Ethereal Dessert (Strawberry Angel Food)

 Christy’s favorite birthday cake. A Moo family recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Angel food cake (recipe here)
• 500g frozen strawberries
• 1 3oz package lemon Jello
• 1 pint (400g) vanilla ice cream
• Whipped cream for frosting

Procedure:

• Defrost strawberries. Crush and strain the juice into a bowl. Add water to juice to make 1 cup of liquid. 
• Bring juice/water mixture to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in Jello. Add ice cream and stir until melted. 
• Chill mixture in a shallow bowl until thickened but not set (about 1 hour). Fold in crushed strawberries. 
• Chill mixture until almost set. 
• Cut cake into 3 layers with a serrated knife. Divide filling evenly between two layers. 
• Frost with whipped cream. 
• Keep covered in fridge until just before serving. 

Angel Food Cake

 The boys call it “bat cake” because it hangs upside down. Adapted from here. Original recipe calls for cake flour, but it works fine with patisserie flour  

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 (350g) cup sugar 
• 1 cup (133g) patisserie flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 12 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 325F (165C)
• Pulse sugar in food processor (or blender) until it is fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside. Add flour and salt to the remaining sugar in the food processor and pulse until mixed. 
• Add cream of tartar to egg whites and beat in a large bowl. Add set aside sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and beat to mix. 
• Sift one third of flour mixture one into the egg whites, gently folding it in. Repeat until all flour mixture has been folded in. 
• Pour batter into 10” angel food cake pan, smoothing it out evenly. 
• Bake 40-45 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove when cake is golden brown and beginning to crack. Turn upside down to cool immediately. Allow at least 3 hours to cool (may leave overnight). 
• Gently run a thin knife along the inside of the pan to remove the cake. 

Mushroom rice

Cook 1 cup mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter.  Add and cook 1 cup pea pods in butter ‘til crisp. Add 3 cups hot cooked rice (cooked in chicken broth) (I use 2 cups water, 2 chicken boullion cubes, 1 cup uncooked rice, 1 tablespoon butter; put all together in pan, bring to boil, cover tightly and lower heat, cook for 15 minutes). Season with onion powder, salt and pepper, dash of soy sauce.  Can add sliced water chestnuts