Lemon Mousse

"Seize the moment.  Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart." 

~Erma Bombeck

Confession:  I am guilty of blog-neglect.  It's been three weeks since my last post.  In my defense, it is the height of garden-prep time in New England, so something had to give.  

Doesn't look like much NOW....but stay tuned...

Beginning of September, as summer was having it's last gasp, I made this and it was so good, I wanted to post it, but did not get a good picture.  Since then  I've been dying for more and Easter was a great excuse to make it, seeing I had dessert duty.

This Lemon Mousse is just luscious and was big hit.  The perfect accent to a light spring meal.  I prefer it slightly tart, but you can adjust the lemon to your liking.  Also, if you're squeamish about the uncooked egg whites, you can actually leave them out, using only the whipped cream  (in this case, increase cream to 2 cups).  It won't come out as cloud-like light, but it will still be fluffy and delicious.  

light as a cloud

As an added bonus, it keeps well for up to four days which is quite handy around busy holidays.

Lemon Mousse

2 whole eggs

4 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I got this from 4 lemons)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons Knox gelatin powder (1/2 packet)

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

-----------------------

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a large glass or metal bowl, mix together the 2 whole eggs, 4 egg yolks (save 2 of the whites in a separate bowl), sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, Knox and salt.  Place the bowl over a pot with a couple inches of boiling water in it.  Keep the water at a boil, but do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.  Stir constantly until mixture starts to thicken (takes approx. 15 minutes).  

Set aside to cool.  At this step, what you've got is lemon curd.  It could be used between cake layers, on scones, biscuits or as a pudding.  Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the pudding, so it doesn't form a skin.  Refrigerate 2 hours or until completely cooled.

In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff.  Fold into cooled lemon curd.  In a medium bowl, whip the 1 1/2 cups of cream with 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar until you get stiff peaks.  Fold cream into the lemon mixture.  Now spoon into a soufflé dish, or individual glasses.  Serve cold with sweetened whipped cream (last 3 ingredients whipped together).  Serves 8.  It will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator, but if you store it, be sure to wait to decorate it with whipped cream until close to serving time.

Orange Scones

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."

~John Gunther

Simply orange

I just had one of these for breakfast, hot from the oven, and it was heavenly.  For weeks the recipe was tumbling around in my mind, just waiting for a free day to be liberated.  Orange-cranberry is a common combination for scones, and I tried those first, but prefer the simply orange version best.  

The orange-cranberry version

They were so good, I'm going to make more today and freeze them in the raw stage...ready to pop in the oven any morning the mood strikes.  When I made this recipe, I baked two immediately to give to a friend who was coming by, and I placed the remainder in the fridge, to be baked in the morning.  The scones that rested and chilled overnight actually rose higher and came out better.  And what could be easier than popping them in the oven when you wake up?  Start your coffee, walk the dog and twenty minutes later, viola!... hot orange pastry nirvana.  I started with the basic scone recipe from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.
The first attempt was a tiny bit dry, so the second try I added a little more liquid and they came out perfect.  Environment and altitude can affect the composition of the dough, so use your judgement when adding the liquid.  It should just come together, without being wet.  I've included pictures so you can see what the dough should look like.

Orange Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

the zest from two oranges (about 2 tablespoons)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup orange juice, plus 1 tablespoon (or a little more, if your dough needs it)

4 tablespoons very cold butter, grated 

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for brushing on top

Coarse or large grain sugar for topping

Glaze: (optional)

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 teaspoons of milk, plus a few drops more, if needed to produce a glaze that will pour

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, including the zest.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and orange juice.

This next step is important, because it will determine the texture of the scone.  You can use just cold butter, just shortening, or a mixture of both.  I tried it with just butter and the combination, and the combo came out better.  With the shortening, pinch small marble size pieces and drop them into the dry ingredients. It's not as messy as it sounds, if you get some flour on your fingers, the shortening doesn't stick.  Don't be tempted to use a pastry blender for this recipe, it will produce a tough, mealy texture with this recipe.

Grate the VERY COLD butter in after the shortening.  

Working quickly (don't want the butter to warm up) add the liquid, stir a few times to bring dough together, and then turn out onto a floured cutting board.  Be careful, too much mixing or kneading at this point will produce a tough, heavy scone.

