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Exercise can be hazardous to your health…

I was always more of a play sports kind of girl than a go to the gym kind of girl. Gyms always intimidated me and so I avoided them.
But after sitting around on my butt too much in my early 20’s come age 24 I decided I would start going. To cut down on the intimidation factor I joined an all female gym. It was great. Still the greatest gym I ever belonged to because they literally had a class going every hour, either water aerobic or land. They had trainers in the gym that helped you, not just wiped down the equipment. And everyone was friendly. I miss that gym.
At the time I was teaching at the time most of my friends were females (elementary education is a predominately female occupation). So I worked all day with women and then I went and worked out with women. My dad feared for some odd reason that I would never meet a guy (I wasn’t really dating anyone at the time). So my dad has this idea for me to join a co-ed gym. He would pay the start up fee and then I would pay it monthly (it was only $12). I still worked out at the other gym as I was an employee (water aerobics instructor) and got gym use for free.
The first time I went there it was a whole other world. All the girls were in cute clothing. Wearing make up and earrings. Earrings to run on the treadmill? WTF? I soon learned that most of those ladies weren’t there to be working out. In fact, most people weren’t. It was like a giant meat market. Certainly my dad would be happy.
I thought for sure no one would be bothering me as I was not in cute clothes, unless an oversized sweatshirt that said Just Beer Me and sweatpants were cute. No make up and certainly no hoop earrings. And I was actually sweating on the treadmill. A lot. Kind of grossly a lot. But none the less that did not stop the creepy guys from making there move. Nor did they catch on when you turned up your headphones, making sure they saw it and continued to stare at the TV screen.
Now, not all the guys were creepy, just the ones picking up on me. 😉 And as much as the women dressed up the men pranced around like peacocks as well. I was not used to having eye candy in the gym. It was kind of distracting. So distracting, in fact, that I injured myself.
I was in the back row of the treadmills. In front of me were the bikes. We along comes a very attractive man, with one of the greatest butts I had every seen, wearing bike shorts. He gets on the bike and starts pedaling away. Since he was right there in my line of sight I couldn’t help but stare at his butt. Watching each butt cheek going up, down, up, down. It was all so mesmerizing.
So mesmerizing, that I was not paying attention and flew right off the treadmill. I chose the treadmill next to the wall and therefore slammed myself into the wall. It was not my finest moments (thank God You Tube did not exist back then).
From that point on I learned the valuable lesson of stare at the TV or your feet and not much else! 🙂
But all that exercising does make me extra hungry. Since my reader wanted angel food cake for a healthier option, I made it. Of course the same problem that arose with the Pavlovas happened with these. Leftover yolks. This time I made a Bavarian using my honey tangerines that were out at my store the other day. If you can’t get honey tangerines, regular tangerines or oranges are just fine.

Angel Food Cake and Honey Tangerine Bavarian Trifle

angel food cake
honey tangerine Bavarian
candied orange peels ( get the great recipe over on Use Real Butter)
honey tangerine caramel sauce

 

Angel Food Cake

1 ¾  cups superfine sugar
¼  tsp salt
1 cup cake flour, sifted
12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)
1/3 cup warm water
1 tsp orange extract, or extract of your choice
1 ½  tsp cream of tartar
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift half of the sugar with the salt the cake flour, setting the remaining sugar aside.
Using a stand mixer using the whisk attachment add egg whites, water, orange extract, and cream of tarter. Whisk on low for two minutes.
Sift in the remaining sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have reached medium peaks, sift enough of the flour mixture to dust the top of the foam.
Gently fold in the flour mixture. Continue doing this until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.
Carefully spoon mixture into an ungreased tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes before checking for doneness with a wooden skewer. (When inserted halfway between the inner and outer wall, the skewer should come out dry).
Cool upside down on cooling rack for at least an hour before removing from pan.

