After a long, cold winter in the Midwest, we welcome any and all reasons to flee to the warmer states where the lucky people live.  In February, my husband and I did just that, heading west for some R&R (okay, fine, we went for the sunshine).

While we were there, we did a little lounging,

a little hiking,

and we ate some fantastic food.

Seriously.  It was so fantastic that a month and a half later I’m still thinking about it.  And wishing I were eating it rather than whatever miscellany I can find in my pantry.

Our first meal after touchdown was at a place we stumbled on, called True Food Kitchen.  Fanfreakintastic, I’m telling you.  There wasn’t anything there that didn’t look like they just picked it at a farm around the corner, like an hour ago.  It tasted the same way.  The flour tacos were fresh (did they grind them in the back?), the cilantro, oh my goodness,  the slivers of steak, the fresh tomatillo salsa, the Cotija cheese and Anasazi beans, I can’t even begin to tell you how good it was.  Picture this:  like children, we had to put our forks down so we wouldn’t inhale it.  And I do mean inhale.

You know how that goes, though.  After that, every morsel was up for comparison.  Our second day in the lovely, warm town, we hiked Camelback Mountain (a trek I highly recommend for the adventuresome types out there).  Our perky guide, Kaitlyn, was full of information not just about Camelback but anything we’d dare to ask.  I asked about food.

“The Vig,” she said, “go there.”  And so, with True Food Kitchen as the high bar, we made our way to a place that looked seriously sketchy from the road.  More like a warehouse, or strip club, maybe, than a hip, happening restaurant.  But I guess that’s the thing, right?  If it tried too hard, it wouldn’t have the same mojo.

Upon Kaitlyn’s recommendation, we ordered the Deconstructed Fish Taco Salad.  And, yes, it was amazing. You don’t hear me say that very often.  I mean,  a view can be amazing, or a pair of shoes can be amazing, but a fish taco?  A-maz-ing!

Slow food doesn’t come cheap, but I swear to you this very second, people, that we wouldn’t touch processed crap with a ten foot pole if food this good was our choice.

And isn’t it?  Food for thought (and a Michael-Pollanesque post for another day).

I’m not much of a dessert person; I’d rather have a big ol’ handful (or three) of jalepeño chips any day of the week.  That said, I have a few favorite sweets, and this is one of them.  It’s fairly easy but does take some time.  You’ll also use several bowls: two medium-sized and one large.  And don’t try to cheat, either.  You need the bowls, trust me.  It’s worth the effort, friends.  This chocolate cake roll filled with vanilla ice cream is a fabulous warm weather treat.

Chocolate Cake Roll

ingredients:
1/3 c cake flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/3 t salt
4 large eggs, separated
1 c granulated sugar, divided

For filling:
1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream (won’t use all of it)

For garnish:
confectioner’s sugar
hershey double chocolate sauce (or your fav)
fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Line a 15- x 1-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper, then grease and flour lined pan.


In the first medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Mix well.


In the large bowl, beat egg yolks and 1/4 c sugar with an electric mixer, on medium, until fluffy (light lemon yellow color).


In the other medium bowl, beat egg whites on high until foamy.  Gradually add 1/2 c sugar, beating until peaks are stiff but not dry.


Fold 1/3 beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.  Alternate folding in the remaining whites and the flour mixture.  Pour batter into lined pan and smooth.  Bake about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


To Roll Cake:


Dust a clean cloth with remaining sugar.  (I have a particular dishcloth I bought for rolling cakes and use only for this purpose.)  Turn cake out onto the sugared cloth and carefully remove waxed paper.  Trim the edges.  (Yum.)


Tightly roll the cake lengthwise, into the cloth (you want it long, not thick).  Let cool on a wire rack, with the seam facing down.  Allow cake to cool completely. 


A few minutes before you’re ready to spread the ice cream, remove it from the freezer to soften a bit.


Unroll cake and remove cloth.  Spread softened ice cream in a smooth layer over cake, to within 1/2-inch or so of the edge.  Re-roll cake and dust with confectioners sugar.


Make zig-zag of chocolate sauce on each serving plate.   Place 2 slices of cake on chocolate sauce, and 3-4 raspberries beside the slices. 


If you want leftovers, you’ll  need to make 2.  And yes, you can make this the day before and freeze it.


It’s a little bit of work, but it’s fantastic!