Monday, October 16, 2006

Lemon Day

If there's an effort worth doing it's definitely squeezing lemons. For me, lemon represents anything sunny and clean and refreshing. It lights up food from breads to calamaris. And if life hands me lemon, well, I'll make lemon curd! This being one of my most favorite fillings and something I got to always have on hand. They keep very well and gives a bright flavor to jellyrolls and meringues.
Making them is fairly simple. The mis en place contains egg yolks for that rich custard-y texture, thickener, a little bit of sugar and lemon juice. They're made with the same method as vanilla custards, but because of their acidic characteristic, they're not prone to quick rancidity as how vanilla custards are.
This is one of those cakes that is good enough eaten on its own. The flavor gives enough satisfaction and the texture has a certain bite to it, making it a substantial piece of loaf. Adorning it with fillings and cream is incongruous with the integrity of the loaf, masking the flavor and textural enchantment, making it overly rich and heavy. I enjoy it the most after meals, when its sharp flavor cleanses the palate while giving me my dose of dessert.

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