Roast Lamb Leftovers...Lamb Pita Pockets With Tzatziki

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 After last week's lamb roast with couscous and grilled tomatoes, I had more leftover lamb than I cared to throw out.  You know my penchant for using leftovers.  Nothing gets thrown out of this house;  but lamb is a toughie, unless you go out of your comfort zone and consider other cuisines...like Greek.  Yes, dear readers, I know I have been going out of my comfort zone and yours recently, but that is what good cooks do, venture out and try new things.

Nothing exemplifies Greek cuisine more than the use of lamb.  Think moussaka.  This week, at my local Costco's, they were serving samplings of tandoor baked naan with tzatziki.  The circle around the man making the naan was three deep. I had already sampled his wares on my last trip but had been so elated to see Costco selling naan, that I did not stop to taste the dip.  This time I did, brought it home, and served it with my leftover lamb.  Voila!

What I came up with is really a favorite  Greek fast food, souvlaki, sometimes made with pork, and others with chicken or lamb.  If you want an easy, healthy and delicious midweek meal, here you have it.

Although I have titled the recipe with pita pockets, you should really try it with naan.  It is so much better!!!

Lamb Pita Pockets With Tzatziki

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked lamb
1 TB. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
2 small tomatoes chopped
1 cup chopped cucumbers (optional)
3 TB diced red onions
3 TBs Tzatziki*
4 whole wheat pita rounds or naan
chopped mint leaves (optional)

Directions:

Sautee the lamb in the oil until warm.  Set aside. 

Combine the lettuce, tomato, feta, red onion and cucumber if using. 

Prepare the Tzatziki.

Warm the pita or naan in a skillet on top of the stove.

Divide lamb among the pita bread or naan.

Top with lettuce mixture and the tzatziki.

Sprinkle with chopped mint if desired.

 Tzatziki:

 Cool and creamy, this tangy cucumber dip flavored with garlic is the perfect compliment to grilled meats and vegetables. It's served on the side with warm pita bread triangles for dipping, and is also used as a condiment for souvlaki.

 Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1 cup greek yogurt, strained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Preparation:

 

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.
Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill just before serving.


All photos Lindaraxa
except last Wikipedia

Ottolenghi...Couscous With Grilled Cherry Tomatoes And Fresh Herbs

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I may be stuck in a small town on a lake in Northern Georgia, but believe me, I have ears to the ground everywhere...and I mean everywhere.   Luckily,  two of my best friends live in big cities, New York and Paris, and they are both gourmets and gourmands who still travel the world in the pursuit of pleasure. Or so I thought...

It was on a trip to Miami last month, that I was handed a copy of Ottolenghi, The Cookbook, by one of my scouts.  I must admit that, initially,  I was ho hum about it and did not give it a second look.  That was until I came home and, on a trip to the local library, was surprised to find a copy on the shelves.  Hmmm...Lindaraxa prides herself on being on top of the latest trends, particularly in cooking, so how come I had never heard of this before. Where were my scouts! Worse, if it was at the local library in my little town in Georgia it was old news!

With time on my hands and snow on the ground, I devoured the first book, and then the second and a third.  Finally a cookbook that was new, fresh and innovative.  For months I had complained that there was nothing new in the world of cooking that excited the imagination.  Well, at long last, here it was...Ottolenghi.

Born in Jerusalem and a resident of the U.K  since 1995, Yotam Ottolenghi has written a vegetarian column for the Guardian since 2008 called The New Vegetarian based on recipes from his restaurants. No, he is not a vegetarian, trust me.  He attended the Cordon Bleu in London and together with his partner, Sami Tamami, owns four eponymous restaurants—each a patisserie, deli, restaurant, and bakery rolled into one—in some of London’s chicest neighborhoods.

Ottolenghi, The Cookbook features 140 recipes culled from the popular restaurants and inspired by the diverse culinary traditions of the Mediterranean. They reflect the authors’ upbringings in Jerusalem, yet also incorporate culinary traditions from California, Italy, and North Africa, among others. Featuring abundant produce and numerous fish and meat dishes, as well as Ottolenghi’s famed cakes and breads, Ottolenghi invites you into a world of inventive flavors and fresh, vibrant cooking.

 

His other two cookbooks, Plenty and Jerusalem have been runaway bestsellers here and in UK.  The U.S. editions came out in the Fall of 2013 to rave reviews, one of them from the New York Times.

The excitement over Jerusalem, the newest cookbook, has led to clubs, Facebook pages  and cooking marathons.  And where was I? Sad to say, asleep at the wheel! In all fairness to myself, I can understand this lapse in my life.  It is not the type of cuisine that has ever interested me until I actually held three of his books in my hand and was marveled at the combinations of flavors and the creativity and originality of the recipes.

