Kickin' Autumn Salad

Last Sunday marked the last day for Denver's adult kickball league.  It is frustrating to think that future Sunday afternoons will no longer involve running around bases, getting doused with warm beer, and dodging flying kickballs. The majority of our team's roaster consisted of Joe's fellow medical trainees, as well as any friends and spouses who wanted to play too. Costumes, a healthy dose of competition, and drinking beer at all times made this game even better than I ever remember it being as a kid!

The "Do Overs" fall kickball team.
Can you spot the photo bomber?

This classy group of kickballers can also organize some pretty "kickin" dinner parties. Here is a great fall salad that I made for a recent potluck that was a major home run!  The only cooking required is if you decide to make your own candied almonds (so worth it).  Otherwise, just buy ingredients and toss together for a wonderful, savory-sweet autumn dish. See recipe below.

Fall colors and flavors. 

My favorite silly salad spoons!
They love to help fetch all of the goodies that migrate
to the bottom of the bowl after mixing.

Kickin' Autumn Salad

Serves 8

2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced

2 tbsp. lemon juice

8 cups lettuce/mixed greens, washed and torn

1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup candied almonds (see recipe below)

Dressing:

1/3 cup pure olive oil

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Put torn greens into a large bowl. Toss together apples and lemon juice in separate bowl. Then add the apples to the top of the lettuce, followed by cranberries, cheese, and almonds! To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a jar with a secure lid and shake vigorously until blended. Drizzle and toss the salad with dressing right before serving. 

Candied Almonds

Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 lb. almonds, with skins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water, sugar, and cinnamon to a boil in a small sauce pan, stirring constantly to prevent sugar from burning. Turn off the heat and add almonds. Toss to coat. Remove almonds with a slotted spoon and spread onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, basting almonds with reserved syrup every 5-8 minutes (or at least twice total). Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating.  Add to salad recipe (above) or simply place into a bowl for snacking! Note: These would make great holiday gifts if packaged in small mason jars and tied with a ribbon.

Italy Part 25

That is the last [spaghetti] straw!!  This week marks the end of cooking pastas and risottos for my Italian cooking challenge. Noodle dishes have traditionally meant quick, last-minute meals requiring little more than a jar of store-bought tomato sauce. However, these dishes take basic pasta and rice to higher creative heights!

Penne alla napolitana (p. 109)

This dish can be made in under 40 minutes because the sauce can cook while the pasta cooks. It just takes a little bit of preparation of the wonderful vegetable medley that the sauce requires.  Ingredients include onion, garlic, carrot, celery, tomatoes (canned, crushed), and tomato paste. After tossing the hot pasta with the sauce, stir in a bit of freshly torn basil leaves and then sprinkle with parmesan. Simple and satisfying! 

The penne is hiding behind a handful of shredded parmesan.

Spaghetti with sardines, fennel and tomato (p. 111)

This dish was one of those things that I should not have saved until the last moment... fennel is now out of season and I couldn't find it at my grocery stores!  Thank goodness I had saved some fennel stalks, which I had chopped up and kept in my freezer for a future creative experiment (I was thinking of using it as chicken stuffing along with some orange slices). Because of its extra fibrous nature, as compared to the fennel bulb, I steamed them for about 20 minutes using the hot water for the pasta before cooking further in the sauce as the recipe directed. Another problem ingredient was finding sardine fillets. I had stumbled across this same problem when preparing Stuffed sardines last month, and resorted to the next best thing... canned. The ingredient list for this dish is so eclectic! But the savory and sweet flavors blended very nicely. I would recommend trying the olive oil bread crumbs that this recipe asked for as a topping on your favorite pasta dish, too!

The sardines that I used to replace fresh fillets.
They are smaller and more delicate but since they are going
into a sauce, I thought they were an adequate substitute.

The sauce with all of its components:
garlic, fennel (stalks in this case), red onions,  raisins,
toasted pine nuts, anchovy fillets, white wine, tomato
pasta, fresh parsley, sardine and some bread
crumbs sauteed in olive olive. 

