Lemon Curd

So last month my book club met and discussed the book The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. Typically we just have light snacks, but as I didn’t have to work due to the quarantine, I decided I would do a little tea party.

In the book our book club had been reading, The Secret Adversary, the two main characters go to tea a few times at Lyons Tea Cafe. I originally wanted to try to make something like the tea shop would have, but then my coworker gave me a whole box of Meyer’s Lemons.

I need to find some recipes.

So instead we had egg salad sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, french fries (pommes pont neuf), Scottish Oat scones, lemon curd, lemon crinkle cookies, and meyer lemon poppyseed cake. Instead of putting all the recipes in one post and making it too long, I decided to break it up and share each recipe separately so that if interested, you can make your own and eat it with a cup of tea and some Jane Austen.

This recipe comes from Epicurious.com and I picked it for my first attempt at lemon curd as it used the whole eggs not just the egg yolks.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup of Meyer’s Lemon Juice
• 2 Teaspoons of Finely Grated Fresh Lemon Zest
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs
• 3/4 Stick (6 Tablespoons) of Butter

Directions:

1. Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2 quart heavy saucepan.
2. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 mins.
3. Transfer lemon curd to bowl and cover with plastic.
4. Chill until cold, about 1 hour.

This came out horribly!

Everything looked fine, but when I took it out of the fridge an hour later-it had separated into two parts. I poured it into a jar and tried to mix it up, but then it came out very liquidy-and when you spooned a bit on the scones it just soaked into them instead of garnishing them.

I will never make this recipe again.

For more lemon recipes, go to Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies

For more recipes, go to Scottish Oat Scones

For more tea parties, go to Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Ginger Cardamom Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies

So the last week my book club met and discussed the book The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. Typically we just have light snacks, but as I didn’t have to work due to the quarantine, I decided I would do a little tea party.

In the book, The Secret Adversary, the two main characters go to tea a few times at Lyons Tea Cafe. I originally wanted to try to make something like the tea shop would have, but then my coworker gave me a whole box of Meyer’s Lemons.

What am I going to do with all these?

So instead we had egg salad sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, french fries (pommes pont neuf), Scottish Oat scones, lemon curd, lemon crinkle cookies, and meyer lemon poppyseed cake. Instead of putting all the recipes in one post and making it too long, I decided to break it up and share each recipe separately so that if interested, you can make your own and eat it with a cup of tea and some Jane Austen.

And eat cookies!

This recipe comes from Pineapple & Coconut. 

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 Cups + 2 Tbsps of Flour
• 1.5 Tsp of Ground Ginger
• 1.5 Tsp of Cardamom
• 2 Tsp of Baking Powder
• 3/4 Tsp of Salt
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 4 Tbsp of Meyer Lemon’s Zest
• 10 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tbsp of Meyer Lemon’s Juice

Topping:

• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Cup of Powdered Sugar (Confectioners Sugar)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cardamom, ginger, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl combine sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest between your fingers until it is fully mixed in with the sugar.
3. Cream butter and sugar-zest mixture together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 mins.
4. Add eggs in one at a tim, mixing well.
5. Add in vanilla extract and lemon juice, and mix again.
6. Add flour and mix slowly until combined, do not over mix.
7. Chill dough 3-4 hours.
8. Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.
9. Place the sugar in one bowl and powdered sugar in the other.
10. Take the chilled dough and roll into 1.5 Tbsp sized balls.
11. Roll in sugar first, then roll in powdered sugar-making sure it is completely covered.
12. Place dough on prepared sheets about two inches apart.
13. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden.

These cookies were delicious!

I could not stop eating them!

No, stop! Alright.

If you like lemon and cookies, you should defintely make these!

And proper quarantine masks.

For more cookie recipes, go to Crispy, Chewy, Matcha Green Tea Cookies

For more recipes, go to Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Cake

For more tea parties, go to Literary Tea Parties

Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Cake

So the last Monday of the month our book club meets to discuss the book we have been reading. I used to have Mondays off and we would go out after the other book club members got off, but my job changed and we now meet after I get off at 5. Typically we just have light snacks, but as this Monday I didn’t have to work due to the quarantine, I decided I would do a little tea party.

The book we had just finished reading wasThe Secret Adversary, and the two main characters go to tea a few times at Lyons Tea Cafe. The book is set in 1921, and I tried to find a menu of the time but couldn’t.

I did find one from 1913 which did included pommes pont neuf and a few other things. I had decided what to make when my coworker gave me a whole box of Meyer’s Lemons.

That’s not good.

We had been talking about the lemons as I shared I wanted to try making lemon curd, as I have more free time, but I thought she was just going to give me one or two, not a box full.

Uh oh

So instead of what sweets I planned to make, we were doing a lemon theme.

So we had egg salad sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, french fries (pommes pont neuf), Scottish Oat scones, lemon curd, lemon crinkle cookies, and meyer lemon poppyseed cake. And we all had a wonderful time talking about our book, snacking, and drinking tea.

After all:

I had planned to share each recipe with you, starting with the scones, but then Marnie Cannon on instagram asked about the cake recipe, so instead we will be starting with that. But I will still share the others throughout the month. If any interest you, I encourage you to try them out.

This recipe comes from Browned Butter Blondie.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup of Butter at Room Temperature
• 1 Cup + 1 Tbsp of Sugar
• 3 Large Eggs at Room Temperature
• 1.5 Tbsps of Lemon Zest
• 2 Tbsps of Lemon Juice
• 1.5 Tsp of Vanilla
• 1.5 Cups + 2 Tbsp of Flour
• 1/2 Tsp of Salt
• 1/4 Tsp of Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp of Baking Powder
• 1.5 Tbsp of Poppyseeds
• 1/2 Cup of Plain Greek Yogurt at Room Temperature

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Confectioner’s Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
• 3-4 Tbsps of Whole Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the ovem to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9 x 4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
4. Use an electric mixer to beat the sugar and butter together.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each egg.
6. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
7. With the mixer on low add some of the flour mixture, and mix.
8. Then add the yogurt and mix. Repeat alternating between flour mixture and yogurt.
9. Remove from mixer and mix in poppyseeds, but just until they are incorporated. Do not overmix.
10. Pour batter into pan and cook for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
11. Remove from oven and cool for 10 mins.
12. While cake is cooling, whisk confectioner’s sugar and milk together.
13. While cake is warm, spoon the glaze over the top.
14. Sprinkle with poppyseeds if desired.

This was extremely delicious! If you like lemon and lemon cake I suggest you try it out for yourself.

For more recipes, go to Irish Soda Bread

For more desserts, go to Crispy, Chewy, Matcha Green Tea Cookies

For more tea parties, go to Literary Tea Parties