Monthly Archives: May 2010

Angel Food Cake with Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream

May 9, 2010

Today is Mother’s Day. And this is what I made for my mom. I’m not cute and crafty. I don’t stitch or sew, paint or design. When I want to create a gift from scratch, I bake. And this occasion called for angel food cake. The perfect ending to an awesome weekend with my family and the perfect way to celebrate my mom. For my mom- I love you.

5/29/09: I’ve never liked angel food cake much. I always thought it was bland and too airy-not really fit to be called a cake. So why I found myself spending the time to separate a dozen eggs and whip their frothy whites might seem perplexing. Hint: See photo above.

The fresh summer berries are what caught my attention; the cake simply being the vehicle for their delivery. Bright busty berries are popping up at the market and I can’t resist incorporating them into salads and desserts…even dinner as you’ll see tomorrow! Just out of personal preference I used strawberries instead of blackberries…but why not try both?!

In cooking and baking I never cease to surprise myself. Sometimes the dishes I expect to turn out devastatingly spectacular are flops and those I doubted become favorites. The berries were a spectacle. But I do not lie, the cake was phenomenal!

This recipe redefines angel food cake. I swear I will NEVER make a boxed version again. They taste like cardboard in comparison. This is light and fluffy, sweet and silky, melt-in-your-mouth good. The photos above just don’t do it justice (rainy days are extra annoying when photographing food). The cake flour is essential for lift and you want to use your finest white sugar.

Whoever named this dessert must have had this recipe. Biting into my big slice of angel food cake with gently whipped cream on top and berries drizzling down the side, I could have died in the moment and been a happy girl.

Angel Food Cake with Fresh Berries and Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS

10-12 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups fine sugar, divided (a few whirls in the food processor and granulated sugar becomes super fine)
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

3. Beat egg whites until frothy, the add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. You will know when you have soft peaks because the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter. If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite done. Don’t be afraid to slow down the mixer and check a few times as you get close. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute.

4. Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions (depending on your proficiency with folding flour into egg whites) and gently fold it in after each addition. It is better to take your time and do it gently than to rush and deflate the egg whites.

5. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed.

7. Remove from oven and invert. Cool to room temperature. (If you are not serving it right away, store in an airtight container so that it doesn’t dry out.)

8. Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it. Serve with whipped cream and berries.

(Adapted from Baking Bites)

Berries

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups fresh blackberries (I used strawberries instead)
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Toss to combine. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whipping cream, chilled
2-3 Tbsp. powdered sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. For perfect whipped cream, use a bowl that’s large enough to allow the cream to double in volume. Refrigerate the bowl and beaters for at least half an hour, or place them in the freezer for 15 minutes, and make sure the cream is very cold. Use the freshest whipping cream available, and add sugar, vanilla, or any other ingredients near the end of whipping; adding them too soon in the process will decrease the amount of volume you achieve.

(Directions from Cooking Light)

Cherry Chicken Salad

May 7, 2010

I practically wrote a book the first time I published this post, so I’ll be concise today. This chewy and crunchy cherry chicken salad is still a favorite! This time I swapped red onion for the celery (because I didn’t have any), but I suggest including both. I went with Greek yogurt in place of half of the mayo (cutting out a significant number of calories) and it still tasted great! Definitely a clever healthy trick you should try!

Isn’t it strange how we form such strong aversions to particular foods when we are children, and then one day we realize how much we’d been missing out on? Why did I detest ketchup as a kid, and why wouldn’t I touch refried beans? Who knows, because I don’t think I actually ever tried them. It was the idea of them that turned me off. Sometimes I think we’re told what to do and how to behave so often when we’re young that, when it comes to food, we try to win back control by being stubborn and picky eaters. (Because no one can actually force us to eat something, and how do they know what we like!?) I’ll bet I actually wanted to put ketchup on my french fries once and a while, but unfortunately wanted even more to be opinionated/different… so it was with a plethora of foods I never experienced. Of course we don’t realize this when we’re young. Hindsight being 20/20, I sure wish I’d given a chance to half of the dishes I stuck up my nose at.

Luckily, one day (several years ago) I woke up (it may have been a more gradual transformation, but this is the way I remember it) and I was tired of being picky. Or maybe I was tired of eating the same boring thing every day. No matter how I arrived at this point, I’m grateful I got here. I’m not afraid anymore. (Sometimes we’re too afraid we’ll dislike something to even try it. How wimpy is that?) I’m no longer hesitant to try new things, and more importantly, not fearful of finding out that I genuinely do hate something. But the fantastic part is, those occasions are rare.

For some reason I had the notion that I didn’t like chicken salad. Now I’ve collected a whole stack of chicken salad recipes, because I can’t seem to get enough. This recipe became an instant favorite! Chewy and crunchy, sweet and salty, creamy and crisp. Incredible served on my freshly griddled Whole Wheat English Muffins.

I regret my picky days. (When Dustin met me I told him seafood was gross, and now I crave it, love it!) We’re only alive so long and can only eat so much. I wish I’d spent those years with a more open mind, but alas I’m playing catch-up now; a (formerly) culinarily self-deprived young lady working her way through a world of exquisite tastes.

Cherry Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup celery, diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or half mayonnaise, half plain Greek yogurt)
1 Tbsp. buttermilk (or freshly squeezed lemon juice)
1/2 cup apple. cubed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve as a sandwich or over a bed of greens.

Serves 2-4.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Breakfast Pizza

May 6, 2010

I wish I loved arugula. I wish dirty dishes cleaned themselves. I wish I was more sophisticated (imagine cooking dinner in heels instead of comfy but ruddy pajamas). I wish I could eat pizza every single day and not end up with motherly hips at age 23 24 (I almost forgot my age!). But alas, I do not yet like arugula. And I constantly find myself doing dishes. I still haven’t given up on sophistication- once and a while we drink sparkling fruit juice out of wine glasses. And pizza or not, I’m probably destined to have motherly hips someday. Which makes me wonder, why not have pizza more often?

Pizza for breakfast- ingenious! Pizza for breakfast with bacon and cracked eggs on top- even better. Except we at this for dinner. But no matter. It tasted very much like a big breakfast plate of crispy bacon and cheesy soft-cooked eggs. But it was on a chewy pizza crust sprinkled with a trio of freshly chopped onions. Unique and awesome.

P.S. See that parsley and those chives? They came from my very own little herb garden! Mid-pizza production I stepped outside my back door with my garden gloves and clippers and picked us some fresh pizza toppings. I have a fond affection for my petite plants. No doubt you’ll be hearing lots more about my new garden in the months to come…!

Breakfast Pizza

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe pizza dough
5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
5 eggs
2 cups mozzarella, shredded (or a combination of mozzarella and fresh crumbled goat cheese)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Regiano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. chives, chopped
1 shallot, minced
2 green onions, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions.

2. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F. Prepare pizza crust according to recipe directions.

3. Sprinkle the cheeses and bacon over the prepared crust. Crack the eggs over the top and season with salt and pepper.

4. Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown, the cheese is bubbling, and the eggs are cooked through.

5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the parsley, chives, shallot, and green onion. Let cool several minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 large pizza.

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)