Angel Food Cake

It’s strawberry season here in the Land of Steady Habits.

I’m all about strawberry shortcake, but thought I’d change things up this year and make angel food cake. Angel food cake always reminds me of Poppy. After he had a heart attack, it was one of the few desserts he could still enjoy that wasn’t naughty. More on naughtiness and Poppy a little later.

For now, let’s just be nice and talk about cake. I took the best ideas from Ina Garten and Joy of Baking and melded them into the recipe below. It popped out of my new pan (YAAAY, Fat Daddio’s!) without issue. Rose just right. Tender, lemony, light and will make a lovely bed for the native strawberries I got from Gotta’s. Can you say breakfast of champions? Let’s sift (and sift and sift…) and whisk and bake!

ANGEL FOOD CAKE
2 cups sifted superfine sugar, divided
1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour
1 ½ cups egg whites, at room temperature (10 to 12 eggs–it was 10 eggs for me)
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of regular-sized lemon yielded a tablespoon for me)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine ½ cup of sugar with the flour and sift together 4 times. Set aside.

Place the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the eggs form medium-firm peaks, about 1 minute. With the mixer on medium speed, sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ cups of sugar over the beaten egg whites. Whisk for a few minutes until thick and shiny. Add the vanilla, almond extract and lemon zest and continue to whisk until very thick, about 1 more minute.

Transfer the egg whites to a LARGE bowl where you’ll have plenty of space to fold in the flour mixture. Sift the flour mixture over the eggs–about a quarter at a time–and gently, but quickly fold it into the egg whites with a spatula. DO NOT STIR. Remember, the object of the game is to incorporate the flour without too much folding. You don’t want to deflate those nice egg whites we whipped up!

Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Run a spatula or knife through the batter to remove any air pockets. Smooth the top, then bake for 40-45 minutes (40 was the magic number in my oven). The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed gently. Do not overbake.

As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, invert the pan. I flipped mine onto a cookie rack. Allow the cake to cool for about an hour and a half.

When the cake is completely cool, run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen, then remove the cake.

It’s easiest to cut the cake with a large bread knife, or other serrated knife. Use a sawing motion so you don’t squash it.

Joy of Baking says this cake is best served on the day you make it, but it will keep covered for a few days at room temperature, or for several days in the fridge. They also say it’s great toasted!

So, back to Poppy. Last week, I ran out to my little local Italian deli, Lino’s Market, and heard an Italian song with a whistle in it. I asked the girl at the register what station they were playing. She said it was a CD–that she didn’t even know what the words were, but she’d find herself singing along. I said, “That whistle sounds a little like ‘Hey, Cumpari!’ You know that one, right–and they play all the instruments?” She nodded. I told her, “Apparently, my grandfather used to annoy my grandmother by singing ‘she was so naughty’ instead of ‘ci vo suonari!’” It isn’t even a naughty song. It’s really, “Hey, buddy. There’s something playing. What’s that sound? It’s a whistle.” And then he makes a whistling sound. Not naughty at all. But I can totally picture my grandfather making mischief with a twinkle in those blue eyes of his.

As an added bonus, Chicago takes a stab at “Hey, cumpari! Ci vo suonari!” in “Saturday in the Park.” Can you dig it? Yes, I can. Much love to my hometown. There’s truly no place like home!

And here we are all together at 216 way back in the day (Christmas or Thanksgiving, 1981)–Nanny, my cousin Al, me and Poppy. Good times. ♥

 

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

With meteorological summer upon us–if I may speak meteorologically with you, my amici–it’s the purr-fect time to cook up some bourbon barbecue sauce. When we make pulled pork, you’ll thank me for suggesting you have your own delicious sauce on hand.

BOURBON BARBECUE SAUCE

1/2 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (1/2 a teaspoon if you prefer less heat)
½ teaspoon ground chipotle
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hot water + 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
½ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon coarse ground mustard

Chop the onion.

In a saucepan over medium heat, add oil; sauté garlic, onion, cumin, red pepper, chipotle and salt. Reduce heat as you go, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes till onions are soft. As always, don’t brown the garlic.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Let cool a bit, then blend carefully with a stick blender. Refrigerate and enjoy throughout the grilling season. Don’t have a grill? Me, either, but that’s OK, because I have a crock pot–so tomorrow, we will make pulled pork!

