And, in addition to being delectable as a stand alone cake you can also use it instead of biscuits if you want to bring your Strawberry Shortcake up a notch or two. And this is especially true if you typically use an instant biscuit or (gasp) some of those shortcake things with the divot on top that are mass produced and sold in the supermarkets. .. “Step away from these biscuit-things and get into your kitchen”. … Anyway, here we go..

Shopping List (what I used is listed, non-organic counterparts will work fine as well):

• Butter: Organic – 4 tablespoons
• Eggs: Organic – 4 (this is what the recipe calls for but have some extra on hand in case you have separation issues (separating the whites from the yokes that is)
• Flour: Organic Cake Flour, Unbleached – 1 1/4 cups
• Salt: Unrefined Sea Salt – Pinch
• Sugar: Unrefined Granulated – 2/3 Cup + 2 tablespoons
• Vanilla Extract: Organic – 2 teaspoons

Equipment List:

• Bowls for separating the eggs: Clean (totally free of grease) and Dry. Three required. The bowl for the yokes should be a good sized hand mixing bowl (other ingredients will be added), the bowl for the egg whites should be your hand whisking or electric mixer bowl (if you’re using an electric mixer to whisk the egg whites) and the third bowl is a “holding bowl” used to inspect a just separated egg white for any traces of yoke (explanation below)
• Mixer with whisk attachment or of course, a whisk
• Pan- 10″ round x 2″ deep
• Whisk for the Egg Yokes
• Spatula: Rubber

 Preliminaries:

• Set oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350F
• Butter the bake pan all around
• Dust the bake pan with flour, set aside
• Measure out 4 tablespoons of butter, place in saucepan and set aside for later (do not put on the heat at this time)
• Measure out 2/3 Cups of Granulated Sugar, set aside
• Measure out 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract, set aside
• Measure out 2 tablespoons of Granulated Sugar, set aside
• Measure out 1 1/4 cups of Flour, set aside
• Separate 4 Eggs using the three bowls. Capture the white in bowl#1, toss the Yoke in bowl#2. If the White is clean with no bits of Yoke transfer to bowl#3 this is your bowl for holding the Egg Whites that will be whisked (this should be the electric mixing bowl if you are using a mixer to whisk the Egg Whites). Toss any Egg Whites that have been contaminated with Yoke and try again. The Egg Whites do not mount as well if there is any Yoke, Moisture or Greasy Residues. At the end of this operation you should have a bowl with 4 Egg Yokes and a bowl with 4 clean (Yoke-Free) Egg Whites

The Recipe:

• Take the saucepan with the 4 tablespoons of Butter and put on a medium heat. Melt the Butter and be careful that it doesn’t brown. Once melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool
• Whisk the Egg Yokes and gradually add the 2/3 cups of Granulated Sugar and then add the 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract. The result will be a thick Yoke mixture that forms a ribbon on the whisk. Don’t worry too much about this just make sure everything is whisked together nicely
• Add a pinch of Salt into the Egg Whites and using either a hand whisk or an electric mixer with a whisk attachment whip the Egg Whites until “soft peaks are formed”. Gradually add in the 2 tablespoons of Granulated Sugar and continue to whisk “until stiff peaks are formed”
• Using the rubber spatula scoop out about 1/4 of the peaked Egg Whites and add to the Yoke and Sugar mixture
• Place about 1/4 of the Flour into a sifter and sift into the Yoke and Sugar mixture
• Using the rubber spatula gently fold the ingredients together. Be gentle on the egg whites. Don’t over-mix, if anything slightly under-mix at this point
• Now scoop out 1/3 of the the egg whites and add to the yoke mixture
• Sift in 1/3 of the flour you have left into the yoke mixture
• Gently Fold in (being a nudge here, be gentle, don’t over-mix but most importantly don’t stress & have fun (you’re doing fine)
• Repeat adding 1/2 of the remaining Egg Whites and Flour (sifted). Fold ingredients together
• Add the remaining Eggs Whites and Flour(sifted). Fold In
• Add half of the Butter you had previously put aside (this should be just a little warm at this point). Fold in
• Add the remaining Butter and fold in (but if you can leave out the white residue you’ll see in the saucepan)
• Pour/coax the folded Batter into the baking pan
• Gently spread out by tilting the pan and using your rubber spatula to spread it out
• Place pan with cake mixture into the preheated oven
• Bake for 30-35 min. A knife inserted should come out Batter-Free when done
• Remove the baked Cake and let it cool a bit in the pan for about 8 minutes
• Run a knife on the sides of the pan (be gentle if you’re using a Teflon Coated Pan)
• Put a cooling rack on top of the Cake and flip over. If the Cake doesn’t come free just tap the bottom of the baking pan to help it along
• Place another cooling rack on the now exposed bottom of the Cake and flip. Remove the cooling rack from the top and let cool.

