This is a simple and light dessert that you will make over and over again in many different ways. It is great by itself, with some chocolate or fruit syrup poured over it, or topped with ice cream and berries. In the winter, I like it with poached or baked winter fruits, such as pears, apples, or quince. (Recipe courtesy of Lidia Bastianich.)
1½ cups confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting the cake
Pinch kosher salt
12 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Concord Grape Sorbet
2 pounds concord grape (about 5 cups)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
Fresh berries, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt onto a piece of parchment paper.
In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. While beating on medium-high, gradually add in the granulated sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and lemon zest, and mix in.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold in about a third of the flour mixture. Gently fold in the remaining flour in two more additions.
Scrape the batter into a 10-inch ungreased tube pan. Do not grease the angel food baking pan; since this is basically a meringue cake, it needs to climb the sides of the pan while baking. This will not happen properly if the pan is greased. Bake until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool upside down on the counter (if your pan has “legs”), or invert and cool on the neck of a glass bottle. Let cool completely. Run the edges of a knife around the pan to loosen and unmold. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife, and serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar and fresh berries.
Wash and dry the concord grapes cut in half , remove any seeds and stems.
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring gently then add the grapes and lemon juice and cook for 10 minutes. Squashing the fruit as it cooks. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
When the mixture is cooled strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the solids. Gently stir with a spoon as you strain, but don't force the solids through the strainer.
Cover the sorbet base and refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Pour the chilled base into the ice cream machine and churn. Continue churning until the sorbet is the consistency of a thick smoothie. This typically takes between 10 and 15 minutes in most machines.
Transfer the sorbet to pint containers or other freezable containers and cover. Freeze for at least 4 hours, until the sorbet has hardened.
Before serving let the sorbet soften for a few minutes on the counter.
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