Tonight, I am correcting this lapse and stepping into the world of Ottolenghi with a side dish to accompany the leg of lamb roasting in the oven, after marinading for four hours in Dijon mustard, rosemary leaves, olive oil, garlic paste and Lea & Perrins Sauce. For the couscous,  I chose a very conservative recipe to begin with which, unfortunately, is not in the cookbooks but on his website. I played around with the measurements.  It was divine.   Little steps...
  

 

Couscous With Grilled Cherry Tomatoes And Fresh Herbs

Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

6 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, sliced into 2mm thick rings (400g net)

1 tsp honey

½ tsp ras el hanout spice mix*

2 oz golden raisins or sultanas

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups couscous

1 oz unsalted butter, cut into dice

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped

25g (1 1/2 oz) rocket, roughly chopped (did not add, don't ask)

1 oz coriander, roughly chopped

1 oz parsley, roughly chopped

1 oz mint, roughly torn

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp argan oil, or olive oil if unavailable

Salt and black pepper

Directions:

 

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.
 

Start by caramelising the onions. Place a medium sauté pan on a medium to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the onions, honey, ras el hanout, ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Cook for 15-30 minutes, on until the onions are soft, dark brown and sweet. Remove from the heat, stir in the raisins or sultanas and set aside.

 Place a ridged griddle pan on high heat and leave until piping hot. Mix the tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil and cook on the hot pan for about 4 minutes, until the skin is slightly charred and the flesh is soft, turning occasionally. Set aside.

 Line the base and sides of a roasting tin, approximately 20 x 30 centimeters, with baking paper and put in the couscous, along with ½ a teaspoon of salt. Pour over 3 1/2 cups of boiling water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir and leave to soak for 10 minutes, covered with foil. Dot the soaked couscous with the butter cubes, cover with foil again and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and fluff up with a fork

.

Once the couscous has cooled slightly transfer it into a large bowl. Add the onion and raisin mix and stir. Add the cumin seeds, garlic, almonds, rocket and most of the herbs, leaving a little to the end. Finally add the lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper and mix gently.

Gradually transfer the couscous to a serving platter scattering with the cherry tomatoes as you go. Finish with a sprinkle of herbs and drizzle with argan oil.

IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY!

 

 

 

 

What a wonderful dinner party menu this would make with a cucumber and yogurt salad!

*This is something you can mix together at home.  I used a Thai mix which has most everything, but added coriander seeds which I love.

Recipe adapted from Ottolenghi
Photos #1,6, 7, 8 Lindaraxa
all other Google

Cannelloni Di Magro Con Funghi

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I have written about Harry's Bar in Venice on a few occasions, here,  here and here, so I won't bore you with more of the same.  Suffice it to say, it is expensive but their food is very, very, good.  Why?  They get the best and freshest ingredients before anyone else in Venice, and everything, including their pasta, is made on the premises every day.  The people who go there, those you are hoping to see, don't care what they pay for a meal.  They are there to eat with other people they know, enjoy a menu they are familiar with and get good service.   That is the secret of places like Harry's Bar in Venice and Swifty's in New York.  Thus,  if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it.

Nowadays I couldn't afford to go to Harry's Bar unless I'm invited, so I can only dream about and cook some of my favorite dishes from their cookbook.  The recipes are excellent and authentic and everything they are famous for is in this book.   Unfortunately our ingredients can't compete with those they are able to get.  Like tomatoes from Sicily, fresh seafood from the Adriatic, incredible white peaches in the Spring and the list goes on.  Not only that, you can't replicate the ambiance.  This is something I  have learned from wines.  Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered a wine that was simply fantastic?  Then you have gone out and bought a bottle, same vineyard, same year but it just  didn't taste the same.  You are not the only one.  The difference is subjective, and it has to do with the ambiance in the restaurant where you had it, the mood you were in, who you were with and what you had to accompany the wine.  All that being said, this recipe is as close to what I remember having in Venice

.

 Don't be intimidated.  This looks a bit involved because there are five things to prepare before assembling the dish: Making the filling, cooking the pasta, making the tomato sauce and the béchamel sauce and sauteeing the mushrooms.  Most of these components are on hand every day at the restaurant and all the cooks have to do is integrate them into the dish. If you want to make these with zucchini, for example, just substitute sautéed zucchini for the mushrooms and you have another variable of the same recipe.  All I can do to minimize the process  is suggest you have some ready made tomato sauce always in the freezer, like I do.  The spinach filling can be made early in the day and refrigerated.  Everything else needs to be done on the spot.