Gently fold and gather dough together until it's cohesive.

At this point you can pat the dough into a 10 inch circle and cut into wedges, or alternatively, pat into a square about an inch thick and use a bisquit cutter, cut out round scones.

Brush the scones with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake for 7 minutes, then turn the oven off and without opening the oven door, let the scones remain in the oven for 8-10 minutes.  (It's important to bake the scones on the middle oven rack.)  Remove the scones from the oven and cool minimally on a rack.

If desired, stir together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl, adding milk just until the glaze will run off a spoon.  Drizzle over warm scones. 

Serve the scones immediately or within a few hours, for best flavor.

This dough lends itself to being made ahead, shaped, and either frozen or refrigerated overnight before baking.  For frozen scones, add 2 minutes to the baking time before you turn the oven off.

Apricot-Orange Marmalade

“I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.”

~D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)

I went to Florida recently with marmalade on the brain and a mission to find some Seville oranges, since after much research, they kept popping up as the orange of choice for good marmalade.  David Lebovitz's recipe, and blog comments were very helpful as I started looking into methods.  I didn't use his recipe, but his and the readers comments came to mind and were helpful when I was developing my own.  Marmalade holds a nostalgic place in my heart since it was the very first preserve I ever made, at around 13 years old.  The second was apricot, so I wanted to combine the two.  The result was an intensely flavored, not overly sweet, tangy and lusciously orange marmalade that was NOT BITTER!  

From what I read, the English prefer their marmalade bitter, but I don't, so I went to pains to remove the pith (root of bitterness) from the rind before I sliced it up.  You can leave it on if you prefer.  

I never did find Seville oranges in Florida.  They are grown in Spain, but I thought I might find them in the Citrus state.  Nope.  I even tried an orange farm warehouse.  After more research, I settled on using the readily available (in Florida) Valencia oranges.  I'm so happy with the results that going forward, I wouldn't bother trying anything else.  I made this two weeks ago.  It's best if you let it sit for a week.  Well, I gave a jar to my mother and she called today to say it was "absolutely fabulous!"  Woo-hoo!

If you would like to make this, but have never made preserves, I suggest you pick up a good book on canning.  My favorite is 250 Home Preserving Favorites.  Concise, easy, and all the recipes are for small batches (4-8 jars).  There is a link to it in my sidebar.  With my recipe, you need to start the day before.  It breaks up the work, and gives the natural pectin longer to do it's thing.

Apricot-Orange Marmalade

Cheesecloth

Kitchen string

5 Valencia oranges

6 ounces dried apricots

1 lemon

granulated sugar

water

pinch salt

dot of butter

2 tablespoons scotch, Grand Marnier or Cointreau

Makes about 6 8-ounce jars.

Day before:

1. Place the dried apricots in 2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, simmer 20 mins then let sit for 40.  Pulse in a food processor until chopped chunky.

2. Cut oranges in half and squeeze out the juice.  Remove seeds and place in a square of several layers of cheesecloth.  Cut oranges in half again.  Scrape membranes from peels and add to cheesecloth; tie with string.  

Scrape as much of the white pith off the peel as possible.  Slice peel sliver-thin. I found the peels from 4 oranges was enough.

3. Zest and juice the lemon.  Add seeds to cheesecloth bag.

4. Measure combined volume of juices, peel and apricot mixture. Add half as much water.  For instance...if the combined amount of fruit mixture is 8 cups, then add 4 cups water.  Place in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan, such as a Le Creuset.  Place a cheesecloth bag in center of pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally and squeezing cheesecloth bag several times, for about 2 hours or until peel is very soft.  Cover and let sit overnight.

Next Day:

5. Measure the peel and liquid, squeezing cheesecloth bag; discard bag.  Stir in 3/4 the volume in sugar.  For instance, if there is 4 cuts fruit mix, then add 3 cups sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.  Add a dot of butter (to reduce foam).  Boil rapidly, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until marmalade thickens or reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Test for setting point. 
If you do not have a candy thermometer, use the cold-saucer test: Remove the pan from the heat and place a spoonful of hot jam on a chilled plate. Place in the freezer for 1 minute; draw a finger through the jam on the saucer. If the jam does not flow back and fill in the path, it is thick enough. If, after 25 minutes it has not set, stir in 1 tablespoon dry instant fruit pectin.

