Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd

What is more perfect than a lemon chiffon cake for a May birthday?  Sandwiched between the layers is smooth and fantastic Meyer lemon curd and it is also used to flavor the frosting.  Springy and light in texture, the cake is wonderful medium for luscious, tangy and rich curd.  I haven't baked cakes for a while and I approached this task with trepidation.  I just wanted it to be perfect because it is for one of the most important persons in my life; that is my husband.  I breathed a sigh of relief when I cut a slice, it turned out like I wanted it to be.

The recipe is from my favorite cake book, Sky High by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.  I've baked several cakes from the book and am always satisfied with the results.  Each component of the cake can be made several days ahead so on the day of the birthday all I had to do was to assemble the cake.  Triple-layer cake is a lot of cake so there's a few of people who got lucky tasting it :)

I really love the curd that accompanied the cake.  Meyer lemons are in season right now and they are not to be missed.  The exquisite flavor is almost floral, not unlike honey with a hint of thyme.  I bought quite a bunch of Meyer lemons which I've already made into curd and am thinking of making tartlets with strawberry next.

Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake with Meyer Lemon Curd

Makes a 9-inch triple-layer cake; serves 16 to 20



8 eggs, separated

1/4 cup walnut oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest

1/3 cup water

1 /2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Meyer Lemon Curd

Meyer Lemon Cream Frosting



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with rounds of parchment or waxed paper but do not grease the pans.

In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, walnut oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.

In a large mixer bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until frothy.  Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar and continue to beat until soft peak forms.

Sift the flour, remaining 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt into a very large bowl.  Whisk gently to combine.  Make a well in the center, pour in the egg yolk mixture, and stir to make a smooth paste.  Add one-fourth of the beaten egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter.  Fold in the remaining whites.  Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

Bake for about 16 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire racks and let the cakes cool completely in their pans.  To unmold, run a blunt knife around the edges to release.  Invert to unmold; carefully peel off the paper liners.

To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate.  Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of the Meyer Lemon Curd, and spread it out evenly.  Repeat with the next layer and finally add the third layer.  Frost the top and sides with the Meyer Lemon Cream Frosting.

Meyer Lemon Curd

Makes about 1 cup

Note that while of this curd is used to fill the cake, 3 tablespoons should be reserved to flavor the frosting.



3 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)

Grated zest of 3 Meyer lemons

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature



Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium bowl.  Transfer to a small heavy nonreactive saucepan.  Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat a spoon; do not boil.  Pour this mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a heatproof dish (this catches all of the rubbery parts of the egg whites and removes the zest).  Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic wrap, pressing it to the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate it until needed.

Meyer Lemon Cream Frosting

Makes about 3 1/4 cups



1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons Meyer Lemon Curd



Whip the cream with the sugar in a large chilled bowl with chilled beaters until somewhat stiff peak forms.  Be careful not to fully whip at this point because the curd will need to be folded in.  Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.



Source:  adapted from Sky High by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne

Confetti Slaw

Barbecue season starts this weekend and I thought I'd share this slaw recipe.  It's a fun and colorful salad as well as tasty; a perfect addition to any of barbecue or picnic meals.  It's also lighter than a mayo-based coleslaw making it perfect to pile up on your plate :)  Enjoy it and have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Confetti Slaw

Serves 6



½ cup lime juice, plus more to taste

Zest of 1 lime

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons coarse-grain Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, more if needed

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium head of red cabbage

1 medium head of green cabbage

2 small yellow bell peppers

3 green onions, trimmed, cut into 1-inch section

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds



Combine lime juice, lime zest, honey, mustard, cilantro, pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a large nonreactive bowl; whisk well to blend.

Remove outer leaves of cabbages, quarter the cabbages lengthwise, and remove the tough core.  Slice quarters thinly to yield 7 cups.

Slice bell peppers into strips ¼ inch wide and 2 inches long.  Add bell peppers to cabbages.

Toss cabbages, bell pepper, green onions and sesame seeds with the dressing.  Taste and, if desired, add extra lime juice, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Curry Turkey Meatballs

I made these bite-sized turkey meatballs flavored with curry powder, ginger, garlic and cumin a while ago.  In the original recipes, they're made into patties; stuffed into flatbreads and eaten with mango chutney and various toppings, but these can be transformed into party appetizers as well if you make them small.  I made quick-pickled red onions to go along with it; basically sliced red onions marinated in vinegar and salt.  With sliced red peppers, cucumbers, pickled red onion, they are party in your mouth!

Curry Turkey Meatballs

Serves 4

2 slices stale white bread, crusts trimmed

Whole milk, for soaking

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey breast

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup mango chutney, plus more for topping

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 egg beaten

1 small red chile pepper, such as fresno, seeded and chopped

3-4 think scallions, finely chopped

1 piece (1-inch) ginger, grated

2 large cloves garlic, grated

3 tablespoons finely chopped, toasted pine nuts, almonds or pistachios

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

A small, handful cilantro, finely chopped

Melted butter or vegetable oil, for frying

Toppings:  hot giardiniera or pickled peppers, cucumber slices, lettuce leaves, tomato leaves, pickled red onion

On a rimmed platter or in a pie dish, soak the bread in the milk to soften.  In a large bowl, crumble the ground turkey and season with salt and pepper.  Squeeze the milk from the bread over the meat, then add the bread.  Add 1/4 cup chutney, 1/4 cup yogurt, the egg, chile, scallions, ginger, garlic, nuts, curry powder, cumin and cilantro.  Mix and form into about 12 bite-sized meatballs.

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Brush with melted butter (or oil).  Add the meatballs and fry, turning often, until opaque, about 10 minutes.

Serve with topping of your choice on a platter with toothpick for easy picking.

Source:  adapted from Everyday by Rachael Ray, January/February 2013.

Roasted Carrot, Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

This soup is super easy and tasty, not to mention that it also contains super vegetables, packed with vitamin As.  The kind of soup that you want to make for a chilly evening.  You can even substitute butternut squash with a different kind; I've tried it with kabocha squash and it still came out delicious.

Roasted Carrot, Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Serves 4



1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs.)--peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

3 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage



Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Divide the squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and onions between 2 rimmed baking sheets.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil over each baking sheet; toss the vegetables to coat.  Roast until lightly browned, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, about 25 minutes.

In a large saucepan, combine the roasted vegetables and 8 cups water; bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.  Using a blender and working in batches, puree the soup, transferring pureed portions to a clean pot; season with salt and pepper.  (The soup can be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.)

In a heavy, medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the pepitas and stir until toasted, about 2 minutes.  Add the cranberries and sage and stir until fragrant, about 1 minutes.  Remove from the heat; season with salt and pepper.

Stir the soup over medium heat until it simmers.  Ladle the soup into bowls; top with pepita-cranberry mixture and a sprinkling of pepper.



Source:  Everyday with Rachael Ray, January/February 2013

Fettuccine with Sausage and Mushrooms

This was a dish that passed my family's taste test.  It was an easy enough and delicious dish, perfect for weeknight's dinner.

Fettuccine with Sausage and Mushrooms

Serves 4



Kosher salt

12 ounces fettuccine

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

1/2 pound sliced mixed mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper



Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook as the label directs.  Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, 3 minutes.  Increase the heat to high; add the onion, celery, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender, 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to medium high; add the tomatoes and wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Add the cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and reduce the heat to low.

Add the pasta to the skillet and cook, tossing, until it absorbs more of the sauce, 2 to 3 minutes.  (Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen, if needed.)  Season with salt and pepper.



Source:  Food Network Magazine, December 2012.