Luscious Lemon Possets

I first heard of lemon possets at Dean’s, the new-ish pubtwist restaurant cleverly installed in SoHo. There we enjoyed a wonderfully modern twist on classic British pub fare, supping on Scotch eggs, perfectly crusted pasties, knockout grilled liver, and lettuces lushly dressed with coronation chicken salad cream. 

When it came time for dessert, I asked about the possets on the menu and was thrilled to learn of the traditional British dessert, similar to a pudding, but also like a tingly lemony curd.

Since our lingering afternoon at Dean’s, I’ve noticed possets trending on a few other New York tables as well—then a recipe for them popped up in the New York Times and I had to share here.

Do enjoy!

Lemon Possets
By Toni Chapman

Yield:10 servings
Ingredients
6 large lemons
2 cups/480 milliliters heavy cream (see Tip)
⅔ cup sugar
Pinch of fine salt
Fresh mint, for garnish

Preparation
Step 1
Halve 5 of the lemons lengthwise. Working over a fine-mesh sieve set in a bowl, scoop out the pulp from each half with a spoon (you can use a knife to help cut around the edges first) and press it through the sieve to extract the juice. Measure out ⅓ cup juice for the possets; save any extra for another use. Set the hollow lemon shells cut-side up on a tray, or nestle them in a muffin tin so they do not tip in the fridge. Zest the remaining lemon.

Step 2
In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer undisturbed for 3 minutes to thicken slightly and concentrate the flavor. (The cream needs to simmer for the full 3 minutes; under-reducing is one of the most common reasons a posset fails to set.)

Step 3
Remove from the heat and pour the cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup or pitcher, leaving the zest behind. Whisk in the lemon juice until fully combined. The mixture will thicken slightly as the acid is incorporated.

Step 4
Pour the posset mixture into the lemon shells while it is still warm — not bubbling hot, but not cooled either. You want it loose enough to pour smoothly; if you wait too long it will start to set. (If that happens, warm it very gently over low heat just to loosen it back up.) Slide the whole tray into the refrigerator and chill uncovered for at least 4 hours, or until fully set.

Tips
Full-fat heavy cream is the only thing that will set this. Half-and-half, light cream, or anything plant-based will give you a runny pool, not a posset.

A muffin tin is the easiest way to keep the lemon shells perfectly upright in the fridge — each cup holds one half steady.

Make-ahead: The possets can be made up to 2 days in advance. Once fully set, cover loosely with plastic wrap.

 

Thanks to lifestyleofafoodie.com for the photo!

Spring Chicken!

I like the seasons to dictate my menus, using fruits and vegetables when at their peak. And rhubarb (from the latter category) is rarin’ to go right now. This recipe tempers the bitterness of rhubarb with a few tablespoons of honey. The resulting vibrant dish is super flavorful, and as easy as it is quick, leaving you more time to leave the kitchen and enjoy the spring!

If you like it sweet, think about adding some hulled, sliced strawberries to the mix in Step 4, when you toss the rhubarb and onions once about halfway through. And although either cilantro or mint is suggested as a garnish, I am team mint all the way. Lots of it.

Rhubarb Chicken with Rhubarb & Red Onion
Adapted from Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1¾ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks (see Tip)
1teaspoon ground coriander
1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1large red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
5 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
8 ounces rhubarb stalks, sliced into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
½ cup cilantro or mint leaves and tender stems, torn 

Preparation
Step 1
Heat oven to 425 degrees and line sheet pan with parchment paper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Step 2
Place onion wedges on the prepared sheet pan and lightly season with more salt and pepper. Add chicken and thyme sprigs to the pan and drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over everything. Toss until well coated, then spread chicken and onions in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes.

Step 3
While the chicken is in the oven, combine rhubarb and 3 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl. Lightly drizzle with oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss until rhubarb is well coated.

Step 4
Remove chicken from oven and carefully spoon rhubarb onto the hot pan around the onions and chicken. Continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through, and the rhubarb and onion are tender and caramelized, 25 to 35 minutes longer, tossing the rhubarb and onions (not the chicken) once about halfway through.

