lemon magic

i learned yesterday of the simple magic that is the transformation of lemons and eggs and sugar into the zesty, smooth creaminess of lemon curd. i settled in with a stack of cookbooks to find inspiration for a quiet new year's meal at home. i wanted something seasonal, not too fancy (i'm still exhausted from the christmas cooking), but which would feel rather fancy and special. so, in that kind of mood, i turned to nigel slater's the kitchen diaries. i turned to the end to see what he did at the end of his year. he too must have been a bit exhausted, as there's no new year's menu in the book, but there, on boxing day, i found a recipe for a passion fruit roulade. nigel uses ready-made lemon curd, but although i was feeling a bit lazy, i wasn't too lazy to contemplate making my own lemon curd (mostly because i figured i'd have to go in to copenhagen to find it).

so i searched a bit in the rest of the stack of cookbooks i'd selected and sure enough, in jam it, pickle it, cure it, there was indeed a lemon curd recipe and it looked dead easy. the hardest part was squeezing 10 lemons and that was my exercise for the day, so even that was ok.

lemon curd

6 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 cup of sugar

1-1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice (10-12 lemons)

150 grams of butter, cut into small pieces

zest of 2 lemons, removed in large pieces with a vegetable peeler.

instructions:

1. prepare a clean jar or jars to store it in. my large jar above (i think it holds a 850ml) held the whole batch, save one small bowl of it which i left out (and may have eaten by the naked, delicious spoonful over the course of the evening).
2. in a large saucepan, with a whisk, beat the whole eggs and egg yolk together thoroughly, then whisk in the sugar and lemon juice. be sure the sugar has completely dissolved before you start to heat it. i actually did this mixing in my kitchen-aid and then transferred it to a pot, but that's because i like the machinery to do the hard work for me.
3. place the pot over medium heat and gently warm the mixture. after 3 minutes, begin to add the butter, stirring constantly. add the zest pieces as well.
4. whisk constantly for 7-8 minutes until the butter melts and the mixture becomes very thick.
5. pour the curd into your prepared jar and let it cool, uncovered. remove the zest and discard. 
6. store in the refrigerator after it's cooled down. it should be fine in the refrigerator in its jar for at least ten days.

i'm going to use mine in nigel's passion fruit roulade, but you can also slather it on a homemade scone and have it with your tea. i haven't made the roulade yet, so no pictures of it. maybe i'll update later when i've made it.

nigel slater's passion fruit roulade

the cake:

6 large eggs

100 grams sugar

2 lemons

2 heaped tablespoons of flour

powdered sugar for dusting

the filling:

350 grams lemon (or orange) curd

280-300ml whipping cream

12 ripe, wrinkled passion fruits

instructions:

1. preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F
2. line a shallow baking tray (36cm x 30cm) or jelly roll pan with baking paper.
3. separate the eggs, putting the yolks in one bowl and the whites in your mixer to beat them 'til soft peaks form. add the sugar to the yolks and whisk until they're pale and creamy.
4. grate the zest from both lemons, then juice them. folk the juice and the zest into the yolk-sugar mixture.
5. add the flour to the yolk mixture. then fold the entire mixture gently into the egg whites. it's important not to over-mix. 
6. pour into the lined baking tin, spreading it out to the edges.
7. bake for ten minutes until the top is very lightly colored and feels softly set. allow it to cool for a few minutes.
8. put another piece of baking paper down on your work surface, sprinkle it with caster sugar and turn the roulade out onto it. carefully peel away the baking paper from the bottom and discard. cover with a clean tea towel and allow it to cool down.
9. once it's cool, spread the lemon curd carefully over the surface.
10. meanwhile, whip the whipping cream until the soft peak stage and then spread it over the curd. cut the passion fruits in half and spread the juice and seeds over the cream. you can reserve a couple of passion fruits to squeeze over before serving.
11. on the long side, roll it carefully into a roulade. transfer it to a serving dish and dust it with powdered sugar. cut into thick slices and serve.

makes ten servings. edited with the "after" photos....

