Chan Tart

My family has a dessert that is our favorite and it can only be made in the summer, with fresh fruit. It is the best dessert ever and we guard the recipe, though I have been known to let it slip out.

Originally, it's a dessert from Austria called "schaumtorte."  But we, here in Kentucky, call it "chan tart."  Say both out loud and you can understand how we have Kentuckyized it.

This dessert is basically sugar.  and egg whites.  Very similar to a pavlova, it is soft meringue, fruit, whipped cream, and then hard meringue on top.  It is absolutely delicious.  The fruit must be juicy fruits, like strawberries or raspberries.  For our family, we prefer peaches.   




A regular chan tart serves about 8 people, sparingly.  We are having a party and with 40 guests coming, we had to make four tarts.  Mom borrowed a spring form pan from my sister, but otherwise her kitchen is already outfitted for 3 spring form pans (without the tube, so we can have more tart).  In order to not mess up the tarts, I made it four separate times; no trying to double the recipe-- that could lead to mistakes.  But, I will tell you that four tarts = 24 egg whites. That's a lot of leftover yolks!

I separated the whites from the yolks, dumping the whites into a mixing bowl.  One adds a bit of this, and some of that, making the egg whites stiffen.  (Really, it is a secret family recipe, I am not about to tell teh interwebs the ingredients).  Once the whites start to stiffen, you add the two cups of sugar.

Once the whites are very stiff and glossy, you pour the batter into the spring form pan.  It is better to have the peaks and valleys of the meringue. Plus, the whites stick to the spatula or your finger, and darn it, if you don't have to lick them clean! (Don't judge me for eating sweetened egg whites-- they are delicious!)  And then into a slow oven for about an hour. 

The meringue starts to rise up and brown on the top, forming a hard crust.  Once out of the oven, it is best to let it sit overnight in the pan in a cool place (not the fridge).  The soft meringue will fall, leaving the harder crust cracked into pieces.  This is what you want, I promise.  You can serve the tart in the spring form pan, but we combined two to make one large one and placed it into a prettier glass bowl.  Once it has thoroughly cooled, the meringue is easy to get out the pan.  The foamy, soft meringue forms the base of the dessert.  

Now, here is where my family recipe differs from the ones I have found for schaumtorte on the internet:  We put a layer of peeled, cut peaches directly onto the soft meringue.  We scrap the sides of the spring form pan on top of the peaches-- none of the meringue is wasted!-- and then we put a layer of whipped cream.  The tart is finished by replacing the hard crusty meringue on top.  Put the entire dessert into the fridge, so it cools and the peaches have time to get juicier-- all the sugar will draw out the liquid.  Let it cool for a couple of hours and then serve.


It is fantastic.  Delicious.  Sweet.  Melts in your mouth.  Lovely.  Amazing.  Tasty.  The Best Dessert Ever.  I think you are getting the picture.  A Public Serve announcement: it will not last! Once people have had a taste, it disappears quickly!    It is relatively easy to make, it just takes time, and the end result is heavenly.