Step 5
Stir the rhubarb and onions very well, making sure to incorporate all the browned bits and chicken juices from the bottom of the pan (this is the tastiest part). Then sample a piece of rhubarb. If it’s very tart, drizzle with a little more honey, tossing well. Serve chicken with rhubarb-onion mixture garnished with herbs.

Tip
You can substitute bone-in, skin on-breasts for the thighs and drumsticks. Just start checking 10 minutes earlier since white meat takes less time to cook than dark meat.

“I loved rhubarb... Not everyone was a fan, especially of the bitter, mushy, overcooked version. Yet sometimes a little bitterness could bring out the best in other flavors. Bitter rhubarb made sunny-day strawberry face the realities of life―and taste all the better for it.” ― Judith Fertig, The Memory of Lemon

Photo Credit: David Malosh for The New York Times

Steamed Sweet Potatoes with Tahini

I had the pleasure of discovering Zou Zou’s delicious roasted sweet potato with miso butter-tahini and Egyptian dukkah when I happened to stop by the chic Mediterranean restaurant for a quick bite. It was such a taste sensation, with exotic flavors bursting out of its skin. Although relegated to a side on the menu, I felt this uber root tuber creation could have been brought to the fore! 

When New York Times Cooking posted the following recipe for sweet potatoes with tahini butter, I hastened to make it straightaway—the list of ingredients brought me right back to my experience at Zou Zou. Carla Lalli Music, the creator of this dish, insists upon steaming the sweet potatoes however, instead of roasting them. She suggests that steaming imparts a flavor roasting can’t compete with and notes that the process also makes your sweet potatoes as fluffy as clouds.

Try the method, taste for yourself, and do enjoy!

Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Butter
Recipe from Carla Lalli Music
Adapted by Samin Nosrat

Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings

2½ pounds sweet potatoes of any color (about 4 medium), washed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (¾ stick), at room temperature
¼ cup well-stirred tahini
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus lime wedges, for serving
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, finely grated or pounded smooth with a pinch of salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
Flaky sea salt, for serving

Preparation
Step 1
Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a medium pot fitted with a steamer basket or footed colander. Place sweet potatoes in the steamer. Cover, reduce heat to medium and steam until potatoes are completely tender, 35 to 40 minutes. (Use a skewer or paring knife to check for doneness; the potatoes should be soft all the way through.)

Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk butter, tahini, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic until smooth. It might seem as if the butter and liquids will never fully combine, but they will — just keep stirring! Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and more lime juice as needed.

Step 3
Set a small pan over medium heat. Toast the sesame seeds, swirling the pan continuously, until seeds are golden. They’ll give off some oil and start to clump together, so if needed, stir with a wooden spoon to keep them moving so that they toast evenly. They’ll turn a nice deep-golden shade just as they dry off a bit, about 4 minutes. Transfer seeds to a small bowl to prevent them from overcooking.

Step 4
When the sweet potatoes are tender, use tongs to transfer them to a large plate or platter. When they are just cool enough to handle, split potatoes in half lengthwise, and season with flaky salt. Spread tahini butter generously onto the flesh, and top with sesame seeds. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

 

For Guinness' Sake!

 

The luck of the Irish sure seemed to be with me when I happened upon Nigella Lawson’s gorgeous Chocolate Guinness Cake: I already had most of the ingredients on hand (including a leftover can of Guinness from the Guinness Beef Stew with Horseradish Cream I’d made). Just thinking of an icing that should “resemble a frothy pint of Guinness” sent me into the kitchen to start baking. This cake a stunner for sure. My suggestions to lighten things up a bit are in italics.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everybody!

Chocolate Guinness Cake
By Nigella Lawson

Yield: One 9-inch cake or 12 servings

Ingredients
For the Cake:
Butter, for the pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
¾ cup sour cream (I used Breakstone Light Sour Cream)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking soda

For the Topping:
1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (Neufchâtel has a lower fat content)
½ cup heavy cream (try a few tablespoons of condensed skim milk)

Preparation
Step 1
For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

Step 2
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

Step 3
For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

Step 4
Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.

