Raspberry Vacherin Food

WARM VACHERIN

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler and position a rack 8 to 9 inches below the heat.
• If the Vacherin box is stapled together, simply place it on a sheet pan. If the box is glued together, wrap a piece of aluminum foil tightly around the bottom and sides (not the top) before placing it on a sheet pan. (Yes, you will be broiling the cheese in the box.) With a small sharp knife, remove and discard the top rind of the cheese. Pour the white wine over the cheese.
• Broil the cheese for 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully so the box doesn't catch on fire. Remove from the oven, sprinkle generously with fleur de sel and pepper, and serve immediately with toasted breads and cornichons. I put a small spoon in the cheese for people to help themselves.

VACHERIN

Steps:

• The Meringue Discs: Separate the whites from the yolks of egg, sift the flour, sift the chocolate powder. Heat the oven to 225 degrees F. Grease and dust a cookie sheet with flour. Place a plain nozzle in a piping bag.
• Make the meringues by whisking in a large bowl the whites of eggs until very stiff. Beat in the salt and water, and gradually start beating in the sugar little by little (if this is done too quickly the whites will lose their bulk and turn almost liquid). Fold in the last tablespoon of sugar. The mixture should now have a good gloss and be very "peaky". Now place the glistening white meringue mixture into the forcing bag and pipe it into two 9-inch circles (being the same diameter as the cake) on the cookie sheet and dust with the chocolate powder. The remaining mixture can then be piped into small animal shapes as decoration.
• Place the meringue mixture immediately into the preheated oven (225 degrees F.) on the middle shelf and bake for 2 1/2 hours. When ready the discs and animals should lift easily from the baking sheet and have a hollow sound when gently tapped, these can be cooled on a wire rack until required. They can also be stored in an airtight tin for several days, should you want to prepare this dessert ahead of time.
• Cream Filling: Whip the cream until stiff and divide the cream into 2 bowls.
• The almonds can be placed on a cookie sheet and broiled until golden brown and cooled. The sponge cake can now be split in 2 and the base lightly soaked with rum.
• Assembly: Place the base of the cake on a plate. Spread a little chestnut puree over this and then a good wallop of fresh cream from one bowl.
• Pop the second layer of sponge cake on top and sprinkle with rum.
• To the cream in the first bowl, add more of the chestnut puree and beat in very thoroughly. Blend together with rum. Scoop this on top of the cake.
• Take one layer of the baked cooled meringue and place this on top.
• From the second bowl, take the puree, whipped cream and spread a thick layer of this gently on top of the meringue disc.
• Lower the second round of meringue on top. To the remainder of cream, add the last of the chestnut puree and spread this over the sides of the vacherin and a thin layer over the top, using a palette knife.
• Gently press the flaked almonds over the sides. Decorate the top with meringue animals and dust with the chocolate powder.

RASPBERRY GRATIN

Steps:

• Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan or the bottom pan of a double boiler and bring to a bare simmer. In a large stainless steel or other heatproof bowl or the top pan of the double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, honey and Marsala until well blended. Set the bowl or pan over, but not touching, the simmering water and whisk vigorously until the mixture lightens in color and thickens and the whisk leaves a trail, about 3 to 5 minutes. To test, draw the whisk through the center of the mixture; it should leave a clean trail on the bottom of the bowl or pan. Add the wine and continue whisking constantly until the mixture is pale, thick, and greatly expanded in volume, about 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil or the eggs will curdle. When the zabaglione is light and fluffy and holding a soft peak, remove from the heat and let cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a bowl using a mixer or a whisk, whip the cream with the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.
• When the egg mixture has cooled for 10 minutes, using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the zabaglione, being careful not to deflate the mixture. You should have 6 to 7 cups.
• Add the biscotti to a 10-inch gratin dish. In a small bowl, combine the raspberries, lemon juice, and salt and toss lightly. Arrange the berries over the biscotti. With a large spoon, scoop the zabaglione over the raspberries, and sift the sugar over the top. Arrange the gratin dish on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake the gratin until the tops are golden brown in spots about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes and serve warm.

VACHERINS

Steps:

• Beat the whites until foamy then add the sugar and continue whipping until stiff and glossy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and whip very briefly just to incorporate. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a small (1/4-inch) plain tip and pipe onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Make a small round flat base 1/2-inch in diameter, then pipe a ring of meringue at the edge of the base and spiral up to make it two rows high. Continue making vacherins in rows on the sheet pan. Dry them out on the top of an oven that has been on, or preheat the oven to 300 degrees, then turn it off and place the vacherin meringues in it 5 minutes later. Leave them over night to dry out until crisp. Using a pastry bag, pipe whipped cream in the center and top each one with a raspberry.

VACHERINS WITH RASPBERRY SORBET AND MIXED BERRY-CARDAMOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 200°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-inch-diameter cookie cutter as template, heavily trace 4 circles on each parchment sheet. Turn parchment over so that marked side faces down (circles will show through).
• Whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Using heavy-duty or handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat whites in large bowl until foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Add sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites are very stiff and glossy, at least 4 minutes with heavy-duty mixer and 6 to 8 minutes with handheld. Scoop enough meringue into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip to fill 1/3 full. Pipe small dot of meringue under parchment in each corner of baking sheets. Press parchment onto dots.
• Starting in center of 1 marked circle, pipe meringue in continuous spiral to fill circle completely. Pipe 1 meringue circle atop edge of base circle, forming standing rim. Repeat, piping 2 more circles atop first, forming meringue cup. Pipe 3 more cups on sheet, filling bag with meringue as needed. Pipe 4 cups on second sheet.
• Bake meringues 3 hours without opening oven door (sides of meringues may settle slightly). Turn off oven; let meringues stand in closed oven over-night to dry completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight in single layer.)
• Whisk jam, sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and jam melts. Boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, whisking often, about 7 minutes. Add berries and cardamom; stir gently. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour to thaw fruit. Cover; chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Scoop sorbet into vacherins. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly; freeze. If you freeze the vacherins, the meringues will be tender and chewy rather than crisp.) Spoon sauce over. Garnish with berries and mint. Serve with remaining sauce.