Source: Food Network, Alton Brown

Honey Tangerine Bavarian
 
1 ¼ cups honey tangerine juice
zest of one tangerine
1 (¼ -ounces) envelope unflavored gelatin
8 large egg yolks
¼  cup sugar
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Sprinkle gelatin over ¼  cup tangerine juice in a small bowl and let stand about 5 minutes.
Whisk together yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and remaining cup tangerine juice in a heavy medium saucepan, then cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture just comes to a simmer (do not let boil).
Remove from heat, then whisk in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Transfer to a metal bowl and chill in an ice bath, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened to consistency of raw egg whites. Remove from ice bath.
Meanwhile, beat cream with zest until it just holds soft peaks.
Stir one third of whipped cream into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly.

Adapted from Epicurious.com
To assemble Trifle tear a few pieces of angel food cake and place at bottom of serving dish. Cover with 4 TBSP of Bavarian. Add a few more pieces of cake. Then top with 4 TBSP. Repeat this process until you have reached the top of the serving dish. Repeat until all of your serving dishes are filled (this makes about 6).
Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator and chill for 4 hours. Top with caramel and orange peels.

If you would like to do a mold (like in the first photo), simply grease a mold. Pour the Bavarian in half way. Add a piece of angel food cake in the middle and press down. Cover with Bavarian until you reach the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Unmold and serve with caramel.

Honey Tangerine Caramel Sauce

1 ¼ cups honey tangerine juice
zest of 1 tangerine (using a vegetable peeler, it needs to be large enough to remove afterwords)
1 ½  cups sugar
¼  cup water
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

Bring sugar, water, and zest to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, until sugar is deep amber. Remove from heat, then carefully add tangerine juice (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) and simmer, stirring, until caramel has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then remove from heat and cool. Chill, covered, until ready to serve (sauce will thicken slightly).

Source: Epicurious.com

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Comments

  2. That story just cracked me up! I had a roommate in college who used to put on makeup before going to the gym, and I always secretly made fun of her. This dessert looks yummy too. Anything with caramel has to be delicious!

    Reply

  3. Maybe you mean staring at hot men can be hazardous to your health! 😉 I was riding a ski lift up and saw this nice looking guy tele skiing down the mountain. When I finally looked up, I had missed the unloading point and had to jump off into the snow – making a fool of myself. So I know where you’re coming from, babe!

    So this all looks scrumptious as ever, but the first pic… is that just the bavarian cream molded or…? It looks AWESOME and I think I’ll have some, thanks 🙂 xxoo

    Reply

  5. You know those creepy guys who hit on you in the gym? I would be willing to bet they’re the same guys who go to the gay dance clubs to pick up on the women who go to the gay dance clubs solely so they can just dance and avoid the ‘meat market’…

    Reply

  6. Mesmerizing . . . up, down, up down . . . candy gyms . . . sorry that’s just what they are but nobody even seems to notice if you go and just sit and use it for eye candy either. Nope, I guess I’d rather go for a walk, come home and to your Angel Food Cake and Honey Tangerine Bavarian Trifle. That would make a real work out worth while!

    Reply

  11. See, that’s why I go to the YMCA. For some reason, guys are more interested in impressing each other with how much they can lift than in ogling women. Which is good, since there’s no way I’d wear makeup while working out.

    That honey tangerine bavarian sounds fabulous!

    Reply

  16. I’ve always been afraid I would fly off a treadmill. Fortunately after three knee surgeries I am no longer allowed to run. Of course that makes justifying yummy desserts a little more difficult! 🙂

    Reply

  17. Hi! I recently found your blog and I love it! I am an R.D. and love dessert as well as cooking, baking and trying new recipes. I say everything in moderation. I recently started my own blog which is a work in progress, but am enjoying it very much! Do you have any advice on gaining followers or blogging in general. Thanks for your time and wonderful pictures and recipes.

    kristen
    mytastytravels.blogspot.com

    Reply

  20. Peabody I love your stories. I feel you about the women in earrings and makeup. I work out at a small gym where normally it is a bunch of regulars that nod and go about their sweating and working out quietly. The New Year’s resolutioners are killing me and I am slowly waiting for them to quit coming so I can sweat in a gross amount as well in peace.