There you have it. The first time might be a little stressful because you’re using folded Egg Whites instead of Baking Powder as the leavening agent but by the second time you’ll really begin to like this method. .. Now, you can have this cake as is, add a topping (Julia recommends Powdered Sugar, Apricot Glaze, Butter Cream or Chocolate Icing) or use it to create the Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake. Note that this cake freezes extremely well. … When I make Strawberry Shortcakes with it I’ll generally bake the cake ahead, cool well, and then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until the morning of the big day.

This is simple goodness that unfortunately the packaged cake crowd will never really know. I love to relax after dinner with a cup of French Roast or an Espresso and a piece or two of this cake. Slow, relaxing, all natural enjoyment. Hope you find this simple pleasure as well.

Shopping List (to yield approximately 1 cup of dressing):

• 16 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Organic Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
• 4 Tablespoons of Organic Wine Vinegar
• Organic Shallots (enough to yield 2 Tablespoons when minced)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Organic Tarragon
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Organic Basil
• Dash of Organic Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Recipe:

• Take out your salad jar with top
• Add 4 Tablespoon of Wine Vinegar
• Add 1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt
• Add 1/2 Teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
• Add 16 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• Mince & Add Shallots (2 Tablespoons)
• Add 1/4 Teaspoon Tarragon
• Add 1/4 Teaspoon Basil
• Add a Dash of Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Shake to combine
• Adjust seasoning to taste if required

Shopping List:

• 2 lbs of Organic Carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon of Unrefined Sea Salt
• 2 cups of Spring Water
• 3 Tablespoons of Organic Unsalted Butter
• 1 1/4 Tablespoon Of Unrefined Organic Sugar
• Enough Fresh Organic Parsley to yield 3 Tablespoons when chopped

Recipe:

• Place 2 cups of Spring Water into a Saucepan, set aside.
• Peel 2 lbs. of Carrots, slice and place into the Saucepan with the water.
• Add 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt to the Saucepan.
• Measure and place 2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter into the Saucepan.
• Measure and place 1 1/4 Tablespoons of Sugar into the Saucepan.
• Cover the Saucepan and turn on the heat to bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat so that it remains at a low boil. Cook for approximately 30 minutes but keep an eye on things to make sure all the liquid doesn’t boiled away. Or said another way… cook until the carrots are cooked.
• While the carrots are cooking finely chop the parsley to give you 3 Tablespoons worth. Set aside.
• Measure 1 Tablespoon of Unsalted Butter. Let it set out to warm and soften.
• When the carrots are done remove and place into a bowl. Add the parsley and butter and toss around until all the butter has melted and the parsley gets evenly distributed.
• Taste and add more seasoning as you see fit.

 There you have it. Hey, if you can take an extra step to dress up your carrots then why not? Share this post with your friends who are still in the canned carrots stage as part of their personal awakening into the world of good food.

Related Posts:

• Are Your Veggies Firm?
• French Gourmet Organic Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 Time to take a step back. If you have many recipes calling for a white wine it’s a good thing to have a good quality Dry White Vermouth on hand. This is guaranteed not to be overly fruity and provides excellent results during cooking. Now finding an organic vermouth can be a bit of a challenge (I believe there are some out of California). I unfortunately fall off the organic wagon for this particular ingredient..And now that I have confessed this to the world I will probably be visiting liquor stores all weekend to make this right.