One of the things I have saved you from is making homemade pasta.  Kind of.  I have done this several times and it works like magic. I hate the curly edges on most lasagna noodle brands and substitute Barilla's No Boil lasagna sheets, except I boil them for a few minutes to make them pliable and easy to work with.

My pictures are terrible and I wish they did justice to the results.  I did over broil a bit so watch carefully.  I also had one too many and ended up with the tomato sauce and mushrooms on top of the béchamel sauce, instead of the other way around.   This is what happens when you post pictures with your recipes.  No touch ups or replays.  Just like the Tonight Show!

Cannelloni di Magro Con Funghi
Spinach and ricotta filled cannelloni with mushrooms
Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Filling

1/2 10 oz  package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese or Gruyere
1/4 lb. whole milk mozzarella, diced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
freshly grated pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 egg yolk

For the Béchamel Sauce:

3 Tb butter
3 TB flour
1 1/2 Cup whole milk, hot
Salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg

Tomato Sauce:

1/2 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, mashed
4 TB olive oil
1 28 oz box Pomi chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. chopped basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

For the mushrooms:

4 cups thinly sliced shiitake or other mushroom
2 tb. butter
1 garlic clove
chopped parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste

1 package Barilla No Boil lasagna noodles

Directions:

 Defrost the chopped spinach and squeeze all water from it. Put it in a food processor with the whole milk ricotta, the grated Gruyere cheese,  the whole milk mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Blend briefly to make a green, well-combined paste but do not overwork it.  Scrape mixture into a bowl and blend in the salt, pepper, cayenne and egg yolks.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

 Next, the béchamel sauce.

 Melt the butter in a pan then add the plain flour; cook over a medium heat until it becomes sandy textured. Add the hot milk, whisking all the time; bring to the boil, stirring – it will thicken. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.

For the tomato sauce:

Add oil to the pan.  Sautee de onion and garlic until translucent.  Add the chopped  tomatoes and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste and the chopped basil.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  The sauce can be made at any time, including the day before.

For the mushrooms:

Melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and sautee until golden brown, 6-8 minutes.  Add garlic and parsley and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the wine and boil down for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Assembling the cannelloni:

 To make Harry’s Bar Cannelloni de Magro con Funghi for six, spread half the béchamel in an ovenproof dish. Boil a large pan of salted water and drop in eight or nine dried egg-pasta lasagne sheets. Cook for three minutes, drain and lay on a tea towel, side by side.  Cut in half.

Fill with equal amounts of spinach mix then roll up and place seam side down in the dish on top of the béchamel.

 Cover with a layer of stir-fried sliced mushrooms, a layer of tomato sauce, then the remaining béchamel.

 Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven  until bubbling and browned, about 10 minutes.  Place 3 inches from the heat source and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, turning the pan around to brown evenly.  Serve immediately and pass the Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

 

All pictures Lindaraxa

Recipe adapted from The Harry's Bar Cookbook

My Snowed In Valentine...Oeufs Brouilles, Perfect Scrambled Eggs

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Chances are, if you live in the Northeastern part of this country, you will be snowed in for Valentine'sDay.  You lucky dog!

Okay, so your red roses might not get delivered and that reservation he made six months ago might have to be cancelled BUT, you get to stay in, just the two of you, for at least a couple of days.  What could be worse?! I'll take that over a dozen red roses any day of the year.  Okay, okay, you say, but what do we do for dinner?! You keep it simple, but you make it awesome.  Remember the best things in life are simple (or is it free?)

Take scrambled eggs.  In this country, we murder this dish.  Our idea of scrambled eggs is to "scramble" them before they are cooked by beating them, ad infinitum, and then adding them all at once to a hot skillet. In less than ten seconds, they are done...and they are awful.  When I think of those scrambled eggs we had for breakfast at our ski house in Vermont, I want to throw up. They sat in my stomach, most of the morning, like a ton of bricks that would not go away until dinner time.  No wonder I was a bad skier.  Scrambled eggs, the culprit.

On the other hand, one of my fondest memories ever was watching my aunt Julieta making scrambled eggs in a double boiler in her apartment in New York.   In the early 60's she moved to the city and got a job at Hammacher Schlemmer, the old Hammecher Schlemmer, right across the street from her apartment at East 57th Street and a couple of doors down from another icon of the day, the old Abercrombie and Fitch.  For those of you too young to remember, the latter was an  elite outfitter of sporting and excursion goods, particularly noted for its expensive shotguns, fishing rods, and tents. The former, for great kitchen gadgets.  I loved going to A&F with my father and watching the stuffed animals they had throughout the store...and I don't mean teddy bears, but REAL bears.  But I digress...

