My Birthday Dinner

I had a lovely birthday.  I had lots of cards,  phone calls, emails, and facebook messages wishing me a lovely day. We went out to lunch.  Then we picked out my very expensive birthday gift.  New eye glasses.  We went shopping at the Berkeley Bowl for dinner. When we got home, more phone calls for me.  Marty was busy with a do over on the Angel Food Cake.  Plus he was making won ton soup for me, per my request.   The cake was spectacular.  And the soup, on my so very tasty and hearty.

I am a lucky spoiled girl.

This is how an Angel food cake should looks as it comes out of the oven.

Last week's cake. Very short.

This is last night's cake.  Look at how much higher it is.

Quality Control!  YUMMY!

Champagne for the birthday celebration.  And that is why the food turned out so well. 

Marty making the won tons.

Won tons ready to go into the soup pot.

Taking up the soup.

The wonderful soup.  Mushrooms, shrimp, bok choy, noodles and other goodness.

Last week's cake, a little short.

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Last night's iced cake: high and light, and rich and on my goodness this was so great.

This is not a test. This is not a test.

Marty decided to make an Angel Food Cake last night.  His cakes are the best ever:  rich, light, sweet, airy, perfect.  And his icing, Seven Minute Boiled, to die for.  Usually.  We are not sure what happened.  Was it the older eggs, the weather, a bad night, was he too sober (we always drink wine while cooking, but none last night), were the gods jealous of his abilities?  There were problems throughout the process.

He has used this recipe for 43 years.  Never had a failure.  Not even a close call.

Triple sifting the cake flour.

                      Cake flour, confectionery sugar, eggs, vanilla, almond extract.

                     Separating the eggs.  For the first time ever, a yolk broke and he had to fish it all out.

Adding vanilla extract as the eggs begin to beat.     

            .

The eggs are almost at full volume.

He is adding the cake flour to the beaten egg whites.  They start to collaspe!

Quality control.  All tastes great.

The cake cooling.

The finished product.  It was shorter, some denser, light, and tasted great.  We won't even go into the icing.