There was a brief and lovely Two Carolines reunion over the weekend (with most of the rest of the family) and of course—there had to be a dessert party. I wanted something that would feed the whole crew and that could be prepared ahead of time. I dug back into the family archives and found this dessert that came from family on my mom’s side. It’s almost like a Pavlova, but with some extra ingredients that add to the texture and flavor. It is one of those desserts that all the kids and adults were devouring and wanting seconds and thirds. It takes some time to make it, but each step is pretty easy and it’s totally worth it.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups small marshmallows
• 1 pint cream, whipped
• 1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen berries, thawed

Instructions:

1. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add the salt and sugar; whip 10-15 minutes in stand mixer.
2. Spread in an 11×15 inch greased pan. Bake one hour at 250-275 degrees. Turn off oven and leave in overnight.
3. Mix the cream cheese, sugar and the vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add the marshmallows and mix until incorporated. Gently fold in whipped cream until mixture is uniform. Spread evenly on meringue layer. Cover with plastic wrap.
4. Chill 8-10 hours.
5. To serve, cut into squares and top with spoonful of thawed mixed berries.

-CK 1.0