My aunt's going to work was a joke, more of a diversion than anything else.  We all laughed when we heard she had gone to Saks to outfit herself for the job and came out with six coats, including a mink.  She was a real trip and I adored her.  It was a treat to visit her on weekends while I was away at boarding school.  She didn't cook, but boy, could she make scrambled eggs.  I used to sit mesmerized on a kitchen stool and watch her stir those eggs to perfection on a double boiler. She would add a tad of cream cheese in the final minutes of cooking.  I thought that was brilliant! and have made them like that since that light bulb moment.  You should have seen her cooking gear. Remember the daubiere? That is from those days.   She didn't cook, though, not a thing;  but had I been a man, I would have fallen in love with her, if only for those scrambled eggs.

So you see, you don't need to be able to cook a million fancy things to be remembered.  All you need is one, but make it good, make it awesome and make it unforgettable.

Oeufs Brouilles, Scrambled Eggs

3 eggs per person
unsalted butter
cream cheese (optional)
salt

You can cook these on top of a double broiler or directly on the pan.  I usually add a tad of butter, let it melt and add the eggs, slightly beaten, although you don't have to as you will see from this video.  Here's another angle.  I know you might not speak French, but all you need to do is watch. 

Let the water in the bottom of the double boiler come to a boil.  Reduce the heat until the water is a slow simmer.  Alternatively, if you are cooking the eggs in a pan on direct heat, the temperature should be between low and medium low.   Start stirring those babies with a wooden spoon.  Don't let the eggs sit idle, keep stirring them around.  You can go clockwise for a bit and switch to counter when you get bored.    If you see that they are cooking too fast, lower the heat.

Once you see them starting to come together, add either a tad of butter or cream cheese and off the heat.

 The eggs will continue cooking long enough to melt the butter or cheese.  Enjoy!!!

Recipe and all photos Lindaraxa

Winter Citrus Salad With Shrimp,Goat Cheese And Beets

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It seems everywhere I turn in the blogosphere, or in the world of printed media, there is yet another recipe for a citrus salad.  If it's January/February in the world of food, it is citrus.  Nothing else is as exciting as oranges, pomelos or grapefruit, or variations thereof.  No more soups...that is so January.   So here's Lindaraxa's take, and that's just because she found herself cleaning her refrigerator in the middle of a major ice storm, and a citrus salad in February is de rigeur.

I don't know about you, but I have this wonderful can opener, made by a German company, that opens a can and pretty much seal it at the same time.  Things stay fresher that way and, right now, I find myself with lots of sealed cans in the refrigerator that have to be dealt with... like mandarin oranges, Le Seur peas and beets.

It is freezing today, this is Georgia, and we have already two inches of snow on the ground where I live.  Nobody is going to work, and that includes my daughter.  Lunchtime is approaching and I want to make something special, for lunch, on a snowy day, for my daughter.   So here's killing two birds with one stone:

Citrus Salad With Shrimp, Goat Cheese And Beets

Lunch For Two

Ingredients:

1  large navel orange, mandarin or  tangelo
2 hard boiled eggs
6 steamed shrimp
8 black imported (kalamata) black olives, pitted

Vinaigrette

½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 heaping teaspoon freshly chopped fresh cilantro, or more

1 head, or more, Butter Lettuce
Thin slices of red onion
Pickled sliced red beets
1/2 cup goat cheese
thinly sliced red pepper
chick peas (optional)

Directions:

Trim off the ends of the orange, mandarin or tangelo. Peel them, then cut into quarter inch slices and put them in a mixing bowl. Add the olives and steamed shrimp.

To make the vinaigrette, place the garlic, vinegar and oil, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper in a small jar with a tight lid and shake well. Pour half the vinaigrette over the oranges, shrimp and olives and toss well.

In a big salad bowl, break the lettuce leaves in medium bites, add the red onion, beets, sliced red peppers and chick peas (if using) and toss well.  Add the shrimp, orange mix, the additional vinaigrette and toss again.  Correct for seasonings and dressing.  Sprinkle the goat cheese and the hard boiled eggs.

 Easily doubled or tripled. For a more formal lunch, add a hot soup to begin with and a crusty baguette.

Photos and recipe Lindaraxa

Café Brûlot... A Perfect Ending For A Romantic Dinner

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For more than a century, both Antoine’s and Galatoire’s, in New Orleans, have been serving refined French-Creole cuisine in their gilded dining rooms. The epitome of their old-world, over-the-top grandeur? Café Brûlot .

Café Brulot Diabolique, or “Devilishly Burned Coffee,” was invented at Antoine’s Restaurant by Jules Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s founder.  It became especially popular during the Prohibition as a means of concealing alcohol.

