Flowerpots

Flowerpots are the kind of dessert that makes guests stop mid-sentence. Yellow cake sits at the bottom of a clean clay pot, covering the drainage hole, then gets topped with ice cream or sherbet and sealed under a cloud of shiny meringue. A soda straw pushed through the center holds the fresh flowers, so when the pot comes out of the hot oven with the meringue toasted gold, it looks like a blossoming garden.

The trick is in the meringue. Beat the egg whites until foamy before any sugar hits the bowl, then add it slowly, spoonful by spoonful, until the peaks turn glossy and stiff but not dry. That glossy finish is what browns beautifully in a hot oven without weeping.

Use holly with red roses or carnations for holidays, daisies for summer birthdays. Either way, the reveal gets the reaction.

Chef Tips

• Chill the ice cream pots in the freezer before meringue goes on. Cold filling keeps the ice cream from melting while the meringue browns.
• Seal the meringue right to the edge of the pot. Any gap and the ice cream weeps out.
• Bake fast and hot. The goal is browned peaks, not cooked cream.
• Rinse the flower stems and wrap them in foil before pushing into the straw to keep them food-safe.

Variations

• Swap yellow cake for chocolate cake and use coffee ice cream for an adult twist.
• Try raspberry sherbet with white roses for a Valentine’s plating.
• Use mini terracotta pots for individual servings instead of one large centerpiece.