Despite the laundry list for ingredients, the finished product
was beautiful! Individual servings were topped with sprinkling
of some reserved olive oil bread crumbs and fresh parsley.

Seafood risotto (p. 116)

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous dish! I equate this savory Italian rice dish to a quick version of Spanish paella. Seafood ingredients included squid hoods and tentacles (reserved and frozen from my first squid recipe), raw shrimp, clams and fresh scallops. While the seafood was being gently sauteed in butter and olive oil, fish stock (reserved from preparing the Insalata di frutti di mare recipe) was simmering with white wine and saffron threads. After the seafood was cooked, it was removed from the frying pan and chopped onions and garlic were cooked until golden. Then, special arborio rice (recommended for risottos) was stirred into the cooked onions and garlic. Little by little, the hot broth mixture was added to the rice. This step is what makes risottos so unique! The result is a tender, but not mushy, creamy rice. The last steps included mixing the seafood, chopped tomatoes and parsley into the piping hot rice to get this...

Risotto for a special Friday night meal!
Note: Risotto is like a blank canvas for cooks.
Anything can be added to the rice, such as asparagus
and sun-dried tomatoes, left over seafood and peas,
various cheeses with mushrooms... etc, etc. 

Play Food

This morning when I went to open the blinds of my apartment's windows, all I saw was the color gray. And I'm not talking about the sky. There was a giant gray tarp hanging from the roof down and across the courtyard below, leaving not a lick of sunlight or grass visible. There was a bit of murmuring from men hidden out of sight and suddenly all remaining silence was drowned by the calamity of a gritty sandblaster scrapping rust from metal. I was contently drinking coffee and checking email when I heard a quick few knocks on my door. It was a man in a yellow hard hat telling me I needed to remain indoors until 11:00 AM and if I leave at that point I can't access my apartment again until after 2:00 PM.  At the same time, my window was being covered with a plywood board and as I shut my door, my apartment was now completely dark!  Seeing that I have not left my apartment at the 11:00 AM opportunity, I want to take this time to reminisce about some fun times that Joe and I have shared outside of this apartment! 

The Esquire Theatre

Joe and I skipped away one afternoon to this neighborhood theatre to catch a matinee movie showing. Being early birds, our afternoon of fun-for-two was only $15. That said, we skipped the popcorn that was starting at $8 for a small size. Who in the world would spend that much on a few handfuls of popcorn? Apparently many would, as we were serenaded to our seats by the munching of popcorn snackers!  The film we watched was, "Senna," a documentary about a famous Formula One champion from Brazil.  I can't say that I'm much of a car enthusiast but I give this picture two thumbs up! It was a humbling and inspiring story about a man chasing his life's passion, and in the end, suffering the ultimate sacrifice for it.  Following the film we retreated to our rooftop patio for a simple happy hour before heating up some Italian leftovers.

Ever since investing in Netflix, seeing a
movie in a theatre seems like a rare occurrence.
What a treat!

This theatre is within walking distance from our apartment,
at the intersection of Downing and East 6th Streets, Denver.

Ski Movie Premiere

Something you may not know about my husband: he loves skiing.  This means strapping on two sticks to his feet and slicing up water and snow. However, as our time here in Colorado continues, so has his fascination with alpine skiing. This means studying up on the season's most "gnarly" gear, the most talked about local "sick" slopes, and streaming videos of professional athletes being lifted to untamed mountains by helicopter to catch the best "pow." So what could be more exciting than seeing the world premiere of this year's biggest ski movie? At the Boulder Theatre?! Nothing. Joe purchased a ticket for both of us and we traveled to the wonderful hippie town for a local brew and an exciting first viewing of "Attack of La Nina: The b**** is back!"  

Trying to stomach his excitement.
What Joe is tasting: Ja Mon Ginger Beer. 

A packed house at the Mountain Sun Brewery,
originating in Boulder, CO.

We waited over two hours to see the start of the movie,
first waiting in line and then waiting for the pre-movie
party to settle down.  Red Bull had one of their DJs
there and they were handing out prizes left and right.
We got a Crested Butte hat thrown at our faces! 

