Quoted message said:From the Chronicle, a while back. There's a lemon curd
recipe in there
somewhere.
The pros know what's in, what's best and how to use it Linda
Carucci: Easy does it for this East Bay cooking teacher
Karola Saekel, Chronicle
To Linda Carucci, nothing chases away the late-winter
doldrums like lemons.
When she was a little girl growing up in New England, lemon
juice was "stuff that came out of those little yellow
plastic squeeze things," she recalls with a laugh. Now,
fresh lemons and other citrus fruit abundant at this time of
year are main players in her seasonal cooking. A former dean
of the California Culinary Academy, Carucci teaches at
Ramekins Culinary Center in Sonoma, her home and other
venues, and prepares meals for family and friends.
Even though she has lived in California for many years,
Carucci isn't jaded. She still is thrilled that she can step
out on the deck of her house in the East Bay hills and pick
a Meyer lemon from a prolific little tree planted in a half
wine barrel. The sweet-sour flavor and bracing aroma of
these lemons, she says, is perfect for making bright dishes,
from a bracing winter salad to silky lemon curd for
breakfast scones.
Simple is one of Carucci's favorite words and concepts. The
woman who last year was named cooking teacher of the year by
the prestigious International Association of Culinary
Professionals says people don't believe her when she says
that she is, essentially, a lazy cook. "Don't get me wrong,"
she says. "I do love to cook, but I don't like to be tied up
in the kitchen for hours, especially when we have guests."
So she knows a lot of shortcuts and avoids fussy recipes.
During the week, she and her husband, Allen Rehmke, most
often "throw a piece of fish or a marinated chicken breast
on the grill." And while many cooking professionals cluck
their tongues in disapproval at the very mention of a
microwave, she admits to fixing Yukon gold potatoes in the
microwave, "and Allen has perfected a way to cook rice in
it." She also has no compunction about using time-savers
such as prewashed, packaged salad greens.
But Carucci does draw the line at those little plastic
lemons of her childhood. In fact, even her mother, who still
lives on the East Coast, has outgrown those. Carucci knew
she had reached a watershed when her mother told her what
she wanted for her last birthday: "A lemon zester! It's all
the rage in her bridge club." .
Linda Carucci's Lemon Curd
This is an assertively [censored] curd. If you prefer a milder
flavor, cut down on the zest. Chron
2 to 3 Eureka lemons or 4 to 6 Meyer lemons 4 whole eggs 2
egg yolks 1 cup sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
(preferably organic), cut into 8 pieces 1 teaspoon vanilla
(preferably Tahitian)
Grate zest of 1 large Eureka or 2 Meyer lemons, using a
Microplane zester, or use a citrus zester or vegetable
peeler and chop zest finely. Either way, be sure to avoid
the bitter white pith. Cover zest to keep it from drying
out. Have ready a bowl large enough to hold 2 cups of lemon
curd. Set a medium strainer over it. Squeeze enough lemons
to yield 1/2 cup juice. Whisk together eggs, egg yolks,
lemon juice and sugar in top of a double boiler. Add butter.
Bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer in bottom part of
double boiler. Set top over but not touching the water and
whisk constantly until mixture thickens, which will take
about 8 minutes. Do not try to speed up the procedure by
increasing heat, or you will scramble the eggs. As soon as
mixture thickens, remove from heat and pour it through the
strainer into the bowl. Stir in reserved lemon zest and
vanilla. Press a piece of wax paper directly on the surface
of the curd while it cools. Cover tightly and refrigerate
for up to 3 days until ready to serve.
Yields 2 cups
PER TABLESPOON: 50 calories, 1 g protein, 7 g
carbohydrate, 2 g fat (1 g saturated), 44 mg cholesterol,
9 mg sodium, 0 fiber.
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