The topping is cakey, almost like an almond torte, not the familiar crisp biscuit. Serve this with vanilla ice cream or a splash of lightly sweetened heavy cream or crème fraîche.
Almond meal is nothing more than finely ground almonds and can be found in many grocery stores. If you can’t get it, you can grind the almonds yourself in a food processor. Grind them to the texture of coarse cornmeal or couscous, but do it in short pulses so you don’t turn the nuts to butter.
4 SERVINGS
1 |
pound cherries, stemmed and pitted |
|
Sugar |
1 |
teaspoon grated orange zest |
1¼ |
cups (4 ounces) ground almond meal (see headnote) |
¼ |
teaspoon salt |
2 |
tablespoons butter |
3 |
large eggs, separated |
2 |
tablespoons orange liqueur |
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the cherries in a small (4-cup), well-buttered gratin dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar and the orange zest and stir to combine. Roast the cherries until they soften slightly and become fragrant, about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, grind together the almond meal, ⅓ cup sugar, the salt, butter, egg yolks and orange liqueur in a food processor.
Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat until they hold stiff peaks.
Add one third of the egg whites to the food processor and pulse to incorporate into the almond meal mixture. Spoon the mixture into one side of the bowl with the egg whites, spread the egg whites over the top and fold them into the mixture until light and somewhat flowing. There may be small patches of unincorporated egg whites; it’s better to leave them than risk overfolding the batter and deflating it.
Spoon the mixture over the roasted cherries and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Place the gratin dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills and return to the oven. Bake until the top is puffed and well browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.