Dessert Recipes
Peach Cloud
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
Meringue Crust
- 6 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Layer
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups cream
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
Peach Layer
- 5 or 6 large freestone peaches
Glaze
- 1/3 cup undiluted frozen passion fruit juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch
Instructions
Meringue Crust
- Lightly butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Set oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Beat egg whites and salt to glossy, stiff peaks, gradually adding sugar halfway through. Spread meringue evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake 1 1/2 hours. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside the oven for 12 hours or overnight. It will get a hint of color.
Cream Cheese Layer
- Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a cold bowl with cold beaters, whip cream to medium-stiff peaks.
- Fold a "scoop" of whipped cream into beaten cheese, to loosen the cheese and make it easier to fold with the cream.
- Fold remaining cream and marshmallows into cream cheese.
- Spread over meringue crust and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.
Peach Layer
- Drop peaches into a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Test readiness by piercing one with a knife tip. If the skin curls back, peaches are ready to peel. Do not boil longer than 1 minute, or peach pulp will begin to cook.
- Remove peaches from water with a slotted spoon or wide strainer, place them in a colander and immediately rinse in cold water. Keep in a bowl of ice water until all peaches are peeled and pitted. Skins should slip off. If skins stick to flesh, peel with a knife.
- Slice peaches evenly into 1/4 inch slices and place in neat lengthwise overlapping rows over the cream-cheese layer. Or cut squares from pan and decorate individually.
Glaze
- Boil all ingredients until clear. Immediately brush onto all surfaces of peaches.
- Chill until serving.
- To serve, cut into squares.
Notes
Do not attempt to make this recipe on a damp, humid or rainy day. If you use bottled passion fruit juice, boil down 1/2 cup of bottled juice until it measures 1/4 cup, then proceed with recipe. Or you can substitute strawberry or red currant jam in the glaze.