Yes, I know. How can anyone think about baking once January rolls around, having waddled our way past the last holiday buffet? Aren’t we all supposed to be “cleansing” our systems…sipping hot lemon water instead of peppermint macchiatos in the morning? I guess if chugging lemon water all day makes you feel better, I say go for it. Personally, I’d rather stick to my morning cuppa joe and a toasted bagel (preferably homemade).

I don’t stop baking…even in January.

Although I have to admit, when it comes to seasonal fruit–by that, I mean local produce, not the “off-season” imports from sunnier climates–the selection is pretty limited, dominated by one type of fruit: citrus. Sure, you can still find delicious apples and pears, but citrus rules winter–from Meyer lemons, clementines, and blood oranges to grapefruit and pomelos–all begging to be used. Got a surplus of gin or vodka leftover from your holiday festivities? Infuse them with fresh citrus peel and herbs (hey, it’s cheaper than buying a bottle of fancy Ketel One Botanical Vodka). To avoid dealing with pesticides, I recommend using organically grown citrus and herbs. It generally takes about 6 weeks for the flavors to fully infuse into the alcohol, but if you’re impatient and happen to possess a stainless steel cream dispenser you can achieve this in a few minutes with the help of a couple of N2O chargers.

A word of warning, the N2O method does elevate the percentage of alcohol so your infusion will definitely pack more of a punch. One year I made a “rapid” blood orange liqueur (sanguinello) that literally knocked my cousin on his keister. Instead of sipping it straight, I’d suggest cutting the N2O infusion with seltzer for a light, refreshing cocktail.

This year, however, my citrus adventures have been (for now anyway) decidedly non-alcoholic. It began with an idea with a creamy slab pie. A former catering colleague asked if I’d be interested in creating a selection of slab pies for the meal delivery service she worked for. To keep the flavors seasonal I decided to play around with one of my favorite flavor combos–lemon and coconut–to come up with a Meyer Lemon-Coconut Creme Slab Pie, which is a delightful cross between a tangy lemon meringue and a rich coconut creme. The base is essentially a lemon meringue pie filling made with coconut milk in place of water, lightened with whipped cream, then set with a little gelatin. It’s topped with piped whipped sweetened cream and toasted shredded coconut.

• 

• 

I didn’t have to use specifically Meyer lemons, regular lemons would’ve been fine. However, my neighbor Amanda has a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard (which used to belong to my friend Krislyn) and she was more than happy to provide me with a big basketful of picked fruit. I should also mention that her next-door neighbor, my friend Amy, had already collected a grocery bag of lemons for me from her side of the fence.

The first batch of lemons from Amy yielded enough juice and zest to make not only filling for a half sheet of pie (or 4 slabs) but also a loaf of Lemon Poppyseed Bread and a dozen Glazed Lemon Fig-Currant Scones, which made both neighbors very happy indeed. I made the former after discovering a rather large fresh bag of poppyseeds amidst my stash of baking ingredients and the latter after realizing that I didn’t actually have as many dried currants as I thought, making up the shortfall with chopped dried figs which I forgot I had. Ah, such is the life of a spontaneous baker.

• 

• 

• 

I’m all about working with what I have, whether it be a gift of Meyer lemons…or a surplus of egg whites, the result of using yolks for pastry dough and lemon-coconut filling. I can think of many ways to use up egg whites, but Angel Food Cake is one of those things you almost never make unless you happen to be sitting on 2 cups of whites. I’ve certainly never set out to bake one at home, though I’ve been known to put it on a restaurant dessert menu on occasion–a byproduct of having made huge batches of creme brulée.

I wouldn’t say angel food is especially tricky or challenging–not more so than making any other meringue-based dessert, like soufflé or pavlova. The principle is generally the same–create a stable meringue by gradually whipping the sugar into room temperature whites until glossy and stiff enough to hold a peak, then gently fold in the other ingredients without deflating the air bubbles too much. Simple, right?

