Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, I have had my share of back-to-the-land experiences, including cooking at the Hog Farm, Wavy Gravy’s New Mexico field of dreams. (The residents were mostly wide-eyed city kids who didn’t know how to bank a woodstove or cook brown rice.)

So, what a surprise that near Brașov in Romania, I met Corina Bozgali and Ioana Gherghel, who had quit the fast lane in midlife to found HOF Hărman, a culinary and eco-­tourist mini-farm where Cat Stevens would make the ideal soundtrack. Gherghel is straight out of central casting—stocky, powerful and charming, with a touch of gray and perfectly at home shredding cabbage on a giant mandoline. Bozgali is the quiet one, a former banker, willowy and well-spoken—and full of the quiet effervescence of a woman who is pursuing her dream.

Properties in this part of Romania are deep and narrow—their backyard runs for 100 yards or more behind the main L-shaped housing complex (orange-tiled roof and solar panels) with greenhouses, geese, ducks and chickens. In the large, modern kitchen, our cooking lesson began with an unusual offering, a meringue-­topped rhubarb cake, prăjitură cu rubarbă.

The cake batter is made by whisking together eggs, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, oil and milk, then adding flour. Semolina is sprinkled over the batter in the pan, ostensibly to soak up any juices from the fruit, and topped with previously frozen rhubarb. Baked for a half hour and then topped with a pillowy meringue, it goes back into the oven to finish.

Back at Milk Street, our first thought was that rhubarb is highly seasonal and offers little in the way of strong fruit flavor, so we pivoted to 2 cups of pitted cherries, halved and briefly macerated both to sweeten and to draw off excess juices that might turn the cake soggy. A springform pan is easier to unmold than a regular baking pan. The meringue, which is added after the initial cooking, has to be applied gingerly, dolloped in several spots, not just in the center.

This meringue cake is a three-part winner, but so are Bozgali and Gherghel. They have merged the homestead spirit of the 1970s with good business sense and an artful hand in the kitchen. To quote Cat Stevens, “You say you wanna start something new … I hope you make a lot of nice friends out there.”

I can vouch for at least one friend who was well-fed and well-met.

Step-By-Step
Meringue-Topped Cake with Cherries

Meringue-Topped Cake with Cherries

1. Place the pitted, halved cherries (thawed, if frozen) in a colander set in a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, then toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
1. Place the pitted, halved cherries (thawed, if frozen) in a colander set in a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, then toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Microwave the milk and butter on high for 1 minute; stir the mixture to ensure the butter is fully melted. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Microwave the milk and butter on high for 1 minute; stir the mixture to ensure the butter is fully melted. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the whole egg and yolks, the remaining sugar and the lemon zest on medium until the ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds.
3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the whole egg and yolks, the remaining sugar and the lemon zest on medium until the ingredients are combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Increase to medium-high. Continue to beat until the mixture is pale yellow and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla to the milk mixture, then reduce the mixer to low.
4. Increase to medium-high. Continue to beat until the mixture is pale yellow and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla to the milk mixture, then reduce the mixer to low.
5. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle the milk mixture into the mixing bowl; the egg mixture will “loosen” in consistency. Using a silicone spatula, scrape down the bowl.
5. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle the milk mixture into the mixing bowl; the egg mixture will “loosen” in consistency. Using a silicone spatula, scrape down the bowl.
6. With the mixer again running on low, add the flour mixture in three or four additions, mixing until the dry ingredients are almost fully incorporated before adding more.
6. With the mixer again running on low, add the flour mixture in three or four additions, mixing until the dry ingredients are almost fully incorporated before adding more.
7. Using the spatula, give the batter a few folds, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure no pockets of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch springform pan.
7. Using the spatula, give the batter a few folds, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure no pockets of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch springform pan.
8. Scatter the cherries evenly over the batter; discard the juices or reserve for another use. Bake until the cake is golden brown and the edges spring back when gently pressed.
8. Scatter the cherries evenly over the batter; discard the juices or reserve for another use. Bake until the cake is golden brown and the edges spring back when gently pressed.
9. Using the back of a large spoon, spread the meringue to cover the surface of the cake and to create peaks and swirls. Bake until the meringue is light golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
9. Using the back of a large spoon, spread the meringue to cover the surface of the cake and to create peaks and swirls. Bake until the meringue is light golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.