Fruition Restaurant

Picking a celebratory birthday dinner destination is never an easy decision for me, especially after moving to a new city with hundreds, if not thousands, of uncharted food territories! All of my planning literally came to fruition after a few friends of ours could not stop raving about a small, intimate and absolutely delicious restaurant on 6th Street. The locals know best. Fruition Restaurant it was! Joe called to make reservation arrangements nearly a week in advance, and even at that point, they were completely booked until Tuesday, Sept. 20th with the earliest time available at 7:45 PM.  No wonder, since there are only 50 seats available! Besides, throughout our busy years in academia, it has become quite unusual to be able to celebrate a holiday or birthday on the actual day. What a night it was! We got dressed up and strolled through quiet Capital Hill neighborhoods to the welcoming doors of this fine-dining restaurant. Upon entering, we were immediately enveloped in smells of garlic and sourdough, murmurs of laughter, and the golden warmth of dancing candle flames.  

We were seated in the back of the restaurant and cozied up against crimson and cherry wood walls before ordering and slowly enjoying the following foods over the next few hours:

Funwerks, Saison Ale, 750 ml bottle (shared)

Lemon Cured Salmon Carpaccio (shared)

Ran Roasted New Zealand Bass (Joe)

Pan Roasted Diver Scallops (me)

Mas Carlot "Les Enfants Terribles," Mourvedre/Syrah, France (split glass)

Gorgonzola Dolce (shared)

Every menu item that was brought to our table was as visually beautiful and enticing as it was to taste. The appetizer salmon was sliced paper thin in a perfect rectangle and topped with red onion bagel chips, toasted buckwheat, a dot of creme friache and spritzed with a cucumber vinaigrette. Our main courses were served in large, white bowls and filled with the freshest, most loved food I have eaten in a long time. My scallops sat in a perfect circle on top of a corn and golden potato chowder, surrounding a hill of marinated crispy clams, pickled red onion, and finally topped with notes of charred limes. Joe equally enjoyed his elegant bass steak atop truffled cannelini beans, tomato braised artichokes and a chanterelle mushroom vinaigrette. We had to keep reminding each other not to eat too fast or it will be gone all too soon!  Still, we ordered the gorgonzola dessert, complete with black mission figs, pickled red onions and olive oil cake croutons. The spiced, Colorado saison beer paired perfectly with our dinner and the waiter convinced us to split a glass of a fruity red wine to complement our dessert. I have to say, cheese as soft and rich as that gorgonzola could easily compete with any chocolate delicacy.  Best birthday gift a girl could ask for:  grand food, atmosphere, and most of all, company.  

Italy Part 24

Once upon a trip to Greece, crepe shops were as ubiquitous as Starbucks in Seattle.  Just imagine the sweet smells of thin pancakes wafting through narrow streets around the clock. Stuffings varied from sweet to savory, with combinations of vegetables, eggs, fruits, cheeses, sweet creams, and chocolate. Perhaps the most memorable for me were the Nutella and banana crepes. They were impossible to eat without hazelnut goodness oozing down your arm and leaving your face as messy as a toddlers! 

Living like Grecians,  June 2008.
Getting our AM crepe fix.

Much to my surprise and utter excitement, my Italian-cooking challenge required the preparation of a savory crepe meal!  This recipe is called, Crespelle ripine (p. 114), which means "stuffed crepes." Enjoy the following photo progression of my own crepe-making ventures and recipe to follow!

The story starts with beautiful batter.
Flour, salt, milk, and eggs. 

Butter-up a non-stick skillet (or crepe pan if you have it). 

Pour a thin layer of batter into the hot pan (about 1/4 cup)
and quickly tilt the pan back and forth to evenly distribute.
Shake the pan vigorously after the batter has set to
release the crepe from the pan while it continues to cook.

After about 1 minute, it is time for flipping!
This step required a few,  "OH, CREPE!!" outbursts.

The growing stack of fancy pancakes.
You can make crepes ahead of time and either refrigerate
or freeze them until use, but don't forget to place a piece of
parchment paper between them to prevent sticking.

