O' What may man within him hide, though angel on the outward side!

Chocolate Angel Food Cake


1 1/2 cups sugar
Scant 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, grated (about 1/2 cup)
12 large egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.place oven rack in center. Sift together onto a piece of parchment paper 3/4 cup sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add grated chocolate; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. With machine running, add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a slow steady stream, beating until fully incorporated and stiff glossy peaks form. Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat to combine.

Remove from mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, gently but thoroughly, folding into egg-white mixture until fully combined. Pour into a nonstick angel food–cake pan. Tap pan on counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when depressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool, inverted, 1 hour before removing pan.

**Bear in mind I will not only pay magnificently if someone came to my house and made THIS angel food cake, but sing their praises until the end of time, and probably never forget this for my whole life.

Every man hath a good and a bad angel attending on him in particular all his life long.

Angel Food Cake

Serves 10 to 12.
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
12 egg whites
1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in lower third of the oven. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Repeat sifting four times.
Beat egg whites and the warm water with a mixer on low speed until foamy. Add salt, cream or tartar, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Raise speed to high, and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy (but not dry), about 2 minutes more.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Sift flour mixture over egg-white mixture in six parts, gently folding in each addition with a rubber spatula.
Gently pour batter into a 10-inch tube pan. Run a knife through the batter to release any air bubbles, and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes.
Invert pan on a wire rack, and let cake cool about 1 hour. Carefully run a paring knife around side of cake to loosen, then un-mold onto the wire rack.

*It should always be understood I will pay magnificently for someone to come to my house and bake me an angel food cake.

If fame is to come only after death, I am in no hurry for it.

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

10 ounces diced chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup sauterne or dry white wine
3 cups steamed rice

Combine chicken with soup, curry powder and wine. Heat gently until well blended and hot.

Serve over hot rice.

The chicken can also be substituted for tofu, with no changes to the other ingredients.

Serve with choice of condiments: diced egg, coconut, chutney, orange sections, chopped peanuts, pickle relish, crisp bits of bacon, raisins.