Sheila's Lemon Curd

Put lemon juice and rind and sugar in bain marie and dissolve the sugar.


- Add the butter and melt that too

- Finally add the beaten eggs to the mixture taking care to stir continuously so that they don’t curdle (and don’t overheat)

- Cook gently stirring continuously for about ten minutes – test by putting a drop on a cold plate (hard to do that in a Mediterranean summer). If it stays on the plate when it is tilted it is done.

- Let the mixture cool only for a minute or two and then pour immediately into prepared jar. Don’t cover or put on lid until it is completely cold – just put a cloth or something over it.

Loris and I certainly had a gourmet holiday.   Here is Sheila's amazing Lemon Curd made on board the She-Cat.

Ingredients:
8 oz caster sugar (this translates to 1 cup sugar)
4 oz. unsalted butter
2-3 large lemons
3 large eggs

Instructions:
Sterilize a 1 pint jar and dry with clean cloth or paper towel and set aside.

Place a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water.  

Prepare lemons -- wash the lemons.  Lemons should be warm. Squeeze with a reamer and strain juice.  Use a lemon zester to remove the rind.  Add sugar, the lemon juice and rind to the bowl and dissolve the sugar.

Melt butter in a small pot and add to the bowl.

Beat the eggs with a whisk in measuring cup. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture taking care to stir continuously so that they don’t curdle (and don’t overheat)

Do not let the mixture boil.   Cook gently stirring continuously for about ten minutes – test by putting a drop on a cold plate (hard to do that in a Mediterranean summer). If it stays on the plate when it is tilted it is done.

Let the mixture cool only for a minute or two and then pour immediately into prepared jar. Don’t cover or put on lid until it is completely cold – just put a cloth or something over it.  

Lobskause Hamburg Stil

This is another German recipe from the Hamburg area served by our host Ulla.  It was traditionally made on ship and boats, obviously because fresh ingredients were not required.  A search of the internet revealed many variations and attributions -- Norway, Liverpool, Lubeck.  

Ingredients:
Potatoes
1 onion, peeled, whole
8-10 juniper berries
8-10 allspice
3-4 bay leaves
vegetable broth
1 can corned beef
1 cup pickled cucumbers
1 cup pickled beets and liquid
S and P (if required)

Instructions:
Boil a pot of potatoes with the onion, spices, and vegetable broth until the potatoes are very soft.  Drain, saving some of the liquid, and remove the spices and onion.   Put the potatoes in a large bowl.
Chop the corned beef, pickles, and beets finely and add them to the potatoes.  Add some beet juice and potato water to thin.   Add enough beet juice to make the dish very dark red. 

Serve with fried eggs.

Duck Breasts with Cardamon Sauce

Loris and I were served this during our stay with German friends, Ulla and Ule, this spring.  It was incredible, by far the best duck recipe I have eaten.  
Last week we tried the recipe at home and it was sensational.  

Polderside duck breasts are fabulous.   You can get them at Famous Foods.   We used frozen duck breasts from Stongs.

The flavourings are a little touchy.   Add slowly and taste as you go.   Hold back on the Grand Marnier and salt but be generous with the cardamon.   You can probably skip the balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts
Olive oil
6 tsp. Ground cardamon
4 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil (highest burn point)
1 cup cream
2 Tbsp. mascarpone
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Scant tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Marinade:
The day before, or at least 2 hours before, score the fat side of the duck breasts in a diamond shape using a sharp knife.
Marinate in a ziploc bag with olive oil, 3 tsp. ground cardamon, and 2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier.
Breasts:
Heat a frying pan on medium, and then add the grapeseed oil.  
Sear the fat side of each breast for 8 minutes, then turn and sear the meat side for 6 minutes.  Don't move the breast in the pan.  Turn the heat down a touch if the breasts start to burn.
Wrap tightly n aluminum foil to keep the juices in.  Wrap the package with a towel to keep warm and rest 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
Sauce:
Pour the fat out of the frying pan.
Heat the pan.
Add the cream and stirt to deglaze the pan.
Strain the sauce through a seive and return to the pan (I didn't bother).
Add mascarpone, 2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, balsamic vinegar, and 3 tsp. ground cardamon. 
Stir and turn down the heat to simmer for a few minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the duck breasts and serve on a platter.
Serve the sauce on the side in a gravy boat.  

Sichuan Pepper Chicken

See /http://www.thechinesesouplady.com/sichuan-pepper/ for a picture. 

Lucky me, Fiona brought me some Sichuan peppercorns direct from China.


Sichuan pepper is not related to black pepper or chili peppers; is very aromatic, woody, slightly spicy; and has very slighty lemony overtones; and is typically used in combination with ginger and star anise and as a base for spicy foods.

Yesterday I invented this Sichuan Pepper Chicken and today I tossed some of the peppers into a mushroom omelet.
 
Any chicken will taste great, but organic chicken tastes better.   If possible, get grass fed chicken as it has a better ratio of omega 6 fats.

