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Design Sponge
November 14th, 2008
in the kitchen with: ditte isager


On my recent trip to London for the Design Festival, I did not limit my search for aesthetics to home interiors and accessories. I stopped in a bookstore and checked in on some British cookbooks that are easier to find in the UK than in the US like Tamasin Day-Lewis, Leith’s Cooking School series, and the new Gordon Ramsay Cooking for Friends. Ditte Isager is the photographer who shot Gordon Ramsay’s new book, and I will admit that the photos sold the book. I am so enchanted by Ditte’s work, that I keep the book on my bedside table to look at before going to sleep so I’ll have nice dreams! Ditte’s signature photographic style is unmistakable and totally addictive. Her recipe for a fruit meringue cake looks fancy but is simple to make. Don’t be afraid of meringue! It will be your new friend! Click here for the full recipe or just click “read more” below. -Kristina


About Ditte: Ditte Isager was born and raised in Copenhagen. She was educated at Danish technical school of photography and Schiller studio and is now living in NYC. Specialized in interiors, travel, and food, her clients include Gourmet, Traveler, Domino, Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsey, Fritz Hansen, to name a few.

Fruit Meringue Cake

Meringues
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
½ cup sugar

For topping:
whip cream
fruit or berries, whatever you feel like

1. Whip the egg whites, vinegar and sugar for around 5 min to it is thick and shiny.
2. Put a little bit of flour on baking paper and make a circle around 20 cm in diameter with the whipped egg whites.

3. Bake it at 305 degrees (F) for around an hour to it is crisp, turn off the oven and leave the meringues there until it is cold.
4. Whip the cream, you can add some berries to the cream too, and decorate the cake with whipped cream and berries

Why Ditte chose this recipe: This is my favorite cake soooooo easy and so delicious! I always make it for birthdays, dessert when friends come over for dinner ………any occasion.

Images are 4×5 polaroids taken with a Linhoff camera.

32 comments
November 14th, 2008 - 1:12 pm

The photo is beautiful! The thing about meringue is that it’s not supposed to look perfect, which makes things a whole lot easier on the baker! :-)

andy said:
November 14th, 2008 - 1:14 pm

I grew up next to the Iisagers but in troy ny their family was from Copenhagen i remember delicious deserts their grandmothe used to make yummmy ditte do you make groigroit? (sp) pronounced like a pig grunting frosomething good..
you look just like Cheryl…same blue eyes

Gina said:
November 14th, 2008 - 1:19 pm

Yum!! That looks amazing. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Nikko Moy said:
November 14th, 2008 - 1:32 pm

Wonderful photos and how yummy does that Fruit Meringue Cake look! Fantastic!

Lecia said:
November 14th, 2008 - 1:58 pm

This looks delicious and she is so cute!

November 14th, 2008 - 2:01 pm

This looks amazing!

November 14th, 2008 - 2:46 pm

amazing photos, she is always an inspiration. thanks for the recipe!

crystalshea- said:
November 14th, 2008 - 3:30 pm

mmmm…
beautiful photo- i hope it tastes as delicious as it appears.
her glasses are addorable.

Joanna said:
November 14th, 2008 - 3:56 pm

These photos are just exquisite. The color palette reminds me of a Vermeer painting. So inspiring.

Green Key said:
November 14th, 2008 - 4:03 pm

Wow. The photo is so gorgeous! I am excited about the recipe. I am allergic to gluten (found in wheat, rye & barley) so this is a perfect dessert to add to my repertoire. Thank you Ditte!

Christiane said:
November 14th, 2008 - 4:24 pm

Isn`t this called Pavlova Cake?

Lydia said:
November 14th, 2008 - 4:42 pm

looking forward to trying this recipe…

how many servings is it?

Becca said:
November 14th, 2008 - 5:25 pm

What kind of vinegar? Is white vinegar okay?

Emily said:
November 14th, 2008 - 8:22 pm

Hey! That’s not a ‘meringue cake’. That’s a Pavlova! It’s the national cake of Australia! (Though the Kiwis claim it too…). It is the prettiest one I’ve ever seen though.

megan said:
November 14th, 2008 - 11:04 pm

what a lovely photo and a great recipe. those berries look delicious!

Christine said:
November 15th, 2008 - 3:05 am

Oh my goodness, that looks so yummy! And, I absolutely adore her glasses. She looks super cute. I just posted about the “nerd chic” trend going on at the moment! To see the cute pics, go to stylepill.wordpress.com! Love your blog as always. Have a lovely weekend!

November 15th, 2008 - 11:36 am

Cute.

abba said:
November 15th, 2008 - 1:09 pm

Oh that a beautyfull ladie! I am falling in love!

laura said:
November 16th, 2008 - 6:40 pm

Hmm yes quite a fancy Pavlova if ever I saw one.

Looks much better than the bastardized “fruit gum” topped version on wikipedia.. urggh

mandy said:
November 16th, 2008 - 6:41 pm

So I just tried to whip up this recipe today and have learned that you can not meringue in rainy weather :) I have gluten intolerance too (feeling your pain Green Key) so I can’t wait to get this right. Thanks for the beautiful idea!

johanna said:
November 16th, 2008 - 10:30 pm

what a beautiful pavlova! we made one showered in pomegranate seeds last week. it’s such a nice light sort of cake

November 17th, 2008 - 3:02 am

The picture is really stunning! It perfectly reflectes my idea of decadence!!!

jemily said:
November 17th, 2008 - 4:07 am

pass by here and say hello to u.
i’m a Chinese.
it’s wonderful for me to come here to read ur experience of the cookery.
THANK U.
谢谢你!^_^

November 17th, 2008 - 12:06 pm

love the style (and looks) of the 2 pcitures above

Katie Parker said:
November 17th, 2008 - 11:32 pm

Mmm, I love pavlova!!

hani said:
November 18th, 2008 - 2:47 pm

Schaum Torte!

norah said:
November 25th, 2008 - 9:47 am

made this for shabbat dessert….came out lovely and delicious, my kids devoured it!

shawna tatom said:
November 28th, 2008 - 3:25 pm

Absolutely Delicious, made this for thanksgiving as a lighter alternative to pumpkin or pecan pie and it was the star of the evening.

Cara said:
December 5th, 2008 - 7:13 pm

I have made this twice and have since been looking for any excuse to make it again… i can not believe how easy it is and how yummy it tastes ;-) I used brown sugar (as in the pic) the first time and liked it better than the white sugar i used the second time… This is the dessert of the year at our house… fo sho ;-)

Ana said:
December 9th, 2008 - 4:27 pm

It looks beautiful and very easy to make…I will try as my birthday cake next week.
This is a new type of pavlova, for sure!

Audrey said:
December 13th, 2008 - 12:36 pm

Pavlova was invented and baked for the famous ballet dancer Maria Pavlova when she visited Some country to dance and hence the name Pavlova! I love it, u can also break the Pavlov up into bits and layer it with berries and cream in a beautiful glass if it breaks up. Very nice.

Chi-Girl said:
May 23rd, 2009 - 2:21 pm

the dessert sounds yummy.

I’d love to know whose digital frames are used in the photos - or is that a result of the polaroids/camera? thanks

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