Sunday, March 14, 2010

Too Good Not to Share

For those of you who have cringed when I've mentioned awake intubation, here's a video that might make you feel better...or worse...In any case, I think the Massachusetts General Hospital residents are incredibly fortunate to have such a committed and courageous teacher!


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Hubby's Birthday Cake

This is the best cake I've ever made, so I want to share all the sinful delight here for posterity (adapted from a ricotta pound cake recipe by Gina DePalma in her book Dolce Italiano):
Preheat oven to 350.

Generously grease and flour a rectangular (13 x 9) cake pan.

In a medium bowl sift together
-2 c+ 3 Tb all-purpose flour
-5 Tb cornstarch
-4 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl cream together
-2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
-2 1/2 c part-skim ricotta cheese
-2 1/2 c sugar

Add
-4 tsp vanilla (can replace some of this with scrapings from a vanilla bean - haven't tried that yet)
-1 tsp almond extract
-5 eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition

Gradually add dry ingredients + 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt, stirring well after each addition.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake at 350 till inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean (45-55 min).
Top with lemon glaze or buttercream frosting of choice. This cake should be allowed to rest overnight and be served the day after baking because for whatever reason it always tastes better the second day!

5 comments:

kris said...

you are correct! we are very lucky!! :) love your blog! very entertaining!

Elaine Fine said...

To make a youtube video narrower, find the number that reads something like 480 in the html. It should appear twice. Change it to 400, and you're in biznuss!

Cornstarch is a wonder when it comes to baking! Who'd a thunk?

MEDICALBOOBOOS said...

I gagged all the way through watching that, he is insane lol. I have been awake once while intubated the Dr didn't realize and I had received a paralytic and couldn't do anything, a suffocating horrible experience. Then awakening with an E.T tube was just as bad. I don't know what that guy is on!!! But I hope he still has empathy for patients, that they all are not as tolerable as he is....:)

T. said...

Thanks, Elaine! That finally did it. I had come down to 500, then to 480, from whatever the original was, but I guess I had to push it just a little farther.

And cornstarch - so true! I would never have guessed.

Medicalbooboos - sorry for the bad experiences! I hope those were the last of them for you. None of us anesthesiologists ever takes this procedure for granted or imagines it's tolerable for anyone - at least, I speak for myself and the colleagues I've known.

Kris - thanks!

ShrinkingDoc said...

Wow. Yes, dedicated and courageous, but definitely at least a little nuts. Well, maybe more than a little. Wow.