It's the first Monday of the month which means one thing: Secret Recipe Club reveal for Group A. I have come across some very talented foodie bloggers in all my years of participating in this great group. But I have to admit that this month I developed a little foodie-crush. Not in a creepy, stalker kind of way...but I will be following Leigh at Chit Chat Chomp religiously. Her blog is rife with gorgeous photos, delectable recipes, and she is an incredible storyteller. Okay, I'm a little bit obsessed. But check out her blog and I guarantee you will lose hours of your life and be more than little bit jealous of the lucky guests at her table.
She divides her recipe list into Sweet Tooth and Savoury Palate. Here are the top three that caught my eye in each category...
Sweet Tooth:
Rosy Plum Crumbles, Lemon Goat Cheese Cheesecakes, and Chianti-Raspberry Granita.
Savoury Palate:
Croque Madam, Chestnut and Parsnip Soup with Pear Puree, and Zucchini Pickles.
With choices such as these, it was tough to make a decision on a single recipe. So, I didn't. I ended up making a trio of dishes from Leigh. All were light and delicious. Perfect for a hot Summer evening. And all began with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Thankfully, I have an enthusiastic zester in Kitchen Elf 2. He zested and juiced like a champ for this dinner.
Fennel, Ricotta, and Pea Salad
Inspired by Chit Chat Chomp
1 C fresh green peas
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
1 large bulb fennel
1 C chopped arugula leaves
4 T lemon juice
1-1/2 C fresh ricotta
Blanch peas in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and drizzle with a little of the olive oil. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Cut the fennel in half, reserve green tops and slice bulb as finely as you can.
Place fennel, peas, arugula,and fennel sprigs in a large bowl. Whisk lemon juice
and remaining olive oil in a small bowl. Pour over fennel mixture and toss to
combine. To serve, divide ricotta evenly and pile onto plates. Spoon on fennel
salad and season generously.
Lemon-Lavender Chicken
3 pounds of chicken (I used all drumsticks)
2 T dried lavender
4 T olive oil
4 T runny honey (I used a local buckwheat honey)
5 sprigs of thyme
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
a generous pinch of salt
Crush the lavender using a mortar and pestle. Combine with the oil,
honey, thyme, lemon zest and juice and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for at
least 30 minutes (mine sat for 90 minutes).
Lemon Mousse
Adapted from Chit Chat Chomp
juice and zest from 3 lemons
1/2 C organic granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2 C butter
Place the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and egg yolks in a double boiler and cook over a low heat, whisking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. It took about 15 minutes. It will resemble a zabaglione. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 T of butter at a time. Let cool.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture. Spoon into individual serving glasses and refrigerate until set and firm.
This was an unbelievably delicious dinner. Thanks, Leigh, for the inspiration!
juice and zest from 3 lemons1/2 C organic granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2 C butter
Place the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and egg yolks in a double boiler and cook over a low heat, whisking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. It took about 15 minutes. It will resemble a zabaglione. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 T of butter at a time. Let cool.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture. Spoon into individual serving glasses and refrigerate until set and firm.
This was an unbelievably delicious dinner. Thanks, Leigh, for the inspiration!
Hi Camilla - thank you so very much for your beautiful comments. You've made my day! Don't you just love the Lemon-Lavender Chicken. I make it all the time now and love licking all that sticky yumminess off my fingers. :)
ReplyDeleteWell deserved comments, my friend. Yes, the lemon-lavender chicken was outrageously delicious.
DeleteLots of delicious recipes!! You picked so many delicious lemony recipes - what a great round up! You did great this month and that chicken DOES sound absolutely amazing!
ReplyDeleteI could swoon over the salad-- three of my favorite ingredients on one plate-- and so nicely plated. Lovely choices.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices, Camilla! I love the idea of a lemon-themed meal. That chicken looks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteAn awesome meal! That salad in particular just looks AMAZING - love the focus on lemons! :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it difficult when you find a really wonderful blog to only choose one recipe to recreate? I love that you chose to make several and chose the focus to be lemons. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteI always have trouble picking a recipe, so hats off to you for being brave enough to tackle all three instead of just one! :) That lemon-lavender chicken sounds to die for. I'm going to have to try that out soon, especially since it's been way too long since I last made something with chicken drumsticks.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to do a trio of things. That salad looks so good and simple. Can't go wrong with chicken and a yummy dessert! Great post. Loving SRC, too!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I've done that too...couldn't decide so made more than one. :) These all sound wonderful.
ReplyDelete