These naked crepes needed some attire.
In this case, it was a cheese spread: ricotta,
mozzarella, parmesan, nutmeg, and parsley. 

My crepes were folded into wedges, placed into a
baking dish, and generously topped with a tomato-herb
sauce (made ahead of time), extra parmesan, and drizzled
with olive oil before baking 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. 

These Crespelle ripienes were
rush-to-the-table worthy!

Yum...

Basic Crepe Recipe
Makes 1 dozen

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt

Sift or mix flour and salt well in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the batter becomes smooth (press out lumps with the back of a spoon). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well until smooth. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes before using. This batter can also be refrigerated overnight. To prepare, brush a non-stick skillet or crepe pan with butter over medium heat, so that the butter sizzles when added. Pour about 1/4 cup of crepe batter into the pan, turning the pan so that the thin layer of batter covers the bottom of the pan evenly. After the batter has set (about 20 seconds), shake the pan vigorously to detach the crepe from the pan while it continues to cook. After about 1 minute (or until the bottom of the crepe is golden), quickly flip the crepe, without using a spatula, and let cook another 1 minute. Once the crepe is cooked on both sides, turn out onto a plate, stacking them as you go. Continue cooking crepes, remembering to brush the pan with butter each time, until the batter is gone.  Note: Batter can be easily prepared in a blender and stored overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. I would suggest making extra crepes to freeze for later. Just place a piece of wax paper in between crepes and seal in a freezer bag.  That way, just pull out a few crepes as you wish to eat them!

Bella Beets

For those of you "Meatless Monday" goers out there, here are two recipes you may want to think about trying (just nix the bacon on the greens, or substitute with toasted almonds). I happened to stumble across some beautiful beets at the farmer's market that I couldn't resist. Instead of being a characteristic purple-red, these beets had skins that were blushing in oranges and deep pinks with gorgeous, golden interiors.  Much like the radishes I recently cooked, save your beet greens because they can be incorporated into a wonderful complementary side dish.  

Bella beets...

...with a heart of gold. 

Serve with fresh sourdough, stuffed olives,
and cheese for a quick, elegant dinner.

Honey Roasted Beets

Serves 2-4

1 bunch beets (red or golden)

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. vinegar (white wine vinegar for golden beets, balsamic for red)

1 bunch garlic chives, minced (I used minced yellow onion)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut off the green tops (reserving for recipe below) and discard roots. Clean beets under cool water. Slice into 1 inch thick rings, with skins still attached. Place into aluminum foil packet and coat beets with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the garlic cloves and pour half of the honey over beets and seal package, leaving room for steam to build up inside. Roast beets in the oven for 50 minutes, or until beets are tender but not falling apart. Allow to cool and then easily remove and discard skins. While beets are cooling, make the vinaigrette by whisking together the vinegar, the rest of the honey, and garlic chives in a large bowl. Add the beets and toss to coat. Serve warm or refrigerate for at least 1 hour to serve cold.  Note: I used a blender to mix the vinaigrette for this recipe but I did not like the creamy result, seen in the photo above. Therefore, I would suggest whisking. 

Sauteed Beet Greens

Serves 2-4

Greens from 1 bunch of beets

1 slice of bacon, chopped (or toasted almonds)

1 tbsp. sugar

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup chicken broth or water

Splash of apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Soak beet greens in an ice bath for 20 minute, then rinse under cold water. Cut away any large stems and chop into 1/2 inch size pieces. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until brown. Remove bacon and cool on a paper towel. Saute onions and garlic with bacon fat for 5 minutes. Add sugar and chopped greens and saute over high heat for another 2 minutes. Deglaze with chicken broth or water and add a splash of cider vinegar. Season to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with bacon bits tossed on top. Note: If toasted almonds are being used as a substitute to the bacon, use 2 tbsp. olive oil or butter to replace the bacon fat.


Recipes adapted from Leffler Family Farms cooking suggestions handout.

Italy Part 23

It's a beautiful Saturday morning here in Denver, but my thoughts keep circling back to my old home in Madison, Wisconsin.  After all, it is the season when Saturday mornings are served up with a hearty side of Badger football!  Speaking of traditions, I could really go for a beer and brat breakfast, sunburn, and 5th quarter dancing with Leckrone and the marching band. Did you know that they are celebrating their 125th birthday this year?  Neat-o! 

