The cloud, in iconic form, drifts white and puffy. Annoying the professional. The International Cloud Atlas recognizes 10 genera, 15 species and nine varieties. Way more precise than "that one looks like a duck."
Now we've got a new cloud (OK, supplementary feature): asperitas. Perhaps it's long been lurking overhead. But it wasn't until the Cloud Appreciation Society took up its cause that the rare formation landed a rare honor: an addition to the atlas.
Asperitas is hard to miss. It's an ominous, roiling cloud, all wake and chop. Staring up at its face feels like falling into rough seas. Indeed, asperitas means rough. It's a magnificent effect.
In appreciation of the Cloud Appreciation Society, why not construct an asperitas pavlova? Meringue, which tethers the tart, eagerly heaves into crests and troughs. As does whipped cream, which surfs the top. Roiled dark with blueberry mash, it's a dramatic dessert, one worthy of its stunning namesake.