Well…not exactly. According to Stella Parks (@bravetart), a frequent contributor to Serious Eats, that method is antiquated, at least when it comes to angel food cake. Her method flies in the face convention by doing everything we’ve been told NOT to do–use cold whites, dump all the sugar and flavoring in at the beginning (rather than beat in gradually) and whip the white only to the point where it resembles soft-serve ice cream, not stiff, glossy peaks. I won’t go into the details of her argument (though if you’re interested you can read about it in Serious Eats). Suffice it to say, her method, as unconventional as it may seem, really does work–beautifully in fact. By starting with cold eggs and all the sugar, incorporating fresh lemon juice halfway through whipping, and only whipping to whites to medium-soft peaks, it creates a more stable structure which makes it easier to incorporate the flour and allows the meringue to really expand in the oven. Also crucial to producing a statuesque cake is using an ungreased, aluminum 10″ tube pan (NOT NON-STICK!) and letting the cake hang upside down to cool for at least 2 hours.

The picture does not lie. My angel food cake a la the Stella method baked up higher and fluffier than any other angel food I’ve ever made. Period.

• 

• 

• 

The texture was soft, tender, cloud-like…or to quote Amy, “[It] is indeed what angels eat!” Paired with the tangy creaminess of Meyer lemon curd, my angel food was the perfect light dessert to brighten up any hum-drum winter evening. It is the thing to have in January, what my friend Heidi calls “purgatory” month when we’ve turned off the “holiday switch” that had us all rushing around over-doing everything and can simply exhale…and enjoy a slice (or two) of angel food cake.

Less you think I’m exclusively pro-sweet citrus, I’m also packing Amanda’s fresh lemons in kosher salt and preserving them for future savory projects. Stay tuned…

Even if you don’t happen to have 2 cups of egg whites languishing in your fridge, it might actually be worth it to separate a dozen or so eggs, just to make this angel food cake. You can always use the yolks to make a winter citrus curd with a mix of lemon, blood orange or tangerine, and grapefruit.

The [Ultimate] Effortless Angel Food Cake (by Stella Parks)

Makes One 10″ cake

• 2 cups cold egg whites (about 12 large)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 T. vanilla extract, or 2 1/2 t. vanilla + 1/2 t. almond extract
• 1 cup + 2 T. bleached cake flour
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350F degrees.
2. Place the whites, sugar, and extract(s) into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Mix on low for about 1 min. to loosen up the whites.
3. Increase the speed to medium-low and whip for 3 mins. Whites should be dense and dark. While the whites are whipping, sift the cake flour and set aside.
4. Add the salt and lemon juice with the mixer running. Increase speed to medium-high and whip for another 3 mins. and continue whipping until the meringue is glossy white and thick enough that you can see the pattern left by the wire whisk. When meringue is ready, it should be soft enough to run off the wires when the whisk attachment is removed, but thick enough to mound up on itself like soft serve in the bowl.
5. Sprinkle cake flour on top and stir with a flexible spatula to roughly combine. Switch to a folding motion, scraping from the bottom up and folding through the center, until no pockets of flour remain. Scrape the batter into a 10-inch aluminum tube pan (do not butter or grease pan); if you notice any small pockets of unincorporated flour, simply pause to mix them in. Bake until the cake is puffed, golden blond, and firm to the touch, about 45 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 206°F.
6. Invert pan onto its stilts or arrange a trio of cans so that the inverted pan just rests on their edges and cool upside down until absolutely no trace of warmth remains, at least 2 hours. Slide an offset spatula around the sides of cake to loosen, remove the insert, and slide spatula under the bottom as well. Flip onto a serving plate, pulling gently on the sides of the cake to release it from the center tube. 

You can really use any combination of citrus for the curd. Adjust the level of sweetness accordingly, adding more or less sugar depending on the degree of tartness of the juice blend.

Easy Winter Citrus Curd

• 1 cup lemon juice (preferably Meyer)
• 2/3 cup grapefruit juice
• 2/3 cup tangerine or blood orange juice
• 2 T. mixed citrus zest
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 2 cups sugar *
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• 12 yolks
• 6 whole large eggs

1. Combine everything except the yolks and eggs into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a simmer, whisking to melt butter and dissolve sugar.
2. Beat together the yolks and eggs, then carefully whisk in about 1/3 of the hot citrus mixture to temper. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until very thick, whisking constantly.
3. Strain the curd into a bowl set over ice to chill down.