Apple Snow, Part Two

Mariana -- I do remember what it was like to miss out on fall in Arizona. Actually, I don't think I really knew what fall felt like until I went to college. And while it's totally nice to be able to enjoy orange-colored leaves, butternut squash, and soup, I'm unable to be more than a little sympathetic. Mostly I'm just jealous. Winter is approaching way too fast -- the days are surprisingly short (I look at the clock expecting it to be 9 o'clock and find out it's 6:30 pm), I can see my breath outside, and all the fresh berries, peaches and plums are gone from the supermarket.

Anyway, sorry for the complaining.

I was pretty excited when you sent the recipe. Primarily because while I've been meaning to try a Julia Child recipe, I never have. I feel weird admitting that, like I'm a bad food blogger (that part might be true though. Especially considering how long it has been since my last post). But also because, unlike you, I was really into the name. It was fun, like a name I would have given a recipe as a child, except I obviously would have called this "Apple Cloud" because everyone knows (even children from Arizona) that snow is very cold. Actually, clouds are too, but this is a piece of knowledge I was lacking as a child. And while this dessert was chilled, it was not as cold as snow, i.e. frozen.

I followed the same recipe as you, though I used two special ingredients. The first was fresh eggs from my friend Elizabeth's mom's chickens (thanks Leslie!). Also, I've been intrigued by all these red wine caramels popping up recently, so I decided to add 5 tablespoons of red wine that my aunt was otherwise just going to throw out. The red wine was very...subtle, though the caramel was also very tasty. Perhaps next time, I'll add a bit more wine.

What's your favorite part of this recipe?
Mariana -- I was really into the applesauce as well. My aunt also liked it, though she said that color was "putrid." She said it very nicely so it didn't sound mean. Also, every time I make it I am reminded of how great that caramel sauce recipe is -- I really manhandled it this time and it still turned out super delicious.

Did you have any problems making this recipe?
No problems, except I realized I didn't have cream of tarter right before I was going to beat the eggs. A pinch of salt did the trick. It was surprising how much "snow" the recipe made -- there was no way I would be able to finish it off quickly, even with the help of my aunt.

Did you like the finished product?
I did. But it took some time to grow on me -- not usually a huge fan of meringue and this recipe was definitely meringue-y. This afternoon when I had it for dessert, however, I decided I liked it.

Will you make this again?
I don't know. It isn't my usual dessert style, but it's also fun, seems kind of old-fashioned, and tasty. My aunt liked it, too.