Blueberry Marshmallow No-Bake Torte...Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day is just around the corner, and with all the BBQ's planned hopefully all of you will have a beautiful and sunny day as we always have, here in South Florida. With all the preparations going on for this event, why would you want to spend hours in the kitchen baking pies, and cakes, when you can just whip up an "easy-breezy" spring/summer dessert, that will chill in 2 hours, and ready to enjoy!

Now, unless it's your mother's treasured recipes that were marked down in a handwritten book as in Claudia's @What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine from her dear departed mom's... you have got to mention that it's your own creation, or adapted from some source. As for your own creation, that really means you have memorized a recipe and are putting together by your own creativity and jotting the the instructions, and the step-by-step method, just as I have done in my last post about the Roasted peppers, which is a tried and true method from all the other failed ones I have used.

As in my case, I must confess, I steal ideas from glancing at pictures of recipes...being in the culinary profession for so many years have thought me just that...especially with request from my Private Chef experience when I literally had to plan, shop, prep, and throw together a quick gourmet meal from soup to dessert, and presented beautifully to serve for 2-4 persons (hopefully the same main course)...so, when I see a pretty photo of a dessert, I may not follow which is in most cases, the same exact recipe and will also re-name it, and will add to the ingredients, as well. Also, I do feel that most recipes require to be adapted with different spices, or ingredients to make it your way, and you should mention that when you are posting a recipe, that is copied. Adapted-literally means that you have modified, changed, and altered it for new use.

Before I take you to the step-by-step method, and recipe, I must remember to mention, that my granddaughter Gabby, age 9...decorated the entire Torte top, with the fresh blueberries, and the freshly picked mints from their next door neighbor Dr. Eric's yard....notice the bougainvillea in the background at my daughter's house, and the cute decoration by Gabby...also the sweet mint flower, and a tiny sprig of rosemary which also had purple little flowers. The flower on the platter came from Eric's yard of 2 beautiful blooming trees. Happy, Memorial Day weekend, to all!....just don't leave yet!  ...more to come. Click on read more...

Angel Food Cake and an Award for Angels

While I realize this is not Spring or Summer...but after all, this is South Florida, and we cannot deny how blessed we are, not to be trying to dig ourselves out of the snow, being stuck in our homes, or even worse, stranded on the highway because of the impossible driving conditions. I feel for all of you, who are in this situation. Almost hate to say..."been there, done that"...when our last snow storm in the seventies while still a very young couple, me still in my early twenties... with a tiny toddler, less than 2yrs old... visiting my aunt and uncle for the Christmas holidays, glorious Florida sunshine, and 75 degrees in December...pure heaven! Returning back to Cleveland to the snowstorms...at that point, we decided...
Florida, "here we come!"...and made the big move!...so, the rest is history!...over 35 years in the tropical climate, and would not change 1 minute of it, except for a "White Christmas."

Angel Food Cake with Fresh Berries

So, here we are, celebrating birthdays, and Labor Day weekend in South Beach  I call my family, "the skinny family." Everybody exercises, even the two little Chihuahuas, that has to be walked everyday, due to the "weight gain" that I am guilty of, watching them for a month, while they were vacationingng in Italy...and still didn't gain weight...and here I am, reading an interesting book called, WOMEN FOOD AND GOD by Geneen Roth, that can really inspire you. Getting back to the cake. I didn't have a plan, but I did have a lot of fresh berries, about to make a mixed berry sorbet, but instead, made an Angel Food Cake, knowing that it's light, low in calories, and cholesterol, and this is the kind of cake my daughter would love. I consulted with my "bible" the 1986The New Good Housekeeping cookbook that has everything from A-Z recipes, that are simple, and gourmet, you can dress it up, jazz it up, any way you like it, no funky ingredients, but if you are creative, you can make it your own. I did adapted it my way, the spiked flavor of the Limoncello was just the right touch, but, I think I will stick with the original recipe next time. No substitute, no gimmick. The cake turned out wonderful, the "birthday girl" was happy, and so was everyone else...and so ends, another Birthday Celebration!

Angel Food Cake-(original recipe

11/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup cake flour

1 2/3 cups egg white (12-14 egg whites, at room temp.)

1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/4 cups sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In small bowl, stir confectioners' sugar and the cake flour, set aside. In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites. cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form: beat in extracts. Beating at high speed, sprinkle in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. beating until sugar is completely dissolved, and whites stand in stiff peaks. Fold in flour mixture just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into ungreased 10-inch tube pan.Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert cake in pan on funnel, or bottle ; cool completely in pan. With metal spatula, carefully loosen cake from pan.; Place on cake plate.

Note: This recipe is from the New Housekeeping Book, first edition, copyright 1986. I love my no-nonsense book that has great basic recipes, and with a little imagination, can be updated, and adapted from the original.

I adapted the recipe, which I am happy with, but next time will add 2 extra egg whites, and be more careful about folding the flour in. Also I reduced the baking temperature, which worked fine. Here's the adapted version which I used.

Angel Food Cake-(adapted from the original recipe)

1 3/4 cup sugar 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cake flour

12 egg whites at room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup Limoncello, or fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor, spin sugar till superfine. Sift half the sugar with the flour. Set the rest, aside. In a large metal bow, combine egg whites, Limoncello, (or lemon juice) salt, and cream of tartar. Beat with hand mixer on high. When halfway done, but still creamy, (not stiff) slowly add sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Keep beating until stiff. Follow the above recipe's instruction for baking, and cooling.

Glaze for berries

1 jar of fruit spread; strawberry, or seedless raspberry. Heat in small saucepan, and add juice of 1 lemon. Heat until it comes to a boil, and sieve through a fine sieve. Brush on berries, either separately, and place on powder sugar topped cake, or you can directly brush on top of the berries already assembled on cake. It is a light cake that is always a welcome dessert.