Recipe: Strawberry Dreams (fresh strawberries in meringue shells)

STRAWBERRY DREAMS

1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
4 large egg whites (1/2 cup) at room temperature
1 to 1 1/2 pints rinsed and hulled small strawberries
1/3 cup strawberry jelly

Make meringue shells well in advance the day before filling.

Preheat oven to very low heat (200 to 275 degrees F).

Sift sugar with cream of tartar. Beat whites with electric beater, first at low speed until frothy, then at high speed until stiff but not dry. Slowly add sugar mixture, beating until stiff and glossy.

Spoon mixture into 6 individual tart pans coated with spray canola oil. (Alternately, shape meringue with spoons into free-form nests on non-stick baking sheets sprayed with oil.) Bake until dry and crisp but uncolored, 1 to 2 hours, depending on oven heat and size of shells.

Shut off oven and allow shells to cool inside, preferably overnight. Carefully remove shells from pans (if used) and store in air-tight containers until ready to serve.

JUST BEFORE SERVING TIME:
Cut strawberries lengthwise in halves. Melt jelly in microwave and pour just enough into bottom of shells to thinly cover. Arrange berries vertically in shells, stem-side down, in a circular pattern with cut sides facing inward. Spoon melted jelly over berries to form thin film of glaze. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 113 calories, 0 g. fat (0 g. saturated fat), 25 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 46 mg. sodium

Source: the American Institute for Cancer Research