If you want to be a Badger just come along with me,
by the bright shining light,
by the light of the moon! 

Camp Randall at kickoff.

This afternoon the Badgers are taking on Northern Illinois Huskies at Solider Field. What is this Badger having for breakfast this game day?  Biscotti. Sconnie biscotti, perhaps!

Biscotti (p. 148)

Biscotti is simply a hard sweet bread. It requires making a sugared dough, kneading, and baking. However, there is an additional baking step to give it a nice cracker crunch! 

My biscotti loaf has completed round one of baking.
The glossy sheen comes from brushing the dough with egg.
As you can see, it was a bit over zealous to rise and it split
its side from head to toe!  

Slicing the once-baked biscotti loaf.
The green bits you see are pistachio nuts.

After a second round of baking, this sweet bread is now
crispy, crunchy, slightly sweet and oh-so-neat biscotti! 

I always thought biscotti would be difficult to make, but its really not! If you can bake a loaf of quick bread, you can make biscotti. I prefer mine dipped in creamed coffee or sweet tea. It softens it up a bit. Add some fresh fruit and you got yourself a fancy breakfast.  Perhaps not very Wisconsin, but I am wearing my red "sconnie" t-shirt, ha! 

Italy Part 22

Just as autumn brings new color to tree leaves, so it does also with the seasonal bounty of root vegetables and produce!  I picked up some pink radishes, reserving their leaves, and petite fingerling potatoes to brighten this chicken dinner.

Roasted rosemary chicken (p. 132)

Baked radicchio (p. 131)

Roasted fingerling potatoes

Sauteed radish greens with garlic

Fingerling (finger-like) potatoes are one of my fall favorites.
Their smaller size allows for shortened cooking times
and they can range in color from yellow to purple.

Chicken stuffed with garlic cloves and fresh rosemary.
It required basting and turning to achieve
a juicy interior and crusty, golden exterior.

Cooking these dishes turned out to be quite the show. The radishes, potatoes and chicken were all fighting for oven space. I started with the chicken since it required the longest roasting time at the highest temperature (425 degrees F for 20 minutes each side). However, every time I opened the door of the oven to baste the bird with its juices, a large plum of smoke would escape and send my over-zealous smoke alarm screaming! What?! Not this again! If you remember from the end of Italy Part 17, I described my first problem with a smoking oven due to unknown pie filling residue on the oven floor. Following that embarrassment, I had thoroughly cleaned the oven, therefore the smoke from this chicken had me confused. I had to open the door again to see if I could quickly identify the problem. That was when my hand got attacked with hot grease bombs and I realized that my chicken was shamelessly spurting juice and fat from the roasting pan, leading to immediate combustion into smoke as it landed on the hot oven interior.  That little booger!! 


I tried reducing the temperature by 50 degrees and that seemed to stop the splatter chatter. However, I realized that even with additional cooking time, the chicken was not browning as it was supposed to. It needed that additional heat. At this point, with the potatoes and radishes nested on the second shelf in the oven, I raised the temp to 400 degrees F. Once again, screaming smoke alarms. I wanted that nice crispy texture for the chicken so badly that I opened the apartment door, turned on all of the fans, and took turns running from oven to smoke alarm until the bird was golden to a crisp with clear juices. I thanked the potatoes and radishes for being so amenable.

Eat your colors!

Did you know that America throws away nearly half of all of the food that we prepare and produce? Don't let radish greens be part of that statistic!  Try this easy solution...