Today, the drink is found at only a few restaurants, such as Antoine’s, Galatoire’s and Arnaud’s. The preparation is a spectacle in itself – all ingredients are artfully combined tableside in ornate bowls. Once the alcohol is added, the waiter adds flame to the concoction, ladling the flaming liquid into cups and in some cases, onto the table to create a fiery display.

Dining in New Orleans is hardly ever ordinary, and ordering Café Brulot is the perfect way to ensure an exciting finale to an amazing meal.  In the original recipe a server ladles flaming brandy-spiked coffee down a spiral of orange zest into a silver bowl heated by a ring of fire.

Don’t try that at home, especially on Valentine's Day.  The last thing you need is your partner's hair on fire before the real big event (wink) takes place.  So skip the theatrics and play it safe by making it this way.  Here,  the spice- and citrus-infused spirits are ignited in the saucepan,  the coffee added, and the glowing drink served in demitasse cups. It’s a less risky—but equally astounding—spectacle.

Should you find your calling in preparing Cafe Brulot, you might want to bid on these at auction:

  

But before, you might want to pay a visit to New Orleans and see how the pros make it.

Café Brûlot
Spiced Coffee with Brandy and Orange

Ingredients:

• 1 orange
• 12 whole cloves
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 1/3 cup Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 3 (2-inch-long) strips of lemon zest
• 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups hot very strong brewed coffee (preferably chicory coffee blend or French roast)

Preparation:

Remove zest from orange in a single spiral with a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife. Stud orange zest with cloves. Add to a wide heavy medium saucepan with brandy, liqueur, lemon zest, cinnamon, and sugar. Warm through over medium heat, stirring. Tilt pan over gas burner (or use a long match) to ignite carefully (flames will shoot up). While flames subside, slowly pour in hot coffee. Ladle into small cups (preferably demitasse).

Recipe Gourmet Magazine
Photos Google

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake With Glaze

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Meyer Lemons are so good and so special they present a dilemma as far as what to make with them when they are in season.  They are a natural for desserts and can be substituted anytime lemons are called for, but you have to be careful how you use them to highlight the special qualities of this wonderful citrus.  To begin with, they are sweeter and juicier than regular lemons and intensely aromatic.  They are native to China and are said to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin.

Meyer lemons were introduced to the United States in 1908 by Frank Nicholas Meyer, an employee of the United States Department of Agriculture who collected a sample of the plant on a trip to China.

The Meyer lemon is commonly grown in China in garden pots as an ornamental tree. It became popular as a food item in the United States after being rediscovered by chefs such as Alice Waters at Chez Panisse during the California Cuisine revolution. Popularity further climbed when Martha Stewart began featuring them in her recipes. 

In my opinion, the assertive floral-citrus of Meyer lemons  is best enjoyed in curds, whether by themselves or in a cake or pie, and in this delightful pound cake which is by far the best I have ever had.   Martha Stewart also has a recipe for linguine with a Meyer lemon and pistachio pesto which is high on my list of savory recipes to try. 

I have changed the recipe a bit by substituting Meyer lemon juice for some of the vanilla in the pound cake.  I also have to warn you that the original recipe calls for a cooking time of 1 1/2 hours.  I halved the recipe and only made one loaf which took only 50 minutes to bake, so watch the timing carefully.  Next time I may even triple the amounts, it was that good.

The season for Meyer lemons is November to April so hurry up and stock up.  I plan to freeze the juice and some of the zest to make lemonade and these Meyer Lemon Squares in the summer.  For my Meyer Lemon Curd recipe go here. 

You will adore this pound cake.  Make the full recipe and freeze a loaf for later on.  You won't be sorry.

 

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 4 cups sifted cake flour, plus more for pans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 3/4 cups sugar
• 8 eggs room temperature
• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. Meyer lemon juice*      
• Zest of 1 Meyer lemon

For the glaze

• Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
• 2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus more if needed
• 1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-by-5-by-3-inch (or larger) loaf pans and set aside.
Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder two times and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir only until thoroughly blended. Gently fold in the zest.

Pour batter into the prepared pans, making sure to divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Level tops with an offset spatula.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours**, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan about 10 minutes; then remove to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

Glaze

In a medium bowl, whisk all glaze ingredients to combine. If necessary, add additional confectioners' sugar to desired consistency.

Pour glaze on top of cakes and serve.

*I have added 2 tsps.Meyer lemon juice to the original recipe and changed the vanilla to 1 tsp
**Watch time carefully.  Mine was done after 50 minutes.. 

 

 Adapted from Martha Bakes, February 2011