6. Remove from heat and stir for 5 to 8 minutes to prevent floating rind.  At this time, stir in the scotch, if desired.

7. Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of rim; wipe rims.  Apply prepared lids and rings; tighten rings just until fingertip-tight.

8. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.  Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let rest at room temperature until set.  Check seals; refrigerate any unsealed jars for up to 3 weeks.  It's best if you let it sit for a week.

Cottage Pie and a Cookbook Giveaway Winner!

"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle."

~Irish Saying

I had big plans for March.  You know, the cookbook giveaway, lots of Irish cooking and blog posts.  I was really going to have fun with it, but sometimes life has a way of interfering with the blog.  Oh yes, and then last week Scott and I went to Florida.  Now that's some good interference.

Cottage pie is something I've been making forever.  For many years I just whipped it up with no recipe, using whatever I had around.  It is, after-all, a meal of economy.  Well, about two years ago we sat down to eat it and just looked at each other and said "Whooaaa."  It was remarkably better than usual, so I immediately wrote down everything I did.  And there you have it!  If you're looking at this saying to yourself, wait a second, isn't that Shepherd's pie?  No.  No, it's not.  But here in the U.S., folks are in the habit of calling it that.  Shepherd's pie, as the name implies, is traditionally made with lamb, whereas cottage pie is made with beef.  Whatever you call it, call it GOOD!

Oh yes, The Country Cooking of IRELAND cookbook giveaway.  I didn't forget.
AND THE WINNER IS: The wonderful @CoastalKate! Kate's winning entry was a tweet!  The book is in the mail, Kate.  You should get it by Monday!

Cottage Pie


Mashed potato topping:
6 small fist size potatoes, peeled and cut in half
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (optional)


Beef filling:
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (should equal about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (should equal about 1/2 cup)
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) beef consommé 
1 cup frozen peas
1 packet Lipton (dry) onion/mushroom soup mix
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese


Boil potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes until tender if poked through with a knife.  Drain.  Add remaining ingredients and whip with electric beaters until fluffy.  Set aside.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high and saute onion and carrots for a couple minutes.  Add ground beef and cook, breaking apart clumps, until thoroughly browned.  If there is fat, drain it off.  Add beef consommé, peas, soup mix, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard and stir.  Pour into a buttered casserole or large pie plate. Top with mashed potatoes and score with a fork.  Bake 30 minutes.  Top with remaining cheddar if desired and return to oven just until cheese melts (5-10 mins).

Rye-Onion Rolls AND Slow-Cooker Corned Beef, Finished with a Mustard Glaze.

  "Anytime a person goes into a delicatessen and orders a pastrami on white bread, somewhere a Jew dies."

~Milton Berle

In true stereotypical fashion, I absolutely LOVE corned beef (and cabbage for that matter), but let's face it, it's not glamorous.  In fact, you could probably run over it with your car a few times and leave it in the yard for  a week, and it would still come out tasty.  

You simply have a lot of leeway with it, as far as cooking time, unlike a prime rib which could be ruined by 15" too many in the oven.  Everyone seems to have their own favorite way to prepare it and I'll share mine with you (bottom of post), but what I'm REALLY excited about is these rye-onion rolls to serve with it, or for sandwiches with the leftovers.  I was going to bake some straight-up seeded rye, but when I picked up the  bag of Hodgson's Mill rye flour, there was a recipe for onion-rye dinner rolls.  I tweaked it some and included instructions to form knots, because the recipe said only "cut rope into 1 1/2 inch pieces and shape into buns."  Hmmmmm, I guess you could do whatever you want with those pieces, but I'm giving you the knot-making method from The Breadbaker's Apprentice, which forms a very appealing bun.  It's easy!

As they were baking, the aroma emanating from kitchen was simply intoxicating.  After school, Audrey had one.  In-between bites, she was mumbling appreciatory adjectives, and then stated "OMG Mom, that was so amazing, I have to have another one!" 

