Dessert worthy of a guest

Crispy, Creamy and strawberries, too!

We have dessert once a week, usually with our fish meal, to encourage the kids to eat the healthy stuff on their plates. But if we have guests, we will often break the once a week rule and have dessert a little more often. When fresh fruit is plentiful, this is a wonderful low-sugar recipe. Like much of what I make, it takes a little forethought and planning, but goes together very quickly.

Strawberry Notcakes
makes 9-4 inch diameter desserts

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
2 large egg whites from pastured hens, at room temperature
1 cup raw, heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries or other fruit in season

Whip egg whites with arrowroot until stiff peaks form, blend in maple syrup briefly. Put beaten eggs into a plastic bag and cut off a half inch of the tip to make a “piping bag.” Squeeze the eggs gently through the hole onto a baking sheet lined with buttered parchment paper, starting in the center and making a swirl outward until each “cake” is the right size. We make ours about 4 inches in diameter. Put in oven set on lowest temperature overnight with the door slightly ajar. Remove from oven the next morning and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. At serving time, whip heavy cream with vanilla, slice fruit and layer fruit then whipped cream on each meringue “cake.”

If you prefer, you can make two large “cakes” and make a layered dessert. It makes a lovely presentation, but can be difficult to serve.

Tempted to serve desserts full of GMO sugar, HFCS or other processed non-foods? Fight back and serve real food, even at dessert! This post is part of Fight Back Fridays, hosted by Food Renegade.