Strawberry meringue cake

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
  
       Title: STRAWBERRY MERINGUE CAKE
  Categories: Cakes, Fruits
       Yield: 10 Servings
  
            -----genoise layer-----
       4 lg Eggs
       1 pn Salt
     2/3 c  Sugar
     1/2 c  Cake flour
       3 tb Cornstarch
            -----lemon kirsch syrup-----
     1/3 c  Water
     1/4 c  Sugar
       2 tb Lemon juice
       2 tb Kirsch
            -----strawberry filling-----
       2 pt Strawberries
     1/2 c  Sugar
       1 tb Lemon juice
       1 tb Kirsch
       2 tb Cornstarch
            -----covering meringue-----
       6 lg Egg whites
       1 c  Sugar
     1/4 c  Toasted; sliced almonds
  
   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
  
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