A Delightfully Light And Fresh Dessert

Can you believe it’s been 90 years for the historic Hawaii Theatre?

Over time, we’ve become used to the beautiful restoration, year-round events and exciting shows. It’s now part of how we see downtown Honolulu. More than two decades ago, Sarah Richards joined Hawaii Theatre Center to lead the charge on the $32 million restoration that brought the theater back to life.

Many downtowns across this country suffer from “roll up the sidewalks syndrome,” when workers leave for homes in the suburbs and there is no activity in the downtown area. When the historic renovation was completed at Hawaii Theatre, it served as an economic catalyst for downtown Honolulu, helping to reestablish the area as an evening and weekend destination for visitors and local folks.

As president of Hawaii Theatre Center, Richards played a leading role in this powerful transformation, and tries to ensure that local artists and musicians have a home on center stage at the theatre.

The Hawaii Theatre invites you to kick off “Hawaii Nine-0” celebration Sept. 9 at the Hawaii Theatre Family Festival – a day of free entertainment and activities.

Mahalo to Richards and everyone at Hawaii Theatre for keeping us entertained – and for keeping Hawaii Theatre alive and thriving! Here’s a recipe she would like to share with MidWeek readers. I always use pure vanilla or almond extract, not imitation, for a richer flavor. You also can serve this with low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt to make this a virtually fat-free dessert!

KAPPA KAPPA GAMMA DELIGHT

(Angel food cake filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with fresh berries – a favorite college treat for Sarah Richards and her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters. Homemade angel food cake is best, but store-bought cake or cake mix can be used.)

For Angel Food Cake:

* 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

* 1 cup cake flour

* 12-14 egg whites (about 1 1/2 cups), at room temperature

* 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

* 1 cup sugar

For Topping:

* vanilla ice cream (or fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt)

* fresh raspberries (or other fresh berries)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together confectioners’ sugar and flour and set aside in small bowl. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, and beat at high speed until well-mixed. Gradually add sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat at high speed, until mixture forms stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, gently and briefly fold in flour/sugar mixture, about half a cup at a time, just until the flour is blended in. Pour mixture into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched gently with your finger. Completely cool the cake upside down on a rack or inverted funnel before removing from pan. With a fork, carefully remove enough cake in the center to double the size of the hole (save the pieces for a snack later!).

Just before serving, scoop slightly softened ice cream into the center of the cake, and top the whole thing with fresh berries.