Meersburger Kirschen-Dessert

This dessert comes from Meersburg, a medieval wine town on Lake Constance in southern Germany where tart cherries grow in orchards along the water. Fresh pitted cherries steep in kirsch (German cherry brandy) and a thin sugar syrup until plump and lightly boozy, then layer over halved ladyfingers in glass coupes.

The top is what pushes the dessert past a simple trifle. Cream cheese blended with sugar, vanilla, and ground almonds gets lightened with folded whipped cream into a mousse that is richer than fool but lighter than cheesecake. Chopped pistachios and a whole cherry on top for a bit of south German restaurant flourish.

Chef Tips

• Use fresh tart cherries if you can find them. Morello or sour cherries give the dessert its characteristic tang. Sweet Bings will work but the whole thing reads flat without the acid contrast.
• Let the cherries soak the full 20 minutes. This is when they absorb the kirsch and release their juices into the syrup, which pools under the ladyfingers and soaks into them.
• Whip the cream to medium-stiff peaks, not stiff. Over-whipped cream deflates as you fold it into the cream cheese mixture and the topping loses its lightness.
• Assemble no more than two hours before serving. The ladyfingers need time to soften in the cherry juice, but any longer and they turn to paste.

Variations

• Swap the kirsch for amaretto for a nuttier, sweeter liqueur that echoes the ground almonds in the topping.
• Use raspberries or blackberries in place of cherries for a different summer version.
• Grate dark chocolate over the top along with the pistachios for a Black Forest-leaning finish.