Cindi Clawson teams up with Chef Steve Stogdill, from Victorian Pantry, to cook up some holiday treats.

Christmas Meringue and Raspberry Sauce
Yield: 12

Meringue:
4 Egg Whites
1 Cup Sugar
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
Pinch of Salt
4 Candy Canes, ground up

Sauce:
2 Cups Raspberries
½ cup Sugar
3 Tbsp. Chambord liquor
Pinch of Pepper
12 Mint Sprigs
(Optional: Garnish with a dried apricot dipped in chocolate)

Directions: Whip egg whites by hand or in a mixer with whisk attachment. Once you have started to mix, add salt and cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites. Slowly add sugar (too fast and you’ll collapse the egg whites). When egg whites are sturdy with good peaks, spoon into dollops onto parchment paper. Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top of the dollops. Bake at 300 F until they are ivory and slightly firm. This could take about 20 minutes, depending on the size of your dollops.

While these are baking, prepare your sauce in a food processor. Combine the raspberries, sugar, Chambord and pepper and blend to a puree.

To assemble, place 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce on your serving plate, place 1-2 meringue dollops on top of the sauce, then garnish with mint springs. You may also add a side of fruit by taking a dried apricot and dipping into some melted chocolate for a nice display and additional flavors.

Questions? Email Steve at FoccaciaBest@gmail.com