Something Tasty: Lemon Curd with Guest Blogger Chef Jen

For your Daily Dose of Something Tasty, we have a guest blogger: Chef Jen! Chef Jen and I became fast friends upon my return to Olympia. (Mostly because she is a fabulously fun and considerate person.) She has the skills and ease in the kitchen that make her get-togethers not to be missed, for the food, presentation, and most of all the company. Today, she is going to show us how to make lemon curd. Yummy!



Chef Jen says: I feel very honored to be asked by my proprietress friend, Miss Amy Evans, to "guest" blog on her cool website, Bon Lemon...I will admit the pressure got to me a little and I had a bit of a block, but in the end the lemons inspired me! I have made a quick and easy lemon curd from one of my favorite cookbook authors and chef's, Alice Waters. This recipe comes from her fabulous and informative book "The Art of Simple Food." I highly recommend the cookbook, it has wonderful recipes but also great instruction about many cooking techniques which tends to help inspire me.



The recipe is as follows:

4 lemons, grated for zest and juiced (about 1/2 cup juice)
2 eggs, room temp
3 eggs yolks, room temp
2 T milk, (I used whole milk)
1/2 C super fine sugar
1/4 t salt
6 T unsalted butter, cold and cut up



Zest and juice the lemons, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, add your eggs, yolks, milk, sugar and salt. Beat until all is incorporated then mix in lemon juice and place in a medium heavy bottom, non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken then add the butter until melted, KEEP STIRRING, DO NOT let it boil. When curd is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, pour in a jar or small bowl and let cool completely before storing in the fridge. Will keep up to two weeks.



I love this recipe because I have usually only made recipes that require a double boiler and this does not. Simplifies the recipe and less dishes, awesome!



*A cook's note...I love having this in the fridge. Put it on ice cream for a quick dessert, dip with shortbread cookies or biscotti, on top of fresh berries! This particular time, I added it to homemade vanilla frozen yogurt and it gave the yogurt the most luxurious flavor, yum! Or play around and invent a new use for good ol' lemon curd, it really is delicious! Plus the beautiful lemon color will give you a little smile!



So, when life gives you lemons... make some lemon curd. Enjoy!



Thanks, Chef Jen. Can't wait to try it out!

Bagels on the Boat

One of the best things (and there are many) about joining 6 Par Farmer's family at their lake house is the array of wonderful food. 6 Par's sister is a fantastic cook, recipe developer, and food writer. We often find ourselves enjoying meals that will later appear in newspapers and magazine. Spoiled!



This morning was "Bagels on the Boat." Fresh herbed cream cheeses, smoked salmon, bacon, turkey, avocado, cucumbers, chives, sunflower seeds, melon skewers, mini bagels, and a little morning bubbly. (Are you drooling yet?)



All of this, plus being out on the boat in calm waters. Like I said, spoiled!



Here is the chef herself and our trusty captain.



And the lucky guests.



Enjoying some morning sunshine.



And each other. I can't think of anything better.

Halibut Recipe. Mmm...

6 Par Farmer's sister is a wonderful cook. She is also an excellent writer and recipe developer. (And fabulous and fun. Love her!) She currently writes a weekly column for the Great Falls Tribune focused on cooking. Today, she wrote about fish. One of the things I like about her column is it teaches you how/where to grocery shop. This article talked about flash-frozen fish and where to buy it.

In Washington, we are lucky to have truly fresh fish available. My parents and I decided to try her almond and panko crusted halibut recipe. The unanimous verdict: DELICIOUS! (And served with the chard, it is almost paleo.) If you need a quick, delicious, recipe this week, check it out.

http://sydnegeorge.com/fresh-is-best-when-it-comes-to-fish/

I am Thankful For... Onion + Thyme Butter Buns

I am thankful for all of the people I spent Thanksgiving with: the parents who raised me and continue to teach me more about life than anybody I know, the sister I used to fight with and can't live without, the baby in her belly who will soon to grow up to be the coolest person ever, my always-down-for-whatever brother in law, my brother in law's sweet mother and fun father, 6 Par Farmer, Grandma Cookie, Dolce Vita Evans and Kenzie Kovarik, and lastly Sister A (not my real sister, but my sister's sister in law, whom I like to call sister, because she is fab.)

Sister A is multi-talented. She makes cheese balls and flower arrangements. She travels around the globe (and, apparently, is always getting upgraded to first class. Insert profanity.). And she has a dry sense of humor I have always wished I could replicate, but, instead, I just admire.

Tonight, our Thanksgiving feast was all very tasty, as we spent the holiday with sister's mother in law (there has to be a better way to refer to these "relatives") who is a gourmet cook. It is hard to pick just one dish to focus on, but Sister A (who is super hip and chic) was reading the recipe for her Onion and Thyme Butter Buns on her IPad. It caught my eye, because it was on a great blog and had some fantastic photographs. So, for your cooking pleasure, I highly recommend this delicious bread complete with pearl onions and fresh thyme. Mmm...

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/11/in-the-kitchen-with-nikole-herriotts-butter-buns.html

Happy Thanksgiving!