Note Mister SuperKewl in the photo above, by the way. He arrived last week, quite magically and by surprise. I spied him on my counter, in all his colorful glory, among my other cool collectibles. After a bit more thought, I decided he needed a real name. So meet Antonio–named after Poppy’s father.

And here’s the real Antonio, my great-grandfather, who immigrated from Italy and planted our family roots here–both figuratively and literally, as he was a farmer. He would likely wonder why I don’t have an Italian name, either (like my mom, Jane, who he called Giadi) and would call me Speranza. CENT’ANN’!

Now that we’ve made introductions, I’m off to pick up 2 pounds of Boston butt to put this sauce to good use tomorrow. If you’d like to crock along, you’ll want to grab your butt (!) along with a beer, a sweet onion and a shallot! See you soon!

 

Spicy Chicken Salad

With a heatwave on the horizon here in the Land of Steady Habits and mint growing like mad, I was on a mission to make the most of my secret garden. Shh, the wabbit is hiding behind the mint–don’t tell anyone!

Luckily, I was smart enough to pick the mint earlier today while it was sunny and gorgeous out. I stored it in this lovely, made-especially-for-me vase (thanks to my #1 taster) before it started to rain. Makes quite the pretty bouquet, no?

Anyway, as we’re headed for plenty of heat and humidity over the next few days, what better time to share this recipe for Thai-like (laab-like, larb like) chicken salad? I added extra things I like–red bell pepper, jalapeno, chopped cashews, green onions–and subtracted much of the fish sauce. A little fish sauce goes a long way for this kat–perhaps for you, too.

SPICY CHICKEN SALAD
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
1 pound ground chicken

Dressing
2 limes–zest of one lime, juice of both
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili paste

Salad
1 small Vidalia onion, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño, minced
4 green onions, sliced
4 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
handful of cashews, chopped
2 cups fresh mint leaves
spring mix

Prep the salad
Rinse mint leaves, chop the vegetables and cashews.

Make the dressing
Combine lime juice and zest, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of chili paste and fish sauce in a medium bowl.

Cook the chicken
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon chili paste. Cook just about a minute or so, then add chicken. Break up meat with your spatula as you go, until chicken is completely cooked.

Put it together
Add cooked chicken and sliced onion to dressing. Grab a handful of spring mix and a generous handful of mint per plate. Sprinkle cucumbers around perimeter. Place a quarter of the chicken/onion/dressing mixture atop greens. Sprinkle with bell peppers, green onions, jalapenos and cashews. Note: the chicken can be made ahead and served cold, but I like to serve it warm.

Stay cool through the heatwave! Trying this salad will help!

 

Almond Cream Rolls

How about a little lovin’ from the oven on a Sunday morning? This Pillsbury classic is an old favorite of mine. I’ve been making these for so long, they feel like my own recipe, though I think I must have found them in a magazine or on the label of a Pillsbury crescent roll can once upon a time.

The original recipe is doubled. I rarely feel the need to be surrounded by 8 danish, so here’s the recipe as I always make it: one can of crescents yields four yummy cream rolls.

ALMOND CREAM ROLLS
4 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat Neufchatel–nothing is lost in translation)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
sliced almonds for the tops
1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
cinnamon to sprinkle over the inner cream layer

Egg wash
1 egg white + 1 teaspoon water

Glaze
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, almond extract and powdered sugar.

Separate crescents into four rectangles. Use your fingers to seal the dotted line that runs diagonally across each rectangle. Spread each rectangle with a quarter of the cream cheese filling to within a quarter inch of the edges. Sprinkle cinnamon over cream cheese. Starting at the longer side, roll up each rectangle into a long roll of dough. Gently stretch each long roll to approximately 10 inches long. Then coil each roll into a spiral with the seam on the inside. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

In small bowl, whisk together egg white and water, brush over roll. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Ready to bake!

Bake at 350 degrees F for 17 to 23 minutes.

Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Enjoy your breakfast!

 

The Sassy Scorpio

It’s tiki time! Warmer weather finally seems to be here to stay, so I’ve invited some special amici to party with us. Meet the new crew.

Tiki mugs this cool are certainly worthy of a sassy cocktail. If you like a Scorpion Bowl, you’ll be happy to know you can easily shake up a Sassy Scorpio with freshly squeezed fruit juice to take a virtual trip to paradise right in your own home. Shall we?

