Lime Angel Food Cake with Pistachios

I made zabaglione last week and found myself with a container of leftover egg whites. Every time I opened the fridge, it seemed like they were staring at me. So a nice light, airy angel food cake seemed like the thing to do. The addition of lime and pistachios in this recipe is the perfect way to turn a potentially boring cake into something flavorful (while adding some nice crunch at the same time). If you've ever had an angel food cake that tastes and feels like eating a sponge, you know what I'm talking about.

LIME ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH LIME GLAZE AND PISTACHIOS

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Cake:

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 large egg whites, room temperature

2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lime syrup and lime glaze:

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided

1/2 cup unsalted raw pistachios (about 2 oz.), finely chopped in processor

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cake:

1.      Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350° F. Do not grease a 10-inch angel food cake pan with removable bottom (do not use nonstick).

2.      Sift flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and salt into medium bowl; repeat sifting 3 times.

3.      Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, lime peel, and vanilla on medium speed in large bowl until frothy. Add cream of tartar; increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

4.      Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over whites and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions just until incorporated.

5.      Transfer batter to ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan with 4-inch-high sides and removable bottom (do not use nonstick pan); smooth top.

6.      Bake cake until pale golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 38 minutes. Immediately invert cake onto work surface if pan has feet (or invert center tube of pan onto neck of bottle or metal funnel) and cool cake completely. Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

7.      Using long thin knife, cut around cake sides and center tube to loosen. Lift out center tube with cake still attached; run knife between cake and bottom of pan to loosen. Invert cake onto rack, then turn cake over, rounded side up. Set rack with cake atop rimmed baking sheet.

Lime syrup and lime glaze:

1.      Combine sugar and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice in small saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Brush syrup all over top and sides of cake. Immediately press pistachios onto top and sides of cake, pressing to adhere.

2.      Stir powdered sugar with remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 10 minutes.

3.      Transfer cake to platter; cut into wedges and serve.

Bon Appétit, April 2010 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

lime zest

egg whites (leftover from making zabaglione),
mixed with lime zest and homemade vanilla extract

frothy (don't worry if the color is neon green, it will
change when the remaining ingredients are added)

soft peaks (cream of tartar already added)

gradually adding in the sugar

stiff peaks

folding in the flour mixture

scooping batter into pan

As you can see, I ignored the directive not to use a nonstick pan.
I wasn't being insolent...that's the only angel food cake pan I have.
The cake may have baked slightly higher with a regular pan, but as
you can see, this worked out just fine.

batter smoothed in pan

baked

cake cooling

My pan doesn't have "legs" to prop it up, so I had to hang it
upside down to cool. This step can be a little nerve wracking
your first time (especially if you're using a nonstick pan). But the
cake stays put, so don't worry (looks like a lampshade).

running a knife around the edge

removing the cake from the pan

still in one piece

limes

making the lime syrup

I added some extra lime zest (figured it couldn't hurt). My syrup looks
brown because I used evaporated cane juice instead of refined sugar.

pistachios

finely chopped pistachios

brushing the cake with lime syrup

sprinkling with pistachios

cake coated with pistachios

drizzling with lime glaze

cake drizzled

I doubled the glaze and think I probably went overboard a little.

slice

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Salmon with Dill-Pistachio Pistou

I've heard of pistou before, but I admit it, I never really knew exactly what it was. My best guess was that maybe it referred to any kind of herbaceous, chunky topping that's way too thick to call sauce. Which isn't all that far off. But it turns out that it's more well defined than that. It's a paste made specifically of garlic, basil and olive oil (like a French version of pesto, but thicker). So obviously this is not a traditional pistou, but its fantastic flavor goes perfectly with salmon. I especially loved the chucks of pistachio, the texture was excellent. Don't skimp on the pistou...I made the full amount, even though I cooked only half the salmon and let's just say there's an empty space in our fridge where a tupperware container should be.

SALMON WITH DILL-PISTACHIO PISTOU

Makes 4 servings

Dill-Pistachio Pistou:

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

1/3 cup finely chopped green onions (about 2)

1/2 cup shelled natural pistachios, toasted and finely chopped

1/4 cup pistachio oil or extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons pistachio oil or extra virgin olive oil

2 yellow (or orange) bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup water

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

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1.      Mix pistou ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 2 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.

2.      Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas, garlic, and 1/4 cup water; sprinkle with salt. Sauté until vegetables are just tender and water evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon pistou. Transfer vegetables to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve skillet (do not clean).