BOOK/A TABLE - Beef Stroganoff

Over 20 years ago, my cousin and I started an ongoing tradition of making dinner together during my holiday visits to New Hampshire. At first, we were just cooking for her husband and three children, but word of our feasts started getting around and soon neighbors and friends also began showing up to see what we were making...such as lavender-roasted quail, venison steaks, classic Vietnamese dumplings, Thai noodles, beef Stroganoff, and chicken pot pie in pumpkins. 

The adults would mingle, but her children (practically babies at the time) would watch us goggle-eyed from the kitchen counter as we whisked, simmered, and chopped, preparing elaborate dishes that often wouldn’t be ready until late in the evening, bedtime be damned! 

It still staggers me that her children now have babies of their own. Somewhere, there is a picture of my cousin peering over my crib to get a look at me. 

When she and I were kids in the 70s, oh how we loved watching Charlie’s Angels on television. In case you don’t know, the cop drama was about three gorgeous gals who did investigative work for a mysterious man named Charlie Townsend. It was the one show I was allowed to stay up past my bedtime to watch.

I recently found my copy of one of the books based on the series, and was wildly amused to read this:

Charlie chuckled. “Jill, how’s the painting coming?”
The blonde Jill said, “I bought one of those cooking encyclopedias.”
Charlie chuckled again. “It’s hard to keep up with you.”
“I’ve gotten as far as B.” Her tone became inviting. “My beef Stroganoff isn’t bad, Charlie.”
“Let me know when you get to zucchini.”

Beef Stroganoff (named for the Russian Stroganov family) was one of the first dishes my cousin and I made together. There are many different versions, but this one should dispel any lurid memories of the glop perhaps served in your school’s cafeteria, or what you may have suffered through at home, made with Campbell’s mushroom soup.    

I think you can skip the fussy work of making matchstick potatoes. Hot buttered noodles will do just fine!

Beef Stroganoff
Adapted from Saveur magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup beef stock
1⁄4 cup sour cream
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 1⁄2 lb beef tenderloin, cut into 3” x 1” x 1/8” slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Canola oil, for frying
4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8” matchsticks
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Instructions
Step 1
Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and dry mustard, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually add stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil; cook until thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream, remove from heat, and set aside.

Step 2
Heat remaining butter in a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high, add meat, and cook until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add reserved sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Step 3
Meanwhile, pour oil to a depth of 1 1⁄2” in a 4-qt. saucepan, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 365°. Working in batches, fry potatoes until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels; season to taste with salt while still warm.

Step 4
Spoon stroganoff onto a serving platter, and cover with a mound of jumbled straw potatoes. Garnish with parsley.

 

Thanks NYT Cooking for the pic!

BOOK/A TABLE - Blueberry Cobbler

 

Happy Juneteenth! As I was plotting out a small tribute here to Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, NYT Cooking sent out an email for a Blueberry Cobbler recipe. I remembered the scene from Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, where sweet, tragic Pecola Breedlove encounters a cobbler bubbling with “blackish blueberries” and suddenly I had an idea for this post.

“On the counter near the stove in a silvery pan was a deep-dish berry cobbler. The purple juice bursting here and there through crust.”

I was completely bowled over by Morrison when I discovered Beloved  in 1992. Something always seems to be simmering stovetop in her novels—and certainly in her vivid, extraordinary prose. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy this summery cobbler!

Chez Panisse’s Blueberry Cobbler
Recipe from Lindsey Remolif Shere 
Adapted by Molly O'Neill

INGREDIENTS
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Berries:
4½ cups fresh blueberries
⅓ cup sugar
1tablespoon all-purpose flour

Dough:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ tablespoons sugar
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ cup heavy cream, plus additional for serving, if desired

METHOD
Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. To prepare the berries, place in a bowl and toss with the sugar and flour. Set aside.
Step 2
To make the dough, mix the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and mix lightly, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Step 3
Put the blueberries in a 1½-quart gratin or baking dish. Make patties out of the dough, 2 to 2½ inches in diameter and ½-inch thick. Arrange them over the top of the berries. Bake until the topping is brown and the juices bubble thickly around it, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 4
Let cool slightly. Serve warm, with cream to pour on top, if desired.