Sauteed radish greens with garlic
Serves 2


Radish greens from 2 generous bunches of radishes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, large, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Separate radishes from their stems and thoroughly wash the radish greens in cool water to remove all of the dirt. This can be done by dunking in a bowl of water and then laying them out to dry on a dish towel. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic to the oil and let sizzle until slightly browned on the edges. Add the radish greens to the pan and coat with the hot oil and garlic. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until leaves are wilted and soft. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Italy Part 21

Sicilians certainly do not cut corners when making cake! This was my conclusion after enduring a baking venture that took me three days to complete. This recipe would have normally taken two, however, I had to make my own sponge cake since my local grocery stores failed to supply any in the shape and size required. Other ingredients that I could not purchase included, cedro (a lemon-like citrus fruit), fruit glace (candied fruits in a glossy corn syrup coating), and blanched almonds (really)!  I did my best with substitutions. The following is my Cassata all Siciliana (p. 141) cake story...

Day 1: A cake for a cake

Preparing sponge cake is like cooking solid egg foam. It required making a sweet, citrus flour and egg yolk batter, followed by gentle folding into a giant bowl of whipped egg whites and sugar until the consistency resembled a frothy latte! Angel food cake has always been a favorite of mine, but now I think I found a competitor. 

Colonial Sponge Cake
From: "Better Homes and Gardens Heritage Cookbook"
Copyright 1975 

Inverting the pan for cooling.
Why am I always terrified the cake will plop right out?

This is what happens when you leave spongy, unguarded cake with me
(just ask my mother)!  Crispy undersides are just so irresistible, and
besides, who is going to notice the bottom of a cake after a good icing?

Day 2: Assembling the dessert puzzle 

Now that I had a sponge cake ready-homemade, it was time to prepare the filling and then assemble the whole cake together. Many steps were involved.  Ricotta cheese was the main ingredient and to add even more Italian flare, the sponge cake was sprinkled generously with dessert wine. 

I substituted whole, raw almonds for "blanched" since
I could not find them at the store and realized only
later that I could have probably taken off the almonds' brown
coats with a little extra elbow grease. Lessons for the future!
They required cutting into halves and dry-frying. 

My substitution for the real candied fruits (or glace) was to
purchase purely artificial ones. I used the yellow, orange, and red
pieces to substitute for cedro, orange glace, and cherry glace. 

This recipe takes "cheesecake" to a new level,
requiring nearly two pounds of fresh ricotta. Yum!

The filling ingredients are ready to mingle.
Ingredients: ricotta, candied fruits, almonds, pistachios,
icing sugar, vanilla, and grated lemon rind. 

The sponge cake required modifications via slicing,
reserving one complete, round piece for the filling "lid."
The rest of the cake was cut into various angled pieces
and assembled into a greased bowl as the cake's exterior. 

The cake mosaic after a shower of wine.
When I do this again, I would find a smaller, steeper bowl.
The recipe calls for a "pudding basin" but I used a mixing bowl.

Madeira, the dessert wine that was needed for the infusion.
Much like Port or Marsala, this sweet wine is fortified.
It gets its name from the origin of the grapes:
the Portuguese islands of Madeira.  

Stuffed. 

After the final placement of the reserved slab of sponge cake,
this assembled jigsaw must set in the fridge overnight.  

Day 3: Beautification and appreciation
After a night of beauty rest I was overly curious to take a peak. Much hesitation came when I realized that two days of hard work could be easily ruined with just one failed attempt to flip the heavy contents of the bowl onto a plate!  With a bit of pep talk and deep breathing, I flipped the bowl while struggling to hold the plate steady until I finally felt the anticipated PLOP! of the cake releasing from the sides of the bowl.  I was thrilled (thrilled!!) that it all came out in one piece. The final steps required covering up some blemished surfaces with whipped cream and a splash of color. What a beauty! Let's eat! 

Getting ready for the flip.

It survived with all of its pieces intact!

Ready for the cakewalk (... around my kitchen). 

This cake is truly divine! It may have taken three days to prepare from scratch, however, beauty transpires from the inside out. A feast for the eyes and taste buds! My favorite part has to be its colorful confetti filling- the smooth, sweet ricotta complements the crunchy nuts and chewy fruit pieces. Please note that the sponge cake is named as such for a reason. Comparing the last two photos, you will recognize how the whipped cream was taken right up by the cake in only a few hours, so I would suggest garnishing immediately before serving.  A piece (or two) is extra tasty with some additional Madeira or a splash of blush wine.