3.      Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, in skillet; cook until skin is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn salmon and cook until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes longer. Arrange salmon fillets over vegetables on platter. Spoon some pistou down center of each fillet and serve, passing remaining pistou alongside.

barely adapted from Bon Appétit, August 2009 by Jeanne Thiel Kelley

big bunch of fresh dill from the farmer's market

chopping scallions (they're not finely chopped yet)

chopped pistachios (I pulsed them in the food processor,
that's why they're not very evenly chopped)

all the pistou ingredients mixed

orange pepper

orange and yellow pepper strips

sugar snap peas, trimmed

peppers in the pan

I didn't make pistachio oil (because I hadn't planned
ahead, so it didn't have time to sit overnight). I can
only imagine the awesome flavor boost if you do make it.

sugar snap peas, garlic and water added

adding some pistou to the vegetables

vegetables mixed with pistou

salmon fillets in the pan

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Pistachio-Honey Ice Cream

Just a few days ago, I did a post about one of my favorite things, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (specifically the pistachio-honey). After my post I did a search online to see if I could find Jeni's recipe. I couldn't find the exact right one (I knew it wasn't the same because it had no honey and the ingredients weren't identical to the label on the container). But I did find an old plain pistachio recipe from Jeni and figured that was a good place to start, so I reworked it a little and made my own version.

I expected to like it, even if it wasn't as good as Jeni's. But I never dreamed it would taste so close to the original. Man was it good! Seriously scrumptious. So delicious, if you've ever considered getting an ice cream maker, but weren't sure if you should take the plunge...do it. Plunge! Then make a batch of this.

PISTACHIO-HONEY ICE CREAM

Yield: 3 ½ cups

1 (heaping) cup toasted unsalted pistachios

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch or tapioca starch

1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 tablespoons)

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1.      Finely grind the pistachios with the sugar; set aside.

2.      Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.

3.      In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk with the heavy cream and honey. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and stir over moderate heat until the honey dissolves, about 4 minutes. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

4.      Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the pistachios, almond extract and salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

5.      Strain the ice cream base into another bowl, pressing the pistachios with the back of a spoon to extract all the flavor. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

6.      Pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze the ice cream until firm, about 4 hours.

adapted from Jeni Britton Bauer

pistachios

pistachios and sugar

The sugar helps soak up some of the oil when grinding,
which helps keep the nuts from turning into nut butter.

ground pistachios

I used my little mini grinder, but a regular size cuisinart works too.

pouring the honey into the cream/milk

cream cheese

This ice cream is eggless...the cream cheese, along
with the cornstarch, helps makes it thick and creamy

straining out the ground pistachios

ice cream base cooling (you can make it ahead
and leave it in the fridge for a day or two)

ice cream churned

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Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

It's time again for another "favorite things" post. I think we've all had some pretty incredible ice cream at some point in our lives. Let's face it, even bad ice cream is good. But I'm talking about that extra special one. The one that with the first spoonful, your eyes roll back in your head and you wish that moment would never end.

Up until last year, I thought the best ice cream I'd ever had was gelato on the streets of Rome. I just assumed it would go unrivaled for the rest of my life. Then I tasted one of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (pistachio-honey to be exact). Oh. My. God. I was transported (I'm not sure where I went exactly, but it was glorious).

The funny thing is that pistachio has never even been one of my favorites. I've always thought it was okay, but I've never been crazy about the actual pistachio chunks. But Jeni's pistachio-honey is smooth and there is just something divine about the honey and the pistachio together. To say it's a slam dunk feels like an understatement.

Of course it doesn't end there...Jeni's offers a wide variety of interesting flavors. But what they all have in common is fresh ingredients (from happy, grass-fed cows who roam the pastures at a local Ohio creamery). They're all hand packed and bursting with flavor.

brambleberry crisp (another one of my favorites)

Yes, it's a little odd to order ice cream over the internet and have it sent to you in the mail (they pack it in dry ice and it does stay frozen). It also costs more than picking up a pint at your local grocery store. No doubt it's a splurge and not something we do often at my house (I think yesterday was the third time ever). Think of it for a special occasion, maybe for the birthday of an ice cream lover you know).

I do need to give a shout out to another amazing flavor, Salty Caramel. It has this slightly burnt flavor that is just incredible. They somehow managed to push it to the limit, without going over the edge. It's perfect.

These are the latest flavors we tried. The only one I
didn't like was Influenza Sorbet; it was just too strong for
wimpy me (it's made with cayenne and lots of whiskey). But
I could handle the Bourbon Buttered Pecan (which is good).

Here are just a few of the other interesting flavors (I haven't tried all these yet): Queen City Cayenne, Bourbon Buttered Pecan, Goat Cheese with Cognac Fig Sauce, The Buckeye State, Wildberry Lavender, Violets and Meringue, Olive Oil with Sea-Salted Pepitas, Savannah Buttermint, Kir Sorbet and Lime Cardamom Yogurt.

To order your own little pints of heaven on earth: jenisicecreams.com

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