THE SASSY SCORPIO

juice of 1 orange (I’m loving Cara-Caras lately), about 5 oz.
juice of 1 lemon
5 oz. pineapple juice
2 oz. gin
2 oz. golden rum
2 oz. Malibu rum
2 oz. vodka
1 tablespoon grenadine
4 maraschino cherries–two per tiki on a toothpick to garnish

Remember: crushing ice is cathartic, so at the end of a grueling day, just grab a hammer (a meat mallet works even better) and a gallon Ziploc bag and bang your troubles away. Et voilà, crushed ice. Fill two tiki mugs with ice and set them in the freezer while you whip up the drinks. You know, just like us, tiki mugs like to chill.

Squeeze the fruit juice (except for the pineapple, of course), add the pineapple juice, grenadine and liquors. Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into tiki mugs. You’ll have enough to fill two mugs and then some. So take a good sip and be sure to top off your drinks. Garnish with two cherries speared on a toothpick.

Now you know what to make for Hawaiian Shirt Friday–just one more day to get there, thankfully, WHEW! Here’s some music to get the party started! Aloha, amici!

 

Hummus

Parlez-vous a homemade hummus? It’s so easy to make at home if you have a blender or mini food processor. If you haven’t already given it a whirl (HA!), you’ll kick yourself for not trying it sooner. So, don’t delay–let’s make hummus today. And off to the kitchen we go to play!

HUMMUS

3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted and cooled
1 15-20 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil
finely chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

In a small skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until golden, shaking the pan often. Set aside.

Place chick peas, oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in blender or mini food processor and blend till smooth. Add sesame seeds. Blend. Chill. I told you it was easy!

Serve with your favorite veggies, tortillas or crackers for dipping.

And hey! Did you remember your rabbits today? On the first day of each new month, when first you wake, these words you say: RABBIT, RABBIT, RABBIT! If those are the first words you spoke this day, good luck will be yours for the month of May. You forgot? That’s OK. There’s always next month. Happy May Day, amici!

 

Rolo CCCs: a caramel twist on chocolate chip cookies!

Have you noticed the recent resurgence of Rolos? Of course, the classic commercial is still a favorite: “You can roll a Rolo to your pal. It’s chocolate-covered car-a-mel!” It brought me back to the chocolate Rolo cookies I’d tucked away in my recipe files ten years ago and never made. I grabbed a bag of super-cute Rolo minis at the supermarket and was looking forward to making these cookies finally.

Then my balloon landed. “I don’t like chocolate cookies,” said my #1 taster. Whattt? How is that even possible?!

Undaunted, I was determined to make those Rolo minis work. My chocolate chip cookies (CCCs for short) are a big hit around here. I thought I might bake some happiness by wrapping that dough around the Rolos for a caramel CCC twist. What say we let it roll?

ROLO CCCs

Start with your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. I originally left out the chocolate chunks, but learned along the way: the dough will be much tastier with finely chopped dark chocolate in it. So, please chop 1/4 cup of your favorite dark chocolate as finely as you can (to the point some of it will be almost powdery) and add it to your dough.

Now, if you’re a patient person, store the dough in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Or if your patience approaches sainthood, try holding out for 24-36 hours. Take a peek at the CCC recipe above for the backstory on why it’s worth the wait.

Of course, you can get rollin’ with the Rolos anytime. Take 1 tablespoon of cookie dough.

Smoosh a Rolo mini right in the middle.

Roll it nice-nice so the candy’s hidden and you have a perfect little ball. Repeat. About 30 times.

Now, you see these have no finely chopped chocolate on them. I quickly fixed that by rolling ‘em like truffles. Et voilà!

Perhaps you’ll have more dough than I had. Somehow, gobs of it mysteriously made their way to my mouth. MOO. You should have at least 30 cookies, maybe more if you’re less prone to quality control. It’s not easy being a perfectionist.

Space them out on your cookie sheet–they’ll spread as they bake. Three across worked out great for me. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-14 minutes (14 in my oven yields a crispy cookie, subtract a minute or two to keep ‘em chewy). Sprinkle with schmantzy finishing salt when you take them out of the oven if you’re so inclined.