Sichuan Pepper Chicken
Ingredients:
6 chicken thighs with bone and skin
Extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
knob of fresh ginger
1 tsp. sel gris (or any sea salt)
1 Tbsp. Sichuan pepper corns
1 Tbsp. Ground coriander
Vegetables such as red pepper, carrots, and parsnip

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put the rack in the middle of the oven.
Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
Rinse and dry the chicken thighs.  The chicken must be dry so the marinade sticks.
Put the chicken on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle generously with olive oil.
Peel 3 garlic cloves and a knob of ginger.   Grate the garlic and ginger onto the chicken.
Sprinkle on the Sichuan pepper and ground coriander onto the chicken.
Using your hands, toss the chicken and other ingredients well.
Arrange chicken skin side up.
Cut the pepper into 1-1/2 inch wide slices.
Cut the ends off the carrots and parsnips and cut into 1/4-inch pieces diagonally.
Add the vegetables around the chicken.   Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Put the chicken and vegetables into the oven for 20 minutes.
Turn the oven to broil for another 10 minutes to brown the chicken.  Watch it to make sure it doesn't burn.
Pierce the chicken near the bone with a sharp paring knife.  If the juices run clear, the chicken is done. 

Potato and Tomato Salad

Here's a nice take on potato salad, using lots of tomatoes, which cuts down on the calories, or a nice take on tomato salad, adding some bulk.  The ratio of half potatoes and half tomatoes works well.   Salads made with oil (not majonnaise or cream dressings) last well in the frig for 3 days. 

Ingredients
8 medium red potatoes
8 medium tomatoes, or cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
zest of one lemon
2 Tbsp. capers
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, cut in half
3 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley
1-2 tsp. sel gris
Freshly ground black pepper
EVOO (the good stuff)

Instructions
Quarter the potatoes, leaving the peel on, put in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer til oil the potato fall off a knife poke into the centre.
Meanwhile, in a medium serving bowl, add the tomatoes cut into 1 inch pieces or halved cherry tomatoes, pitted olives, capers, and lemon zest.
Cut the red onion into quarter and slice finely, and add to the bowl.
Chop the parsley finely and add to the bowl.
Add salt and pepper and at least 1/4 olive oil and stir.
Drain and cool the potatoes.  Cut into 1 inch pieces and add to the bowl.
Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning and oil.  
Serve warm or cold.

Potato Soup

Lately, I have been eating more potatoes, after years of avoiding them.   I think the reason is that there are so many good types and so many good recipes.   It is also nice to eat a carb that has not been processed.  

I made this great soup last week --- very very simple recipe and absolutely delicious.

Tip:  I buy a pound of bacon, then separate the strips into packages of 3-4 slices and freeze.  Then I have just the right amount for numerous recipes or breakfast for one or two.  

Potato Soup

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3-4 slices of bacon
1 large yellow onion
10 or so medium red potatoes
Sel gris
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup cream




Instructions
Heat a dutch oven or soup pot on medium heat.
When the edge is hot to the touch, add olive oil.
Let the oil heat up.
Meanwhile, cut the bacon into lardons (half inch pieces).
Add bacon to the pot and stir occassionally with a wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, cut up the onion into quarters and slice fairly thinly.
Add onion to the pot and saute, stirring now and then.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes (about 1/4 thick), but don't peel.
Add the potatoes, 1 tsp salt, pepper, and cold water to cover.
Bring to a boil, and then turn down and simmer until the vegetables are mushy (about 30 minutes).  
Turn the heat off, add the cream, check seasoning and adjust, stir, and serve.

Harry's Slow Lamb

Harry doesn't even own a recipe book.  But he experiments with herb and spice combinations with great results.   The recipe is loosely based on Laura Calder's French Cooking At Home. 
The leg of lamb came from Famous Foods and was grass fed local lamb.
Use a heavy white wine with this dish.

Ingredients
1 or 2 legs of lamb
Olive oil
Butter
Garlic
1 bunch each of fresh sage, basil, thyme, rosemary
2 fresh bay leaves
12 Juniper berries
1 cup white wine

Instructions
Preheat over to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and place the rack so that your roasting pan with lid will fit in the middle.
In a seasoned cast iron frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat.
Then add 2 cloves chopped garlic, 4 crushed juniper berries, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh  rosemary, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil.  Saute briefly to infuse the butter.  The butter will brown or blacken a bit but that's okay.  
Strain the garlic, berries, and herbs out of the oil with a seive and put the oil back in the pan. 
Add 2 tablespoons butter to the plan and turn the heat up to medium high.  
Rub Greek olive oil all over the lamb (helps make it golden crisp).
Sear the meat sides of the lamb and then the fat sides and remove to a side plate.
Turn the frying pan down to low.  Add 1 cup white wine to the pan to deglaze.
Add 8 juniper berries and 5 tablespoons of roughly chopped fresh herbs.   Cook for a minute or two just to soften.  Crush the berries with your spoon.
Arrange the rest of the fresh herbs in a thick layer to form a rack for the meat on the bottom of a small roasting pan.   Place the leg of lamb on top.  Pour the herb mixture from the frying pan over the meat.
Put the lid on the roasting pan and roast for for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare potatoes, parsnip, carrots, onions, and garlic on a separate baking sheet. Coat with oil, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley.  Put in the oven about 2 hours before the lamb is done.
Check the roast every 90 minutes and add 1/4 cup water if necessary to make sure it remains moist.
Place the meat on a platter and garnish.   The meat will be pull apart tender -- let the guests pull off the meat and serve themselves.
Place vegetables on another platter.  
Pour the liquid (without the herbs) out of the roasting pan into a sauce boat to drizzle over meat and vegetables.