Holders for corned beef, pastrami, ham or hamburgers, warm from the oven, or toasted with butter, these rolls may have bumped bagels from the top of my Toasted Treats list.  And as an added bonus, they are nutritious, the rye flour being whole grain, and just a touch of honey in the recipe.

And remember, from now until St. Patrick's Day, simply comment on any post for an entry to win The Country Cooking of IRELAND!

Rye-Onion Rolls

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

2 pkg active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3 cups white flour

2 tablespoons caraway seeds

6 tablespoons minced onion

1 - 1 1/4 cups rye flour

1 egg

2 teaspoons water

1 tablespoon poppy seeds 

Scald milk; combine it in mixing bowl with honey, salt, and butter.  Stir well; cool to lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water; combine with milk mixture.  Add white flour and beat vigorously 1 minute.  Add caraway seeds, onion, and enough rye flour so dough is firm enough to knead.  Turn dough onto floured surface; knead 8 minutes.

Place in oiled bowl, turning once to coat evenly.  

Cover and let rise in warm place until dough is doubled (one hour).

Punch down dough, cut in half and roll each half by hand into a long rope about 1 1/2 inches think.

Cut each rope into 6 3-inch pieces.

Roll each piece into a rope about 12 inches long.

Tie rope into a knot, leaving the ends hanging out a little.

Tuck top end (on right in photo) underneath and bottom end (sticking out on left) over top and into hole in middle of roll.

Place 2 inches apart on an oiled baking sheet (or on parchment paper).  Cover with towel and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Beat the egg with water and brush the tops of the buns.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until nicely browned.  Yield: 12 rolls.

My Favorite Way to Cook Corned Beef:

In the slow-cooker all day, then finished in the oven with a glaze. The glaze recipe comes from my Sister-n-law, Joy Murphy.

3-4 lb. corned beef

water

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

a few peppercorns

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed (or, if your corned beef comes with pickling spices, throw them in)

1 head cabbage, cut into 6 wedges.

Place corned beef in slow cooking pot.  Barely cover with water.  Add the rest of the ingredients, excluding cabbage.  Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours.  Turn to high for the last two hours, adding cabbage for the last half hour.  Remove corned beef and place on a baking sheet.  Leave cabbage in slow cooker, covered, while you glaze the corned beef.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small saucepan, mix together:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup mustard

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat on medium-high until sugar melts.  Remove from heat.  Pour glaze over corned beef and use a brush to cover all surfaces.  Bake 30 minutes, brushing with glaze occasionally.

Serves 4.  Serve with rye-onion rolls, cabbage wedges and boiling potatoes (cooked separately).

Leek Pie

“If Leekes you like, but do their smell dis-like, Eat Onyons, and you shall not smell the Leeke; If you of Onyons would the scent expell, Eat Garlicke, that shall drowne the Onyons' smell.”

~Dr. William Kitchiner(1775-1827) , The Cook's Oracle (1817)

I love leeks.  They remind me of spring.  Cutting them up reveals a spectrum of fresh shades of green hidden inside.  I considered adding some bacon to this pie, since I had some that I wanted to use up.  I'm glad I didn't.  The subtle flavor of the leek was just perfect starring all alone in the creamy base.  The Gruyère didn't  overpower the leeks, but the bacon would have.  

This is a sample recipe from The Country Cooking of IRELAND, the book that I'll be shipping to one lucky winner at the end of the month.  You need only comment for an entry.  The leek pie is the creation of Kevin Driver, the chef at Kelly's Resort Hotel and Spa on the Sea in Rosslare, County Wexford.  

I halved the recipe, since there was only Scott and I around for dinner last night, but I'll give it to you the way it was presented.  It says it will serve 6, but we had no problem polishing off the half-size pie.

We LOVED it and I'll be making it again soon.  It was easy, too.  Pepperidge Farm frozen puffed pastry never disappoints.  

Leek Pie

3 tablespoons of flour

3/4 cup butter, softened

4 cups chopped leeks (about 4, whites only)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 lb of Gruyère cheese, grated

1 1/2 lbs of puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a very small bowl, work flour into 1/3 of the butter, using a fork, creating a Beurre Manié.  Melt remaining butter and add the leeks.  Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the Beurre Manié and cream and bring to a boil, stirring.  Remove from heat to cool.  When it is at room temperature, stir in the cheese.  Cut two 10 inch disks from the dough.  Put one on a cookie sheet, brush some egg over the surface.  Pile leek mixture in the middle and spread to within a 1/2" of the edge.  Tope with remaining disk.  Press edges together and crimp to seal.  Brush all over with beaten egg and then cut a few X's in the top.

Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and cook for 20 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.  Serves 6.

Rustic Blackberry Tarts

"O, blackberry tart, with berries as big as your thumb, purple and black, and thick with juice, and a crust to endear them that will go to cream in your mouth, and both passing down with such a taste that will make you close your eyes and wish you might live forever in the wideness of that rich moment."

~Richard Llewllyn (How Green Was My Valley)

This month I am celebrating my Irish heritage and posting only Irish recipes.  This one goes back to my childhood personally, but hundreds of years historically.  

Blackberry brambles are one of the most familiar bushes in Ireland. They have been growing in Europe for thousands of years.  Their long rambling stems arch over walls and clamber along hedgerows, armed with prickly thorns that take root wherever they touch the ground. Their prevalence allows for thrift, so it is no wonder they are popular in jams, chutney, compote, crumbles, pies and tarts!  Very often they are mixed with apples, although I prefer them on their own.  These little tarts left a taste imprint I've never forgotten.  Simple and wholesome.  I also make very pretty refined tarts with a cheesecake-like filling and perfect glazed berries standing like soldiers around the edge.  They make a pretty picture, but it is these humble free-form tarts of my childhood that I crave.   

My grandmother Murphy had a nice grove of blackberry bushes where we would pick on an August day.  They were so prolific, we could fill baskets in no time.  She warned me that we need to sing while we pick to scare the snakes away!  

This was she and I after a strawberry picking outing, but you get the picture.  Only women of a certain generation will remember that Dorothy Hammil haircut I'm sporting.

Her blackberry jelly was my favorite.   For trips to the beach, she would always pack peanut butter and blackberry jelly sandwiches.  They tasted like heaven to me.  I have yet to find a source for a good blackberry jelly or jam that tastes like hers.  I'll be putting some up this summer.

The tarts I made at home with my mother.  Little free-form tarts because the wild berries I would pick in the neighborhood would only yield one or two cups at a time.  Never enough for a whole pie, but you could get a couple delicious tarts out of them.  You can use little tart shells or ramekins, but I prefer the free form shallow tart shell.  You could also double the recipe and make a straight-up, two-crust blackberry pie, or double the filling only and make a one-crust blackberry pie.  For an additional twist, add crumble topping to it!  If you make the free form little tarts, don't get hung up on the looks, they just need to stand up enough on the sides to hold the filling in.

Be sure to leave a comment and receive an entry in the drawing for the lovely cookbook, The Country Cooking of IRELAND!

See previous post (Easy Irish Soda Bread) for details.

Rustic Blackberry Tarts

Blackberry Filling:

2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour.

1 tablespoon butter, divided

2 tablespoons blackberry or raspberry jam, heated until it melts

Flaky Pastry:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup cold Crisco

6 tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

In a medium bowl, toss blackberries with sugar and flour.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt.  Add Crisco, and with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in Crisco until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle on ice water, one tablespoon at a time while tossing mixture up from the bottom with a fork.  With your hands, gather the dough to form a ball.  Place on a lightly floured cutting board and press into a square about 5x5 inches.  Sprinkle with flour, then roll into 14x14 (approx) square.  Cut down the middle horizontally and vertically to create 4 squares of dough.  Place a square on a cookie sheet.  Using a half cup measure, scoop a slightly heaping measure of berries, scooping down to the bottom of the bowl to make sure you get enough sugar and flour.  Carefully mound in the center of dough square.  Bring together two corners (as if to fold a sheet) and pinch from the fold (resting on the cookie sheet) halfway up, folding over and pinching again, so it holds.  Let the little point flop over informally.  Repeat for the remaining three corners.

Dot tarts with butter.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until filling is bubbling.  If crust starts to brown too quickly, lay a piece of aluminum foil  lightly over the tarts.  When they're done, brush with melted jam.  Serve warm with whipped cream, clotted cream or vanilla ice cream!