Shopping List:

• Organic Russet Potatoes
• Organic Butter
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Grated Swiss Cheese

Recipe:

• Bake the potatoes until done
• Split and remove the flesh. Place in a medium mixing bowl
• Add Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Black Pepper, Butter and a small amount of Heavy Cream.
• Break up the potatoes and mix all ingredients together (I generally use a wooden spoon to do this)
• Place your oven rack to the next notch higher than the middle position
• Turn on the oven broiler
• Melt some butter in a medium frying pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a container that can withstand heat.
• Add some Heavy Cream to the container and mix together.
• Return the medium frying pan to the burner and add additional butter. When melted add the potato mixture.
• Fry until the bottom is browned
• Remove from the pan using a spatula and transfer to a baking dish (uncooked side up)
• Add the butter/cream mixture previously prepared to the top of the potatoes
• Top off with the grated Swiss Cheese
• Place the baking dish in the oven under the broiler
• Watch closely and remove when browned

 This is sort of evil but good.

Related Link:

• Organic Potato Primer (Types of Potatoes and Their Uses)

Organic French Potato and Onion Soup (Potage Des Pommes De Terre Et D’Oignon)

Shopping List:

• Organic Russet or Idaho Potatoes to Yield 4 Cups when diced
• Organic Yellow Onions to Yield 3 Cups when Diced
• 2 Quarts of Spring Water
• 1 Tablespoon of Sea Salt
• Organic Fresh Parsley to Yield 3 Tablespoons when chopped
• 1/3 Cup of Organic Heavy Cream

Recipe:

• Put Two Quarts of Spring Water in a Sauce Pan and Put on High Heat.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of Salt to the Water.
• Monitor Heat so the Soup Doesn’t Boil Over
• Slice and Dice Enough Russet or Idaho Potatoes to Give 4 Cups.
• Add the Potatoes to the Water
• Slice and Dice Enough Yellow Onions to Give 3 Cups.
• Add the Onions to the Water
• Cook for about 50 minutes. The Vegi’s should be extremely tender.
• Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature so you don’t get burned.
• Strain out the Vegetables & drain the water into another saucepan.
• Put the Vegi’s in a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer blend until mashed.
• Reintroduce the mashed Vegi’s to the Water.
• Reheat the Water/Vegi Blend.
• Chop 3 Tablespoons of Fresh Parsley.
• Add Parsley to the Soup.
• Slowly Add 1/3 Cup of Heavy Cream to the Soup.
• Add any additional salt to taste.
• Serve.

Related Links:

• Organic Potato Primer

Well, the following is Organic Garlic Mashed Potatoes done right. It uses Russet (aka Idaho or Baking) Potatoes because they have a high starch content and produce fluffier mashed potatoes. We also use Fresh and not Dried, Garlic & Parsley. And finally, we’re talking organic here..no chemical residues, no genetically modified foods and no farming practices that aren’t deemed environmentally friendly.  This is an French Gourmet Recipe (from Julia Child), but don’t be intimidated, it’s actually quite easy. Most of the major steps such as peeling potatoes have to be done anyway whether you’re making Gourmet or just plain old, plain old, so why not take a few extra steps and have something really special? To make things easier, you can make the Garlic Sauce ahead of time so you can put the final dish together quickly on the day of the feast. As a final note, this recipe calls for a good deal of garlic, but not to worry, much of the flavor will be taken out during the blanching step so you’re left with just the perfect level in the final dish. Click here (Organic Garlic Mashed Potatoes) for the recipe with a shopping list. This is sure to be a big hit with your guests. Hope you enjoy

 Other Related Posts that you might enjoy reading:

• Organic Potato Primer (Types of Potatoes & Their Uses)
• The Issues Surrounding Genetically Modified Foods (Genetically Modified Food)
• Wire Food Strainer Blurb (Wire Strainer)
• Potato Ricer Blurb (Potato Ricer)