Lemon Curd

Happy Easter! Somehow making lemon curd for Easter just felt right. Lemon is just so bright and sunny, it feels like Spring to me. And there is so much you can do with it. Serve it with muffins or scones. Use it as a filling for cakes, tarts, crepes, trifles, parfaits or even aebleskivers. Mix it with mascarpone and serve with fresh berries. Fold in whipped cream to make a lemon mousse. Sandwich some between two cookies (coconut or almond would be nice). Meringue it. And let's not forget my personal favorite, eating it straight with a spoon. Makes you wonder how you ever got along without it!

LEMON CURD

Yield: approx. 2 ¾ cups

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

6 large eggs

1.      In a heavy saucepan cook butter with zest, lemon juice, and sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture just comes to a simmer.

2.      In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs. Whisk in hot lemon mixture until combined well. Return to the pan and heat over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and just begins to simmer.

3.      Pour lemon curd through a fine sieve into a bowl and cool slightly. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill, at least 2 hours (or until cold), and up to 3 days.

from Gourmet Magazine, September 1997

zested lemons

juicing lemons

butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar

lemon mixture simmering

eggs whisked

hot lemon mixture whisked into eggs, then returned to the pan

thickened

covered with plastic wrap (after it cooled for about 20 minutes)

It's good to leave the plastic wrap right up against
the lemon curd, even after it's chilled and you put
the lid back on your container

.

Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

3 boiled dumplings & 3 fried dumplings

If you like ordering dumplings when you go out to a Chinese restaurant, you should consider making them at home. It's fun to do from scratch and discover how they get from the kitchen to your plate. These dumplings can be boiled or fried. Fried is best for eating straight (or with dipping sauce) and boiled is great served in hot chicken broth (like wontons).

SHRIMP AND PORK DUMPLINGS

Yield: about 50 dumplings

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 lb. ground pork

1 cup chopped watercress (can substitute arugula)

1/2 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (16 oz.) package round dumpling (or pot sticker) skins

1.      Place the shrimp in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until ground.

2.      In a large bowl, combine ground shrimp, pork, watercress, water chestnuts, scallions, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, white pepper and salt; mix together well.

3.      Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling onto each dumpling skin. Slightly wet the edge of the dumpling skin, fold over and pinch with your fingers to form a seal all the way around.

4.      To cook: Pan fry the dumplings in a large skillet over medium heat with oil for 15 minutes, turning over halfway through (or place them in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes; drain and serve).

adapted from Vivian Lee

whole shrimp

pureed shrimp

chopped scallions

I couldn't find any watercress, so I substituted baby arugula.

filling ingredients ready to mix

I think these would be just as good with all shrimp and no pork.

filling mixed

filling on dumpling wrapper

folding dumpling

sealing dumpling

I crimped the edges with a fork on about half the dumplings
(an experiment to see whether the seal would be better that way).
Turns out it doesn't matter (they all held together beautifully).

sealed dumplings (without crimping)

dumplings before frying/boiling

dumplings frying (some flipped)

It doesn't take much oil, just coat the pan about 1/4-inch deep

fried dumplings

I made a dipping sauce with low-sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar,
chopped scallions, minced garlic, minced ginger and a touch of
sesame oil. I didn't measure the amounts--just add ingredients to taste.

dumplings boiling

.

Cider Vinaigrette

This is a basic vinaigrette, made with apple cider vinegar and sweetened with frozen apple juice concentrate. You can switch any ingredient in this recipe to suite your taste. Use a different oil, vinegar, sweetener or spices. Add mustard or garlic. Go nuts. (Mmm, nuts.)

CIDER VINAIGRETTE

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (or canola oil)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 tablespoons minced red onion

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste.

slightly adapted from Bon Appétit, November 2001

Measuring only 1 1/2", I think I may have
found the world's cutest little red onion.

chopped

vinaigrette mixed

salad ready to dress and toss

.