    Reply

  22. Hmm, if the men are prancing like peacocks, I’m not sure you are the target audience! Heh heh heh 😉 Hey, I think a just beer me shirt is cute!
    Angel food cake is an awesome choice for trifle– very clever as you make custard to go with it! Looks delicious! 🙂

    Reply

  23. One reason I like the old gym I’ve started going too…nobody has cute clothes or is wearing makeup (that’s goes for both sexes!). Of course that still didn’t stop me from pulling a muscle in my back last week…though it was just my out of shape body and not some cute guys butt!

    Reply

  29. You are hilarious. And so honest! I recently joined a co-ed gym for the first time, and I hate all the prancing peacocks. Thank goodness I go during the day when most of the peacocks are at work.

    The YWCA was my gym of choice before. It was me – and senior citizens – and kids at swim class. Crowds I could handle.

    And the color of your trifle is beautiful!

    Reply

  31. I love it! At least you fell off for a good reason… every time I have (yes, more than once) it was just pure clumsiness!

    And that trifle looks amazing — worth the extra time in the gym!

    Reply

  32. he..he..funny story…although I’m sure it was not too funny at that time. I avoid going to the gym now…we have a treadmill…which by the way have not seen use in months. Anyway…the hubby decided to work out so the curse is broken.
    yummy dessert by the way…perfect for after-workout!

    Reply

  34. I’m dying imagining you falling off the treadmill.

    And I can’t stand the gym barbies – the gym is for workout out – bars are for picking up men.

    Reply

  35. What beautiful photos! Angel food cake is on the to-do list for this year, I haven’t tried it yet.
    And I guess I should do some sort of exercise… maybe a belly dancing DVD?
    Anything that lets me eat more desserts like yours!

    Reply

  39. I am so with you on the WTF about co-ed gyms. It is just freaky and so not the point of what the gym is for.

    I will take a dish of this heavenly dessert and do a couple of laps around our locals zoo instead, thanks! (It is about a mile and has lots and lots of hills).

    Reply

  40. i really wish that all food bloggers could live in one small community, that way we could share what we make with each other all the time. i always want to try your stuff but i don’t always have the motivation to make it 😉

    Reply

  41. I love your website! I think i’m a kindred spirit, I blog about entertaining however my recipes usually end up on dessert. My husband is also a software engineer manager, so the post about your husband and the computer programmer calendar, HILARIOUS! I hope you don’t mind if I post your website on my page!

    Reply

  42. That’s why I love working out at home. I can look as disgusting as I want and it doesn’t matter a bit. Although my kids feel free to tell me when I smell peeuuwwy.

    I love the look of that candied orange peel. Gotta try it!

    Reply

  44. Thank heavens that co-ed gyms are no longer (at least some of them) meat markets. That was such an absurd scene…and don’t forget the ‘juice bars’ where the pick-up lines were so obvious.
    This trifle looks wonderful! Looked for the Weight Watcher points to see how many…I’ll bet there a a lot…my kind of dessert!

    Reply

  45. OMG…I laughed so hard, thank you for making my day! Exercise can indeed be hazardous to your health, but I’m sure I need at least 2 hours at the gym before making your glorious dessert. Of course, getting into my kitchen is infinitely easier then getting out to go the gym….darn it!

    Reply

  46. I love going to the gym, but I can’t stand the way other people act there. I’m there to workout! That way I can enjoy more desserts like this one…

    Reply

  47. Pea, I feel so lucky there is a gym room in the building I live now. Because I have been to gyms where the ladies wore not only make up (loads of it, think Christina Aguilera) and hoop earrings, but also tons of perfume. :S

    This dessert is so intriguing to me, since I have never made any of the components. Looks beautiful and fresh.

    Reply

  49. Exercise for me is at home with a tape in the machine, which I still find hard to use (I’m married to tool time Tim). This way I can wear whatever I want, look however I want and usually quit whenever I want. In fact I should be working a sweat instead of looking at your wonderful recipe and wondering if I make this and eat just a little piece how long will I have to sweat to work off those calories. Have a great day. Paulette

    Reply

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