this will be our dessert this evening for our low-key new year's eve dinner. in addition to it, i'm stuffing a beef roast with a nigella-inspired stuffing of bacon, dried cranberries, garlic, shallots and thyme, making ordinary roasted potatoes and a green salad to go with it. we'll drink a nice amarone and bring in the new year in a very relaxed fashion.

see all that lovely whipped cream/lemon curd/passion fruit there on the side? well, it's not there anymore, thanks to me and my spoon. this is gonna be a good cake.

happy new year to all of you and thank you so much for your comments and sharing your enthusiasm for food since we started this little venture back in september. we look forward to much more cooking in 2010.

favorite cookbook: nigel slater's real food

nigel slater's real food made a cook of my sister. until that fateful day when she made his fabulously simple pasta with spicy sausage, basil and mustard (p. 118), she didn't think she could cook. it was a transformative recipe for her. and happily, she was at our house at the time, so we got to be there to witness her transformation. and sop up the last of the creamy, mustardy goodness with a crust of garlic bread.

the simple alchemy of a few good sausages, separated from their casings and browned in the pan until they get a bit caramely, a glass of white wine (two if you count the one you get to drink while you make it), a pinch of chili flakes, a good dollop of tangy dijon mustard (we use a fantastic one with tarragon from a local supermarket called Irma*), and a quarter liter of double cream turned together with your favorite pasta is magical. a few fresh basil leaves strewn over the mixture before serving and you've reached nirvana.

this book is full of the kind of cooking that's easy, yet feels luxurious even on an everyday basis. you can do this pasta from start to finish in 20 minutes and it will turn out perfectly every time (if your sausages are good ones - that's key). it's become a standard dish at our house and we eat it pretty much once a week.

the book is divided into eight chapters, each one focusing on the good things in life: potatoes, chicken, sausages, garlic, bread, cheese, ice cream and yes, chocolate. what could be better than that?

another favorite that gets made regularly at our house is nigel's coq au riesling (p. 76)

that's garlic bread - photo merely for the sake of showing the stove where i cooked all last summer

a year ago, when i was without a kitchen all summer and had to do all of my cooking on the old stove above in the middle of our construction site, i made this recipe again and again. it is best slow-cooked for several hours in a big heavy cast iron le cruset pot. it was perfect, as it didn't require me to watch over it the whole time.

here's nigel's original:

50 grams butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (he likes that combo too)
100 grams streaky bacon or pancetta, diced
2 small - medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
4 joints of free range chicken on the bone.
200 grams small brown mushrooms, halved
500 ml medium-dry white wine such as riesling
300 ml double cream
3 tablespoons chopped parley

start the bacon in the pan with the butter and olive oil, then add the onions and garlic. remove. then brown the chicken pieces. add the mushrooms, continue browning, then add the bacon and onions back in, then pour in the wine and allow it to simmer.

nigel says to simmer for 25 minutes or so, then remove the chicken pieces and add the cream, cooking the sauce down til it begins to thicken, then add the chicken back in heat to serving temperature.

however, i've never done it like that (i'm no good at following instructions, you see). instead, after browning the chicken, i add the wine and allow it to simmer over the old stove for an hour. i've used chicken thighs. i've used a whole chicken (which i don't bother to brown). i've added potatoes or jerusalem artichokes (i normally don't like those that much, but they're great in this dish so in they go when they come in my organic box). i've generally put in a handful of thyme (it's my favorite with chicken). i don't always put in the mushrooms nigel suggests. sometimes i use a chardonnay not a riesling. i do add the cream in about 30 minutes before serving. and because it has a quite a soup-like consistency, i often serve it in bowls over rice. i've been known to put a few spears of asparagus on top during the last 5 minutes before serving.  it's a versatile dish. i actually made it for blog camp 2.0, so it's even good enough to serve to guests.

these are just two samplings from this wonderful cookbook. it's the second of my top five and one i definitely wouldn't want to be without.

* i'll draw a name next weekend from all who leave a comment on this post and send one of you lucky people a jar of the heavenly tarragon mustard from irma.

* * *

and do be on the lookout for a guest post from the lovely christina later this week! she's so fantastic, we just had to invite her to share some of her deliciousness with all of you.