John And Elana Talk About Food: Summer 2011

When life gives you lemons, make:

LIMONCELLO

Sweeten things up with

LEMONSUGAR&LEMONCURD

Sink your teeth into:

LEMONPOPPYSEED

MUFFINS

&JOHN ELANATA L K A B O U T F O O D

S U M M E R 2 01 1

Standing around like a lemon?The lemon has been abused in the English language. In the above usage, it means someone or something that is idle, useless or perhaps faulty (as in, “that used car salesman just sold me a lemon”).

Why are we so down on the lemon? In food at least, I find it indispensable. A little lemon and herb mixture can turn a whole chicken or fish filet into a flavorful feast.

But let’s think outside the entrée. Here, we have collected our lemon-related recipes for our first ever digital mini-issue. We bring you lemon sugars, beverages and muffins. Not to mention an actual curd. Yup, a curd.

So bust out those peelers, knives and food processors and pucker up for a very citrusy ride.

Remove the zest from 3 lemons

Place the zest in a food processor and add 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Pulse until the zest is evenly distributed

Add another 1/2 cup sugar and pulse until the zest is finely ground

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months

Makes about 1 cup

* Recipe from William-Sonoma Muffins Cookbook

LemonPOPPY SEED

M U F F I N SWhat You Need:1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

2/3 cup lemon sugar

2 large eggs, separated

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Grated zest of two lemons

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 10 standard muffin cups with butter or non-stick spray or line with paper cup liners. I like using those silicone muffin molds.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed (or you can use a food processor), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, lemon zest and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk, then the lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

In a large bowl, using the mixer with CLEAN beaters, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks (which means they will curl over at the top and form a “wave”).

Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the batter until blended.

Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling them 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with some lemon sugar.

Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch – 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should come out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Serve (with butter or lemon curd).

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I don’t own a wire rack, so I remove one of my oven racks and use that instead.

* Recipe from William-Sonoma Muffins Cookbook

7 - 10 large lemons • 1 quart vodka • 3 cups sugar 5 cups water • 2 large bowls or containers

colander or strainer • bottle with stopper • peeler

WHAT YOU NEED

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Day 1:• Peel the lemons (don’t get too much of the

bitter white “pith” in the peels).• Put the peels in a bowl.• Pour the 1 quart of vodka over them.• Cover and refrigerate for 7 days.

Day 6:• Bring 5 cups water to a boil.• Add 3 cups sugar to boiling water.• Reduce heat, stir and let sugar dissolve• Let the mixture stand, covered at room

temperature over night.

Day 7:• Remove the vodka and lemon peels from the fridge.• Pour the mixture through a strainer and into a large

container to remove the lemon peels.• Pour the simple syrup into the vodka and

lemon peel mixture.• Stir to combine.• Transfer the finished limoncello to a bottle

of your choice and chill.

You should always serve limoncello cold.This bottle will be drinkable for the next 2 years or so.

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In lieu of loosening the belt buckle a notch, aid your digestion with some sweet, Italian liquor. Pinky raising optional.

Sonow you’ve got all this limoncello lying around. You could drink it all. OR you could drink MOST of it, and save some for this dish. I think you’ll be happy you did. This is the lemony creamsicle of pastas. Simple, fresh and lightly creamy, it’s a perfect summer pasta. Throw together an arugula and watermelon salad and you have yourself a garden party.

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What To Do:Grate your lemon zest and set aside.

Set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta. Once the water is boiling, season it with salt and add in your pasta. Cook according to package instructions (Al denté)!

Heat the heavy cream in a large saucepan with a few turns from the freshly ground pepper mill for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Stir occasionally so that the cream does not boil.

Add in the lemon zest and stir to combine.

Drain your cooked spaghetti and add the pasta to the cream sauce (with the heat still on).

Keeping the heat on, pour in the 1/4 cup limoncello. Stir to combine.

Transfer to a large serving dish. Grate Parmesan cheese over the top and add some chopped fresh parsley.

Serve!

What You Need:1 pint heavy cream

1/4 cup limoncello1 lb (box) thick spaghettiZest of two lemonsSalt and pepperGrated Parmigiano Reggiano cheeseFresh Italian parsley

Variation:1/4 lb cubed pancetta

1 1/2 cups peas (fresh or frozen)

Cook the cubed pancetta in a frying pan (with just a teeny touch of olive oil) over medium heat until it starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes.

While you are cooking your cream, add in the peas with the lemon zest and let them cook in the cream.

Proceed as above, adding in the cooked pancetta at the end.

LemonC U R D

What To Do:Combine the lemon zest, juice, eggs and sugar in a blender or food processor and process for 20 seconds.

With the machine running, drizzle in the melted butter.

Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat.

Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon – about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a small bowl and let cool to room temperature.

Lick the spoon.

Cover and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes 1 1/3 cups.

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Whatever it is you are eating, you should consider putting some of this lemon curd on it. Go on....spread it on there nice and thick. Trust me, it will be better.

Lemon curd is one of those things that isn’t meant to be eaten with a spoon out of the jar, but I (would) do it anyway. It’s sweet and tangy and slightly sour and creamy (hello, butter!), and you want to have all those taste buds fire at the same time, so just go ahead and dip your spoon in...

What You Need:Grated zest of two large lemons

1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice

3 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

* Recipe from William-Sonoma Muffins Cookbook

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The cake pictured is the Barefoot Contessa’s Lemon Angel Food Cake - from a BOX!