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May 24

62 Comments

Elusive Inspiration

I want to start out by apologizing for being so lax in responding to comments and also want to apologize for not visiting your blogs like I used to. I want to do better and I won’t go into detail about what is going on but I want you all to know I will try to do better.

Blogging can be a lot of work, I love it but when I am uninspired I don’t like to just post anything just for the sake of posting something. I have been searching for inspiration and it eludes me, hence you haven’t heard from me in a while. I cook but it’s nothing new or exciting and certainly not blog worthy. It’s also so strange, as when I bake lately I have more fails than I normally do which is discouraging. I took that as a sign that maybe I needed to lay low for a while, re group and then start over.

I finally was inspired to bake something when I watched the royal wedding. Now I am not a big fan of royal weddings, I did watch so I could see her dress and what the guests were wearing but the pomp and circumstance doesn’t really peek my interest. The cake however did! It is simple and beautiful and the flavors sound wonderful. A lemon sponge with lemon curd and elderflower soaking syrup and it’s frosted with a Swiss meringue buttercream gently flavored with elder flower. I grabbed these photo’s from Instagram from the bakers feed. She is an American living in London who has been baking since she was a wee one and has a lovely bakery, Violets Cakes.

I love that this wedding cake is not fussy, simply decorated with fresh flowers, this cake spoke to me. So I plan on making it and will post no matter how it turns out. What could go wrong, well plenty given my penchant for fails lately but this cake inspired me and I have to make it.

On another note, Percy and Jenna Rose are doing well. Percy’s diabetes is much more difficult to deal with than I thought it would be and my poor boy is having a difficult time.  Percy has had a persistent eye infection that has not responded to antibiotics. Hoping the new meds I have now will work.

 

May 1

50 Comments

Lemon Cream Tart

I have posted this recipe and several variations multiple times but the lemon cream is so good it’s time to post it again. Recipes get lost in the volumes of pages on the blog and are all but forgotten. This creamy lemon filling has been used in cakes, to stabilize whipped cream and as is the case here in a tart. I love just eating it on its own, it’s that good!! You can use other fruit and fruit juice besides lemon, I’ve made this with blackberry, orange, raspberry. It always turns out delicious.

The recipe is from Tartine Bakery and I saw it years ago on Food52. Its super easy to make and has always turned out perfectly. The only change I made was that I added some lemon zest to make the lemon flavor even more intense. I used my go too pie crust by Julia Child and whipped some heavy cream for the top, it would be equally good with meringue.

Lemon Cream

 Recipe for Tartine Bakery’s Lemon Cream

Makes about 2 1/2 cups (625 ml)

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (5 oz/155 ml) lemon juice (Meyer or regular)

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup (6 oz/170 g) sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup (8 oz/225 g) unsalted butter

zest of 2 lemons (0ptional)

Pour water to a depth of about 2 inches into a saucepan, place over medium heat, and bring to a simmer.

Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, whole eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel bowl that will rest securely in the rim of a saucepan over, not touching, the water. (Never let the egg yolks and sugar sit together for more than a moment without stirring; the sugar will cook the yolks and turn them granular.) Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes very thick and registers 180° F on a thermometer. This will take 10 to 12 minutes. If you don’t have or trust your thermometer, don’t worry. It should thicken to the point that your whisk leaves a trail through the curd. NOTE: I don’t use a thermometer, the lemon mixture will thicken and coat the back of the spoon, draw a line on the back of the spoon with your finger, the line will stay intact. It took about 11 minutes for mine to thicken properly.

Remove the bowl from over the water and let cool to 140° F, stirring from time to time to release the heat.

Meanwhile, cut butter into 1-tablespoon (15-ml) pieces. When the cream is ready, leave it in the bowl if using an immersion blender, or pour it into a countertop blender. With the blender running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition until incorporated before adding the next piece. The cream will be pale yellow and opaque and quite thick.

You can use the cream immediately, or pour it into a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 5 days.