DAY Recipe

DIRECTIONS

Combine 2 cups water and sugarin a small saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Let gelatin stand 1 minuteto soften.

Cook over moderate heat, gently stirring occasionally, just until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in wine, schnapps, and remaining cup water. Pour into a 10-cup mold and chill, covered, until firm, at least 10 hours.

Dip mold in hot water a few seconds, then invert a plate over gelée and flip gelée onto plate.

Cooks’ note:
• Gelée may be chilled (in mold)up to 2 days.

DIRECTIONS

Make meringues: Preheat oven to 175°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat whites with salt in a standing electric mixer at high speed (or with a handheld mixer in 2 batches) until they just hold stiff peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating at high speed until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks.

Spoon half of meringue into pastry bag and pipe 1-inch-wide kisses onto1 baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Pipe more kisses onto second sheet in same manner. (All kisses will fit on2 baking sheets.)

Bake meringues in upper and lower thirds of oven until crisp but still white, about 2 hours.

Turn off oven and cool meringues in oven 1 hour, then cool completely on sheets on a rack..

Make fool while meringues bake: Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons pulp in a small heatproof cup andlet stand 1 minute to soften.

Melt softened gelatin in cup in apan of simmering water, then stir into remaining pulp.

Beat heavy cream with confectioners sugar using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks, then beat in sour cream until mixture holds stiff peaks. Fold pulp into cream and chill fool, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Serve fool with meringues.

Cooks’ notes:
• Meringues keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days.

• You can substitute 20 fresh passion fruit for the pulp. Halve them and force their pulp through a sieve, discarding seeds.

DIRECTIONS

Combine 1 cup grape juice and sugar in a small saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Let gelatin stand 1 minute to soften.

Cook over moderate heat, gently stirring occasionally, just until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in Elderflower Pressé, food coloring, and remaining cup grape juice. Pour into a 5-cup mold and chill, covered, until firm, at least 8 hours.

Dip mold in hot water a few seconds, then invert a plate over gelée and flip gelée onto plate.

Cooks’ note:•Gelée may be chilled (in mold)up to 2 days.

DIRECTIONS

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter3 (7- or 8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans withflour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking soda,and salt.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.

Divide batter among pans (about2 1/3 cups per pan), smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes for 7-inch pans or 20 to 25 minutes for8-inch. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.

Make ganache while cakes bake: Bring cream to a simmer in a3- to 4-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolateuntil smooth. Transfer ganache toa bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours. (If ganache becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)

Assemble cake: Arrange 1 layer on a cake stand or plate and spread 2/3 cup ganacheevenly over it. Top with another cake layer and 2/3 cup ganache, spreading evenly, then third cake layer.(Chill ganache if necessary to keepat a spreadable consistency.) Chill cake until ganache filling is firm, about 1 hour. Keep remainingganache at a spreadable consistency, chilling when necessary.

Spread a thin layer of ganacheover top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs, then chill 30 minutes.Spread remaining ganache evenly over top and sides of cake.

Cooks’ notes:
• Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, then chilled, wrapped well in plastic wrap.

•Ganache may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 2 to 3 hours to soften to a spreadable consistency.

•This cake can also be made in 2 (8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans. Split layers horizontally, then use 1/2 cup ganache between layers.

•Assembled cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days.
meringue kisses with passion-fruit fool

DIRECTIONS

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about5 minutes, then drain in a colander. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then drain well.

While noodles are cooking, stir together vinegar, oil, soy sauce, sugar, and salt until sugar is dissolved.

Toss noodles with dressing, mint, and scallions.