Cherry Meringue Nests

Meringue

6 egg whites

1 cup sugar

¾ (scant) cup powdered sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

Topping

1 Tablespoon instant coffee powder

1 Tablespoon boiling water

1 cup whipping cream

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups cherry almond sauce

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Line baking sheets with baking parchment or waxed paper. Grease waxed paper. Preheat oven to 225º. Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly beat in granulated sugar until mixture is stiff and glossy. Sift powdered sugar with cornstarch; fold into egg white mixture. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a fluted nozzle with meringue mixture; pipe rosettes, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, onto baking sheets.

Bake with oven door slightly 3 to 4 hours. Cool on a rack. Dissolve coffee powder in boiling water; cool. Whip cream with sugar until stiff; stir in cooled coffee mixture. Using a pastry bag fitted with a fluted nozzle, pipe rings of coffee cream onto cooled meringue nests. Place a small scoop vanilla ice cream to 1 side of nest. Pour about ¼ cup cherry almond sauce over the ice cream.