Eton Mess with Cherries and Chocolate

Eton mess, a dessert of crushed baked meringue, whipped cream and berries, is said to have originated at England's Eton College. For this version, we use store-bought meringue cookies, toast them under the broiler and layer them with whipped cream studded with cherries and chopped chocolate. Frozen cherries make this dessert a breeze to put together; we chop then soften the fruit by microwaving the pieces with sugar and sherry vinegar, which nicely balances the sweetness of the meringues.