Celebrate An Afternoon at De Grazia Gallery with Almond Macaroon Meringue

Almond Macaroon Meringue

Cook's notes: It's light, airy and melts in your mouth. A perfect sweet valentine for that special someone. The recipe serves four. Be creative, use martini  or some type of parfait glasses to serve Almond Macaroon Meringue.  

Ingredients:

• 8 crushed macaroon cookies- the soft kind (use food processor)
• 1-cup milk
• 3 large eggs (separated)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ package (envelope) of Knox unflavored gelatin (about ½ TB.)
• 2 TB. milk
• 1 cup of heavy cream whipped
• 2 TB. Amaretto
• ½ tsp. almond extract

Directions:

• Scald 1 cup of milk in saucepan-cool slightly (off burner).
• In a bowl beat egg yolks and sugar until fluffy.
• Pour 1 TB. scalding milk into egg yolks then whisk egg mixture and milk together in saucepan.
• Cook on stove till mixture coats back of wooden spoon.
• Soften gelatin in 2 TB. of milk and add to custard mixture in saucepan.
• Cook on low heat 1-2 minutes (do not let mixture boil or it will curdle).
• Pour custard mixture in bowl, mix in 2 TB. Amaretto and ½ tsp. almond extract.
• Cover custard with wax paper for about 30 minutes to cool. 
• Beat egg whites in a separate bowl and whip the cream in separate bowl.
• Gently fold egg whites and whip cream mixture together with a rubber spatula.
• Fold custard into whip cream/egg white mixture with a rubber spatula.
• In each parfait glass (I used martini glasses) layer as follows: 1 TB.-2 TB. cookie mixture in bottom of glass, custard/whip cream mixture, more crushed cookies and ending with custard mixture. Sprinkle crushed almonds on top.
• Refrigerate until serving, top with raspberries.

Step into...

De Grazia Gallery in the Sun  

is on the National Register of Historic Places. This legendary landmark of Southwestern art and architecture was designed and built by acclaimed Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia. The 10-acre foothills site includes the adobe gallery with permanent and rotating exhibits, chapel with interior murals, gift shop, cactus courtyard, the artist’s home, and his grave. 

DeGrazia built the gallery so his paintings"would feel good inside." Opened in 1965, it is the home to more than 15, 000 DeGrazia originals, including oil paintings, watercolors, ceramics and sculptures. The gallery stands as a testament to a man who loved the Southwest, customs, traditions and its people. His work is unique. it reflects and documents  all that De Grazia saw and experienced including cultural and religious events. 

Some interesting facts about De Grazia include:

• In 1942 Ted went to Mexico City to further his art studies. While there, he met both Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco, two of Mexico’s greatest artists. He worked as an intern for both and actually helped them in their mural work at the Palacio Municipal and the Hospital of Jesus Nazarene in Mexico City
• In 1976 DeGrazia made national if not worldwide news when he packed up over 100 of his paintings on a packhorse and hauled them up to the Superstition Mountains. There with ten friends and witnesses, he piled them up into a pyre and with tears streaming down his face, he lit them ablaze. This was in protest to the unfair inheritance tax policies of the time. He vowed to never paint again, but an artist can only be true to himself. After three years, he once again began painting his oils.
• In 1960, UNICEF chose the painting, Los Ninos (the children), for their Christmas card. They sold over five million boxes of this card throughout the world, bringing worldwide attention to the artist. This painting continues to this day to be his most famous work of art. While Ted painted scenery and cultural and religious events, he will always be noted for his paintings of children, angels and horses.

Enjoy a tour of the gallery and the grounds. 

Artist's original home is now a gallery that hosts visiting artists during the winter months.

The gallery is located at the foothills of Tucson's Santa Catalina Mountains.