Carrying on the Lemon theme, I wanted to use up a few leftover goodies from this week. I decided to make this simple but yummy frozen dessert.

I used a 1 litre loaf tin, double lined it with Clingfilm making sure I had enough hanging over to fold over the top. I had some leftover Madeira cake, I sliced 3 1cm pieces & lined the base of the tin, I poured over some homemade Limoncello onto the sponge cake, you can of course use any liqueur you wish but I was looking for a lemon taste. I mixed 300ml of Mascarpone with 2 tablespoons of icing sugar in a bowl, you can use double cream whipped up with the icing sugar, but unfortunately I cannot get fresh double cream here in France. Please adjust the sweetness to your own preference. I added the juice of a lemon & its zest to keep the citrus theme going. Spread 2/3^rd of the cream over the sponge, on top of this I spread a generous layer of Lemon curd (look at my last Blog for recipe). I had 2 meringue shells needing used up, so I crumbled them over the lemon curd. Finally top it all off with the remaining cream. Use a skewer to swirl through the mix then fold over the overlapping Clingfilm & place in the freezer for 24 hours.

To serve turn the tin out onto a plate about 10 minutes before eating, remove the Clingfilm spoon over any fruit you have available – Bon Appetite

One of my favourite food ingredients is lemons, I love their zingy taste, and they help liven almost any dish. I start my day with a glass of hot water 2 slices of lemon, its cleansing effect is very beneficial to the kidneys & aids as a flush through. When I have a cold I add a spoonful of honey, & during the winter months a slice of root ginger along with the lemon is an additional tonic for the liver.

Recently I came across a brilliant recipe for a Microwave version of Lemon curd. Courtesy of a fellow Blogger Kirstin Bousing. At first I had my doubts, its so simple & very quick; however it proved to be a really great way to make this very useful conserve.

Method:

In a large Pyrex bowl whisk 3 eggs & 2 egg yolks, add 160g caster sugar, the rind of 1 lemon, 160ml lemon juice, 125g diced butter, microwave uncovered (7-10 minutes) 50% power, whisk every minute, meanwhile warm 2 jam jars to sterilize. When the Lemon curd has thickened pour it into the warm jars. Once the conserve is cold keep it in the fridge. I promise you once you have tried this method you’ll never make it any other way.

Finally winter is arriving here at www.chateauperroterie.com. The days are shorter and the blue skies have disappeared. In my kitchen it is cosy and warm, time I think to make some soup.

A quick look into my freezer and I spot some simple carrot soup – perfect. Once it defrosts I can add to it, and today that will be garlic, ginger, honey, and a dash of coconut cream. The colour is amazing, and the health properties of this both is awesome. 

New Year greetings to all our clients & friends from Chateau Perroterie.

This year we spent Christmas in the UK with our family, we decided to drive over & make a few overnight stops en route, breaking up the journey & giving us a chance to see parts of France we haven’t yet visited. Our car was packed with so much wine & food goodies (2 particular cheeses could perhaps have been left behind - Pooo!) there was barely room for presents! Our two little grandsons are at the perfect age, & they really embraced the magic & excitement that only children can truly experience.

Now we are home & enjoying the continued mild winter, so no excuse for putting off all those outdoor jobs. This is our busiest time for enquiries & bookings, & they have been flooding in, 2012 is already a huge success & we can’t wait to meet all our new clients & of course welcome back our clients who are returning for a second & in some cases third time.

Whilst John is busy outdoors, I am busy in my lovely cosy kitchen cooking & testing out new recipes for this year. My biggest challenge is to come up with new ideas especially for our vegetarian guests. France has not grasped the concept of vegetarian cuisine, so I am doing my best to be creative with what is available & more importantly in season between April – October. I hope my efforts will be enjoyed by all my non meat eaters, only time will tell.