Cool ‘n Creamy Summer Smilin’ Berry Pie

Let’s go back to the 70s and 80s with a light and fruity summer treat–perfect to eat when you wanna beat the heat. Too many of us forgot about this delightful fruit mousse-like thinG, so let’s revive it right now. It’s so easy to make and reminds me of times when life was more carefree.

Keep it sweet and simple with just yogurt and Cool Whip, or add fresh fruit. And, if you do add berries, save some for the top to give your pie a grin, because who can resist a smiling dessert? 🙂

The most challenging part of this pie is finding French or custard-style yogurt–not fruit on the bottom, not Greek. Stonyfield’s Smooth & Creamy Organic is an excellent choice. Here in central Connecticut, I was thrilled to find it at West Side Marketplace in Rocky Hill. Stonyfield Organic makes all great things dairy, including my favorite milk and cream. If you can’t find Stonyfield, Yoplait Thick & Creamy is another good option.

COOL ‘N CREAMY SUMMER SMILIN’ BERRY PIE

1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip, thawed
2 6-oz. containers French or custard-style yogurt (try Stonyfield Smooth & Creamy or Yoplait Thick & Creamy): how about strawberry or strawberry banana?
6 oz. fresh raspberries (optional)
1 graham cracker crust (I like Honey Maid)

If you’re using them, set aside the most perfect berries for your smile–or whatever design you’d like to make.

Fold yogurt into thawed Cool Whip till combined. Now, if you’ll excuse my technical term, smoosh the remaining raspberries into the side of your bowl with a spoon and stir them in, too.

Smooth evenly into graham cracker crust. Decorate top of pie as you like.

Put the pie in the freezer for about two hours so it sets and holds its shape when you slice it. Store remaining pie in the fridge.

Sending you a cool Strawberry Letter of summer enjoyment straight from my childhood. ♫ Feel sunshine sparkle pink and blue, playgrounds will laugh if you try to ask: Is it cool? Is it cool? ♫ Oh, yes, it is!

 

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. ♥