Tangerine Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups flour*
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup tangerine juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of 2 tangerines

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add the egg yolks, oil, tangerine juice and zest. Beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter using a spatula.

Pour the batter into the ungreased tube pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Immediately invert the pan onto a bottle cake-side down over a rack or baking sheet. Let the cake cool completely. Run a thin knife or spreader along the edges of the pan on all sides to release the cake.


If desired, drizzle with a glaze of confectioners sugar whisked together with tangerine juice.

*Look for a fine flour like White Lily for best results.

My thoughts:

I love tangerines this time of year! They really are at their juicy peak. Normally I am a chocolate or vanilla person when it comes to dessert but I can make an exception for this brightly flavored cake.

Chiffon cakes are sort of old fashioned and I've found many people are not familiar with them. It is a shame because they have a wonderfully light texture without the "chew" of angel food or being spongy. The secret is in folding in the egg whites (easier than it sounds, I promise) and using oil instead of butter. They are especially well suited to citrus pairings because the juice provides a lot of flavor which helps compensate for the lack of buttery richness. Because of the oil, the cakes stay remarkably fresh for several days unrefrigerated or a few months if frozen.

Green Bean Salad with Tangerine Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 lb "French" green beans (the skinny kind, AKA haricot verts), steamed
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries or a mixture of the two
2-3 strips thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

dressing:
1 large shallot, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pepper sherry
1 tablespoon tangerine zest
2 tablespoons tangerine juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Directions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients or shake it in a dressing shaker until smooth and emulsified. Set aside. Toss together the other ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss again. Serve hot, warm or cold.

My thoughts:

Green beans are one of the few vegetables I don't mind buying or eaten after being frozen. I also don't mind peas, spinach and home-frozen corn. Like the other, green beans, if frozen properly, retain much if not all of their texture and flavor. Squash is wonderful of course but they about this time of year, I am already hoping for something different. I created this dish to bring to dinner because it is equally good hot, cold or warm. I hate having to go to someone's house and have to cook a dish from the beginning and in the winter, it is tricky to keep a vegetable dish warm for a trip over a few minute drive. Frankly, I prefer to bring a potato dish or dessert or even rolls/bread but it was my mother doing the asking and I was tasked with vegetables. And rolls, but that was easy. My family is full of pickier eaters than I am so I wanted to make something that was a little different that what they might not normally eat but not anything intimidating. Yet another reason the humble green bean was a perfect choice. Pretty much anyone will eat a green bean. They rest of the ingredients weren't anything to be scared of either but come together in such away that it is anything but boring.