Stacked Meringue Torte

Meringue
8 egg whites (allow to stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes)
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup ground almonds

Custard Filling (yield 2 cups)
4 egg yolks
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups milk

LINE 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. TRACE two 8-inch circles on each; set aside. PREHEAT oven to 250°F.

BEAT egg whites in large bowl of mixer on high until soft peaks form. COMBINE sugar, cornstarch and cream of tartar in separate bowl. BEAT in 1 tablespoon of sugar mixture at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved after each addition. Continue to BEAT mixture until stiff peaks form. FOLD in almonds.

DIVIDE meringue between 4 circles. SPREAD evenly to the edge of each circle (mixture will be about 1/2-inch thick).

BAKE for 1-1/2 hours. TURN oven off. LEAVE meringue in oven 1 hour. REMOVE from oven. Gently PEEL off parchment paper.

Meanwhile, WHISK together egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in large microwave safe bowl. WHISK in milk until combined.

MICROWAVE egg mixture, covered, on HIGH 2 minutes. STIR; cover and microwave 2 minutes. STIR, cover, and microwave an additional 1 minute (internal temperature should reach 160°F).

REMOVE from microwave. PRESS plastic wrap onto surface of cooked custard. REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour.

To assemble torte, PLACE one meringue layer on serving plate. SPREAD 1/2 cup of the custard over meringue. REPEAT three times, ending with custard on top. REFRIGERATE up to 1 hour before serving.
ENJOY

Custard can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Microwave wattages vary. You may need to increase or decrease cooking time, based on your oven. Make sure to take internal temperature of custard as recipe