Lemony eggs for loving on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I presented the following dish for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  The eggs are from Nature's Farm and the Gluten Free shells are from Piccola Cucina.  The butter for the curd is our wonderful Notre Dame butter.  

Lemon Curd

2-4 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (I use Nature’s Farm eggs, available at the St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)

Finely grate the peel of 2 large lemons. Squeeze the lemons and reserve the juice. (I used Meyer Lemons for this recipe)
Melt 1/2 cup butter in a double saucepan over a very gentle heat.
Gradually add 1 cup superfine sugar, 3 beaten eggs, the grated lemon zest and the lemon juice.
Stir until thickened.
Put into sterilized jars while still hot and cover with wax paper, pressing the paper on the surface of the lemon curd. (If using curd for Lemon Meringue Pie/tarts, cool in fridge)
Leave until completely cold before covering the jars.

Lemon Meringue Pie/Tarts

3 large egg whites
1 lemon curd recipe
Pie or tart shells ( I used gluten free Almond tarts from Piccola Cucina, locally made and available at Vita Heallth, DeLuca’s Red River Coop stores, GJ Andrews)
pinch of cream of tartar
2 tbs sugar

Prebake pie and tart shells at 375º for 10-15 minutes.
Fill tart shells with curd.
Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks forms.  Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form and appear shiny.  Top the lemon filling, making sure to cover completely to the edges.  Otherwise the meringue will shrink to nothing.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 375ºF or until the meringue is golden.  Cool on rack completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

Sunday's Event

Escargot, Ahi Tuna, Oysters and Calimari all available at Gimli Fish on Dufferin in Winnipeg.

Sunday's Menu
Surf, Turf and more of the Earth

Surf
Ahi Tuna Udon Spoons
Oysters Rockefeller
Calimari with Chipotle Aioli
Escargot with Pesto Butter

Earthy
Porcini Mushroom Consommé

Light on the Earth
Avocado, Grape Tomatoes, Balsamic Reduction

Turf and More Earth
Bison tenderloin with Ras el Hanout and Blood Orange Reduction
Roasted Yams
Turkish Eggplant with Yoghurt

Heavenly Delights
Pavlova with Meyers Lemon curd

Within Earth's Orbit
Assorted Cheeses with Montreal Baguettes and Fresh Dates

Blood Orange/Meyer Lemon Marmalade

If there is a food that makes you get through the winter and feel alive, I'm certain that its this Blood Orange/Meyer Lemon Marmalade.

I'm making a huge batch of this today. Making marmalade is labour intensive but with great results. I've put a small batch recipe up as I'm making marmalade from whole cases of blood oranges and Meyers Lemons.


Ingredients:
Fruit - 8 whole blood oranges, thinly sliced (4 cups cut)
3 whole Meyers lemons, thinly sliced (1 ½ cups cut)
Orange juice or Water - 4 cups of either. I use orange juice instead of water, for extra flavor.
Sugar - about 4 cups of sugar
Pectin

1. Select the fruit

If you live in Florida or southern California you can go pick your own Oranges in January and February! Otherwise, you'll have to go to the grocery store for the oranges and lemons. This is NOT part of the Manitoba 100 mile diet. I went to F.O.O.D. for my organic Blood Oranges and Meyers Lemons.

Pick fresh oranges and lemons that are not soft, moldy or discolored.

2. Wash the fruit
Canning really requires everything to be clean.

3. Get the jars and lids washed

I rinse the jars and lids in the large pot of boiling water after washing. Leave them in the hot water for a few minutes.

4. Remove the outer part of the peel

Take a look at Step 10 - if you are going to use method 10a, then with a vegetable peeler, remove only the coloured part of the peel and set it aside. This outer portion of the peel is what give marmalade its bitter taste. If you like it, chop it finely and set it aside. I chopped it with a double mesa luna.

If you don't like the bitterness, then you are going to use the method Step 10b, so just then just peel the fruit with your hands as shown in step 5 (and skip step 4)

5. Remove the remaining rind

Hold the citrus fruit with the stem end up and using a very sharp knife, cut off the pith (white part)and discard.

6. Slice the oranges and lemons in half

Cut the fruit in half, across the segments.

The tough, white part in the center must be cut out and discarded.

Save any juice that leaks out.

7. Chop the oranges and lemons

Next, slice the two halves into thin slices

And then chop the slices up a bit! Remove and discard any seeds or tough parts of the orange that you find in the process.

Save any juice that leaks out.

8. Measure out the sugar

You'll need to follow the directions that come with the pectin, but generally, the lower sugar pectin recipes call for about 4 cups of sugar per box, and the regular pectin calls for 7 cups of sugar.

Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar and keep this separate from the rest of the sugar.

9. Mix the chopped oranges with the pectin

Stir the pectin into the chopped fruit. Put the mix in a big pot and set aside for a moment.

10. Cook the fruit - With Peels or Not?

Peels add the bitterness to marmalade, but some people do not like marmalade because it is bitter.

10a. With the Peels:

Bring the mix to a boil. Cover it, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped fruit and simmer for 10 minutes more.

10b. Without the peels

If you want a less bitter taste, skip the preceding and instead place the chopped fruit and 4 cups of water or orange juice in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes

11. Add the sugar and return to a boil

Add the sugar and bring the mixture back to a full boil.

12. Bring the mixture to a full boil

Stir the mix and bring it to a full boil, hard, for one minute.

13. Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on

Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner!

14. Process the jars in the boiling water bath

Keep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Boil them for at 15 minutes.

15. Done

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)

It may take up to two weeks for the marmalade to set and thicken up. It will be runny until then!

Once cooled, they're ready to store. They last about 18 months. After that, the marmalade gets darker in colour and starts to get runny. It is still safe to eat. So eat them in the first 12 to 18 months after you prepare them!

In Winnipeg, I've also seen Blood Oranges at DeLuca's Specialty Food Store, Restaurant, Catering, Cooking School 956 Portage Ave. Winnipeg, MB