Phoebe's Kitchen

Host of Golden Daffodils and A Daffodil Cake

Yesterday on April 11, 2011 the last bit of snow melted from my yard at the same time my first daffodil of the season bloomed.  It took me several hours to clean out my beds and 15 containers of leaves, etc were left for pick up.  Hopefully, this year will be not as hot as last and everything will bloom when it is suppose too. Winter did a number on my shrubs with one "Cornell Pink Azalea" being destroyed by snow coming off the roof. Have the remnants in a vase and am enjoying the blossoms  in the dining room.

Daffodil Cake

1 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons of sugar                                                   
12 egg whites
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

Lemon Glaze
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Stir together the cake flour and the 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside.
2. In a large electric mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, ,beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt for about 60 seconds, until foamy. Add the 3/4 cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Gently fold the vanilla and lemon zest into the meringue.
3. In another electric mixer bowl, beat the egg yolks for about 5 minutes, until they are very thick and lemon colored. Set aside.
4. Sprinkle the flour-sugar mixture, one quarter at a time, over the meringue, gently folding the flour in just until the dry ingredients disappear. Pour half the batter into the bowl with the whipped egg yolks, and fold gently together.
5. Get out an ungreased tube pan, about 10×4 inches. Spoon the yellow and white batters alternately into the pan, and gently cut through the batters with a knife to swirl.
6. Bake on the bottom shelf of your oven for 35-40 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched with a finger. Invert the pan on its funnel and let the cake hang until it is completely cooled.
7. While the cake is cooling, it’s time to make the glaze. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest. Add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time to the powdered sugar, whisking vigorously until the mixture is smooth.  The mixture will thin very quickly as you add the juice so go slowly and stop when you get to your desired glaze consistency.
8. Carefully remove the cake from its pan and spoon the glaze over the top.  Enjoy!

Betty Crocker Cookbook

New York and Cheesecake

Got some free time and looking to see a phenomenal Broadway show,    
is it.  I went to NYC this Saturday and all I can say is

what a great show.  Superb music, marvelous dancers and wonderful actors!  Montego Glover, who plays Felicia Farrell, has an exceptional voice and to make it even better she is a Florida State University graduate – Go Seminoles!! 
  

Everything was perfect except the weather – was it ever hot!  After the show my friend, who has never been to a real NYC deli, and I walked 10 blocks to the Stage Deli at 54^th and Seventh Avenue.  The deli has been a landmark and destination point for both locals and visitors for 70 years.

 

Originally opened in 1937 when Max Asnas, a Russian émigré opened a modest little delicatessen on the corner of Broadway and 48th Street.  He moved in 1943 to the deli's current location on Seventh Avenue. At the new location, columnist Walter Winchell held court nightly.  Celebrities, sports figures, politicians and everyone else enjoys their overstuffed corned beef and pastrami sandwiches piled high. During his term of office, President Clinton took Secretary of State Madeline Albright and most of his cabinet for lunch one day to the envy of every deli owner in New York. 

 

Like everyone else we had the above sandwiches and finished it off with cheesecake with blueberries.

Stage Deli Cheesecake

4 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs   

4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature    

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fresh strawberries or blueberries or favorite preserves for serving (optional)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Sprinkle the bottom of a lightly greased, 9-inch springform pan with graham cracker crumbs. Combine the cheese and sugar in a blender or with an electric mixer at medium speed until they are well mixed.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla.
4. Pour the mixture into the springform pan, wrapping the bottom and sides of the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cheesecake comes out clean. 
6. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. When it is cool, loosen the cake from the rim of the pan using the blade of a knife.
7. If desired, top it with fresh fruit - strawberries or blueberries - or fruit preserves. Refrigerate the cheesecake until you are ready to serve it.

Serves: 12

America's Great Delis