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Angel food cake with summer berries and crème anglaiseServes 6 to 8
For angel food cake:
1¼ cups flour
1½ cups sugar, divided
14 egg whites (reserve 12 yolks for anglaise)
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Sift together the flour and ¾ cup sugar. Repeat once more.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. (It is very important that the bowl and whisk are clean, dry and free of any oil or grease.) Start to whip the whites until they become a mass of small bubbles. Begin to add the remaining ¾ cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Beat until the whites are soft but still pourable. Add the vanilla extract and beat until just combined.
Fold in the flour/sugar mixture in three parts, being careful to deflate the egg whites as little as possible. Pour the cake batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan. Using a rubber spatula, even the top of the cake. Using a butter knife, “cut” through the middle of the cake, working around the pan. This will get rid of any air pockets.
Place the cake in a preheated 350º F oven and bake until the cake is well risen, golden brown, and springs back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake in its pan, upside down. When the cake has cooled completely, run a metal spatula around the sides of the pan and remove the pan. Run the metal spatula along the bottom and place the cake on a serving platter.
For crème anglaise:
4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise and scraped
12 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
Place the heavy cream and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Set over low heat. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the yolks become thick and pale. Increase the heat and bring the cream to a boil, stirring constantly.
When the cream boils, remove from the heat and carefully pour a small amount of hot cream into the yolk/sugar mixture. Whisk to combine and then add this yolk/cream mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking constantly. You may need to adjust the heat, as you do not want the mixture to boil. The mixture will thicken slightly, enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and strain the anglaise into a bowl set over an ice bath, and stir until cool. Keep the crème anglaise refrigerated until ready to use, for up to 1 week.
Recipe note: If you have an ice cream maker, you can also use this crème anglaise to make vanilla ice cream. Just freeze the anglaise according to the directions on your ice cream machine.
To serve the angel food cake:
Toss fresh summer strawberries with a little powdered sugar and allow them to sit for about 1 hour. They will naturally produce a wonderful sauce. Serve these lovely berries along with the crème anglaise (or vanilla ice cream) and slices of angel food cake. Yum!
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