Homemade Angel Food Cake

I got this from Alton Brown on the Food Network at least 8 years ago. It sounds difficult, but it is so easy and relatively inexpensive to make. I have been looking for recipes to use the yolks from the eggs, but this time, down the drain they went! No time for conserving when eggs are only 1.50 a dozen!

1-3/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (room temperature)(see note on separating eggs & cleanliness of equipment below)
1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon orange extract (I have never used this, I use almond extract which is great!)
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour with half of the sugar and salt. Set aside. Place egg whites, water, extract and cream of tartar in bowl of stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Beat on medium until quite frothy, but not yet white. Turn mixer to high and allow to whip to soft peaks. Start adding in reserved sugar a spoonful at a time until all is incorporated and mixture is very full and fluffy. Remove bowl from mixer. Sprinkle a spoonful of flour mixture at a time over top of egg whites and FOLD in gently making sure there are no large pockets of dry ingredients yet not overmixing. This should be done by hand and not a mixer. Spoon batter into an angel food tube pan (not nonstick)and test for doneness after 35 minutes. When done, invert pan after cooling for 10 minutes upright and allow to cool for at least an hour. We have enjoyed this with lemon glaze and lemon curd filling, chocolate whipped cream, fruit or nothing at all! Enjoy!

NOTE: When breaking eggs, separate 1 egg at a time and check for any yolk or shell in a small bowl before adding to a larger bowl with all the whites. If there is even a tiny amount of fat from the egg yolk, the whites will not fluff fully. It is worth wasting 1 egg white to save the worth of all the rest! Same goes for any residual fat on the beaters or the mixing bowl. For that reason, do not use a plastic bowl and rewash utensils and bowl before beginning.

Great Pie Crust

This one is a winner!

2 cups all purpose flour, frozen
2/3 cup butter, cut into 1/2" dice, frozen
2 tblsp solid shortening, cut into 1/2" dice, frozen
1/2 tsp salt (I make mine slightly heaping)
1/4 cup ice water (make a large batch with ice cubes and pour the 1/4 cup just before using)
2 tbsp vodka, cold

Mix flour and salt in bowl. Add shortening and flour cubes a little at a time, stirring into flour to coat each piece. Using a pastry blender, cut into the fat cubes until mixture is crumbly. Mix water and vodka in another bowl and pour over a little at a time, pulling up dry mixture from the bottom with each little pour. Use a fork to mix just until there are no large areas of dry ingredients. Divide into 2 piles on waxed paper (I always make my top crust pile a little smaller than the bottom crust). Use the waxed paper to press the mixture into a disk, kneeding a few times if it is still crumbly. Refrigerate only for a few minutes to rest the dough while you prepare your rolling pin and surface. I use a stockinette cover for my rolling pin dusted with a little flour and roll on a pastry cloth also dusted with flour. I also always sprinkle a generous teaspoon of flour into my pie pan before placing the crust (I use flour from a shaker).

I'd like to hear if anyone tries this and what you think!