June 13, 2010

CSA - Week 2

Second week of CSA - strawberries, garlic scapes, radishes, spring onions, swiss chard, half dozen eggs, and basil.  


I sauteed the chard and spring onions and added to scrambled eggs with some cheese.   I added the garlic scapes and basil to some pasta (see angel hair pasta post) that calls for scallions.  I potted my basil, put it on my porch, and am going to try really hard to keep it alive.  I love fresh basil.

Lastly, I made strawberry shortcake.  I grew up eating strawberry shortcake on biscuit-like cake.  My husband thinks this is all wrong and that I'm weird for doing it.  A friend at work recently asked me if I made angel food cake, and I told her I don't think I ever have.  So when I came across a sheet cake recipe (I don't own a tube pan) for angel food cake in Martha Stewart's Living magazine, I decided to try it out.  Then I made strawberry shortcake with the angel food cake.

The angel food cake turned out, but it's definitely not one of my favorites.  Anything too light and fluffy just doesn't work for me.

Angel Food Sheet Cake
from Martha Stewart Living

vegetable oil cooking spray, for sheet and parchment
12 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Coat a 13-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and line with parchment.  Coat parchment with spray.
2.  Whisk whites and cream of tartar with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Slowly add 3/4 cup sugar, and whisk until thick and glossy, about 3 minutes.
3.  Sift remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the flour, and a pinch of salt over egg-white mixture, and fold gently until just combined, being careful not to deflate whites.  Spread batter evenly onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake until golden and set, about 20 minutes.
4.  Let cool completely in sheet on a wire rack.  (Cake should pull away from sides easily.)  Slide cake out from sheet, right side up.  Carefully remove parchment from cake.

2 comments:

Carolyn said...

Tell me more about this CSA. It sounds really interesting. Is it expensive?

Denae said...

I think it's reasonably priced. Farmer's market produce is definitely more expensive than sales at grocery stores. If I bought all the items a la cart from the farm market, it would definitely cost more than the CSA price. I'll send you the link to this farm via email.