Lemon Angel Wings Food

LEMONY ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in lower third of oven. Sift flour and 1/2 cup sugar into a bowl.
• Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add lemon zest and juice, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt; continue whisking until soft peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add remaining cup sugar.
• Increase speed to medium-high; continue whisking until firm, not stiff, peaks form, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle whites with 1/3 of the flour-sugar mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine. Sprinkle remaining flour-sugar mixture over whites in 2 additions; gently fold to combine.
• Transfer batter to a 10-inch angel food cake pan with legs. Gently run a knife through the center of the batter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, and invert onto its cooling legs (if your tube pan doesn't have legs, invert it over the neck of a wine, or similarly shaped, bottle to cool); let cool, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Run a knife around the inner and outer edges of cake to remove. Invert onto a serving platter. (Use a knife to separate cake from bottom of pan.) Let cool on a wire rack. Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Make the lemon cream: Prepare an ice-water bath. Whisk lemon juice, sugar, flour, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; whisk constantly for 1 minute, until it thickens. Transfer to a heatproof bowl set in ice-water bath to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk cream and lemon zest with a mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into juice mixture in thirds. Refrigerate lemon cream, up to overnight.
• Make the candied lemon-peel flowers: Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, peel 3 lemons to create 6 long strips (at least 5 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide). Remove pith from strips using a paring knife. Cut tops and bottoms off remaining 3 lemons; cut each in half lengthwise. Remove flesh. Cut out 6 flowers from the peels using a 2-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter and remove pith; cut indentations into petals for definition. Punch a hole in the center of each flower using a 1/4-inch plain round piping tip.
• Add lemon-peel strips and flowers to the syrup. Gently simmer until translucent and tender, about 35 minutes. Remove peels from syrup using a slotted spoon, and transfer to a wire rack set over a parchment. Let dry slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Trim strips to 5-inch lengths, and roll each to form centers of flowers; fit into flower holes and let stand on wire rack until slightly dry but still sticky, about 30 minutes.
• Frost cake with lemon cream. Garnish with candied flowers. Serve.

ITALIAN LEMON COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and lemon zest. Gradually beat in flour. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour or until firm enough to shape., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 6-in. ropes. Shape each rope into an "S", then coil each end until it touches the center. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Whisk egg whites; brush over cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar., Bake until bottoms are brown, 12-14 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

ANGEL WINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
• Pulse the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a food processor until fine and fragrant.
• Lay 1 of the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured work surface. Brush the sheet with about half of the butter and sprinkle with half of the lemon-sugar. Lightly press sugar into the pastry with a rolling pin. Place the other pastry sheet on top, brush with the remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Carefully roll the pastry out into a 12-inch square, about 1 1/8-inch thick. Trim uneven edges with a pizza cutter or a knife to make a perfect square.
• Starting on the closest edge, roll the pastry up into a cylinder but stop at the mid point of the dough. Roll the pastry up on the opposite side so it looks like an old-fashioned scroll. Adjust the rolls so they are even and meet in the center. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 20 minutes.
• Slice the roll, crosswise, with a serrated knife into 1/4-inch thick pieces and lay on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the cookies soften, about 10 minutes. Working quickly and efficiently, remove the cookies from the oven--if they have lost their shape, gently roll them back together. Let cool on the pan for a minute to set. Turn them with a spatula (take care to keep the shape) sprinkle with the yellow sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 more minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack, sugary sides up, to cool. Serve.
• Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

ANGEL WINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
• Pulse the granulated sugar and lemon zest in a food processor until fine and fragrant.
• Lay 1 of the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured work surface. Brush the sheet with about half of the butter and sprinkle with half of the lemon-sugar. Lightly press sugar into the pastry with a rolling pin. Place the other pastry sheet on top, brush with the remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Carefully roll the pastry out into a 12-inch square, about 1 1/8-inch thick. Trim uneven edges with a pizza cutter or a knife to make a perfect square.
• Starting on the closest edge, roll the pastry up into a cylinder but stop at the mid point of the dough. Roll the pastry up on the opposite side so it looks like an old-fashioned scroll. Adjust the rolls so they are even and meet in the center. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, 20 minutes.
• Slice the roll, crosswise, with a serrated knife into 1/4-inch thick pieces and lay on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the cookies soften, about 10 minutes. Working quickly and efficiently, remove the cookies from the oven--if they have lost their shape, gently roll them back together. Let cool on the pan for a minute to set. Turn them with a spatula (take care to keep the shape) sprinkle with the yellow sugar and return to the oven. Continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 more minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack, sugary sides up, to cool. Serve.
• Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

LEMON ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Sift the sifted cake flour with 1/2 cup of the sugar 3 times (this is to aerate the mixture and make it light). Set aside. Whip the egg whites in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt and continue whipping until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining cup of sugar and continue whipping until stiff and the sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds more. Gradually add the sifted flour-sugar mixture and fold into the whites. Lastly fold in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Pipe the batter into ungreased mini muffin tins. Bake until light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans, then run a knife along the edges to loosen them. Remove from the pans and place upside-down on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Stir the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth, creating a glaze. Pour over each cake until the tops are smoothly coated.
• Confit: Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each lemon to expose the flesh. Cutting from top to bottom and following the contours of the fruit, cut off the peel and white pith in 1-inch-wide strips. Scrape off any pulp adhering to the strips, but leave the pith intact. You now have several 1-inch wide strips of lemon peel and pith. Cut each one into long strips, about 1/4-inch by 3 inches each. Meanwhile, boil a kettleful of water. Pour about a quart of the boiling water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add all the lemon rind, and boil 30 seconds. Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold running water. Repeat 2 times more, using fresh boiling water each time.
• Combine the 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the blanched rind and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain in a strainer and let cool 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Using your fingers, arrange the strips on a wire rack so that they do not touch each other. Let cool. Chop the lemon confit and sprinkle over the tops. Let set 30 minutes before serving.

LEMON ANGEL FOOD CUPCAKES WITH LEMON CURD AND MASCARPONE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the lemon curd: Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula and making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Transfer the curd to a heat-proof bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap to avoid a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 30 minutes.
• For the cupcakes: Set racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, lemon zest and juice, and 1 cup water. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to incorporate, then raise the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With a scoop or spoon, fill the liners three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown and the top feels dry. Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting, about 30 minutes.
• For the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat until stiff peaks form.
• To assemble: Use a small spoon to make a shallow indentation in the center of each cupcake. Fill each indentation with 1 teaspoon of the lemon curd. Use a spatula or piping bag to swirl a generous dollop of frosting over the top of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles or sanding sugar.

QUICKER LEMON ANGEL FOOD SUPREME

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter according to package directions, adding lemon zest and extract. Bake according to package directions. After baking, immediately invert pan and cool completely. For the sauce, combine the pie filling, milk, lemon juice and extract in a bowl; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Serve with cake. Store sauce in the refrigerator.

ANGEL WINGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the sour cream. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 6-8 times or until mixture holds together. Shape into four balls; flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. , Unwrap one ball. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar on waxed paper; coat all sides of ball with sugar. Roll into a 12x5-in. rectangle between two sheets of waxed paper. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Sprinkle dough with 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Lightly mark a line down the center of the dough, making two 6x5-in. rectangles. , Starting with a short side, roll up jelly-roll style to the center mark; peel waxed paper away while rolling. Repeat with other short side. Wrap in plastic; freeze for 30 minutes. Repeat three times. , Place remaining sugar or place coarse sugar if desired on waxed paper. Unwrap one roll. Cut into 1/2-in. slices; dip each side into sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° until golden brown, about 16-18 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.