM AND FUDGE SAUCE

Refreshing peppermint ice cream is sandwiched
between the delicate heart-shaped meringues and
then served in a pool of rich fudge sauce.

Sauce

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 5 ounces imported bittersweet chocolate (not
  unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Meringues

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar

• 2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened slightly
• 1/2 cup finely crushed hard peppermint candies
• 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract

Powdered sugar
Coarsely chopped hard peppermint candies

For sauce:
Melt butter with corn syrup in heavy small saucepan
over medium-low heat, stirring
occasionally. Add chocolate, sugar and cream.
Whisk until chocolate melts and sugar dissolves.
(Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; chill.)

For Meringues:
Preheat oven to 225°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil;
butter foil. Place 3 3/4-inch heart-shaped
cookie cutter on foil-lined sheet. Using
electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl
to soft peaks. Gradually add 1 cup sugar;
continuing beating until stiff and shiny.
Spoon 1/4 cup meringue inside cookie cutter on sheet.
Using back of spoon spread meringue evenly.
Lift up cookie cutter; place on another section
of foil-lined sheet. Repeat with remaining meringue,
forming 6 hearts on each sheet.
Bake meringues until crisp and dry, about 1 hour.
Cool meringues on sheets 10 minutes. Peel meringues
off foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead.
Cool completely. Store airtight at room temperature.)
Mix ice cream, 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy and
extract in medium bowl. Cover and freeze
until almost semi-firm, about 2 hours.
Place meringues flat side up on baking sheet and
freeze 15 minutes. Spoon 1/2 cup ice cream atop 1
meringue. Top with another meringue, flat side up.
Press gently to flatten, forming sandwich. Run
spatula around sides of ice cream to even sides.
Freeze. Repeat with remaining meringues and
ice cream. Cover and freeze at least 1 hour and
up to 6 hours.
Stir sauce over medium-low heat just until warm.
Sift powdered sugar over tops of meringues,
coating completely. Place on plates. Spoon sauce
around. Sprinkle chopped candy over sauce.

Serves 6

Sweet-Cherry Hearts

In this recipe, a flour paste often used for
cream puffs is shaped into hearts, then baked to
create the shells that cradle this Valentine's Day
dessert's cherry-and-orange filling.

Serves: 4

PASTRY SHELLS

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into 4 slices
• 1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs

1. Prepare Pastry Shells: In 2-quart saucepan,
heat water and butter to boiling over medium-high
heat. Add flour all at once and stir rapidly until
mixture pulls away from side of pan. Remove from
heat and cool mixture slightly. Beat in eggs
until mixture is smooth and mounds when dropped
from a spoon.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spoon mixture into
pastry bag (without a tip) that has a 1/2-inch-wide
opening. On ungreased baking sheet, pipe
mixture to outline a 3-inch-wide heart. Pipe more
mixture to fill in the heart. Repeat to make 3 more
hearts about 3 inches apart. If you don't
have a pastry bag, drop mixture into 4 mounds and,
with small metal spatula, shape into hearts.
Bake 30 minutes or until puffy, crisp, and browned.
Cool hearts completely on wire rack.
3. Meanwhile, prepare Sweet-Cherry Sauce: Finely
grate rind from orange; wrap and reserve for
Topping. Cut orange in half and ream or squeeze
to extract 1/4 cup juice; set aside.
Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup syrup.
4. In 1-quart saucepan, combine reserved syrup and
cornstarch until blended. Heat mixture to boiling
over medium heat, stirring constantly, until
thickened and clear. Remove from heat; stir in
drained cherries, orange juice, liqueur, and
almond extract. Cool sauce to room temperature.
5. Just before serving, prepare Topping: In small
bowl, with wire whisk or electric mixer on medium
speed, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff
peaks form.
6. To serve, with serrated knife, cut top third off
each baked pastry heart. Remove and
discard soft dough from inside pastry bottoms to
create shells. Place the bottom portion of one
shell on each of 4 dessert plates. With slotted
spoon, spoon cherries into shells and replace
tops. Spoon sauce around filled hearts. Top each
with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with
reserved grated orange rind. Serve filled hearts
immediately.
Nutrition information per serving -- protein: 6 grams;
fat: 20 grams; carbohydrate: 43 grams;
fiber: 2 grams; sodium: 159 milligrams;
cholesterol: 157 milligrams; calories: 374.