Schaum Torte (Raspberry "Pinch Pie")

Do not try to make this in wet weather. Wait until a clear day because moisture in the air makes this collapse.

Meringue
3 egg whites (at room temperature)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops almond extract
3/4 cup pulverized almonds
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until stiff but not dry. Fold in sugar gently, along with flavorings. Mix ground almonds with cornstarch and add. Either line a springform pan with the meringue, or spread it in a thick 10-inch circle on a buttered and floured cookie sheet and pinch up the sides to make a 1-inch high rim to hold the filling. Bake the meringue at 225 degrees F until it is well dried and barely golden in color, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turn off the oven. Leave meringue in the turned-off oven until ready to use.

Sauce
2 pints fresh raspberries
2 packages frozen raspberries
1/4 cup cr?me de cassis
2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Keep fresh raspberries whole, but make a sauce of the frozen raspberries by liquefying them in a blender with the cassis. Mix fresh raspberries with half the sauce and put them in the meringue. Cover with the whipped cream and a splash of sauce, or serve the torte with the raspberries showing, and the cream and remaining sauce kept separate, as an accompaniment.

Serves 6 to 8.