GENOISE LAYER
4 lg Eggs 1/2 c Cake flour
1 pn Salt 3 tb Cornstarch
2/3 c Sugar
LEMON KIRSCH SYRUP
1/3 c Water 2 tb Lemon juice
1/4 c Sugar 2 tb Kirsch
STRAWBERRY FILLING
2 pt Strawberries 1 tb Kirsch
1/2 c Sugar 2 tb Cornstarch
1 tb Lemon juice
COVERING MERINGUE
6 lg Egg whites 1/4 c Toasted, sliced almonds
1 c Sugar
GENOISE LAYER: Preheat oven to 350F. Break eggs into bowl of electric
mixer. Whisk in salt, then sugar. Place bowl over pan of simmering
water. Whisk until just lukewarm. Whip by machine until cold and
increased in volume, about 4-5 minutes. Mix cake flour and
cornstarch. Sift over the egg foam in 3 or 4 additions, folding in
with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into buttered and paper-lined
10-inch round pan and level. Bake about 30 minutes until well-risen,
golden and beginning to shrink from sides. Unmold immediately and
cool on a rack. Divide the cooled Genoise into 3 layers with a sharp,
serrated knife. Place 1 layer on a cardboard or platter and moisten
with 1/3 of the syrup, using a brush. Spread with 1/2 the filling.
Repeat with the second layer. Place the last layer on and moisten
with the remaining syrup.
LEMON KIRSCH SYRUP: For the syrup, combine water and sugar in a small
pan, bring to a boil and cool. Stir in lemon juice and kirsch.
STRAWBERRY FILLING: For the filling, reserve 6 of the best
strawberries as a decoration. Rinse, hull and slice the remaining
berries. Place 1/4 of the berries in a saucepan with the sugar and
bring to a boil. Combine lemon juice, kirsch and corn- starch and
stir into the strawberry mixture off the heat. Return to a boil,
stirring and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and stir in
remaining sliced berries.
COVERING MERINGUE: Preheat oven to 400F and set rack in the middle
level. Combine egg whites and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer.
Whisk over simmering water until egg whites are hot and sugar is
dissolved. Beat on medium speed until cold and risen in volume, but
not dry. Spread cake with meringue. Pipe decoration on top of cake,
using a pastry bag fitted with a star tube. Press toasted, sliced
almonds against the side of the cake. Place the cake on a cookie
sheet and color the meringue in the oven for about 3-4 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool. Decorate with the reserved
strawberries.
NICK MALGIERI – PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK
Yields
10 servings