Tag: Lemons

Lemon Meringue Pie

  • I am sure this would be a popular dessert in Poland and would be a bezowa (meringue) tarta (tart)
  • This is said to have originated in the United States of America.

  • Custard pies of various kinds using egg yolks had been made in Britain and then America for years but the first mention of Lemon Meringue Pie is in a cookery book of 1869.

  • Mrs Elizabeth Goodfellow, who ran a pastry shop in Philadelphia, decided to use the leftover egg whites as a topping over a lemon custard.

  • Mrs Elizabeth Goodfellow also started America’s first cookery school.

     

    INGREDIENTS

    Shortcrust pastry

    *

    40g cornflour

    25g butter

    300ml water

    2 lemons rind & juice

    2 egg yolks

    50g caster sugar

    *

    2 egg whites

    50g & 50g caster sugar

    METHOD

    It is best to use a metal dish especially one with a loose base.

    Any diameter from 18cm to 22cm.

    Grease the dish well.

    Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line the dish.

    Place a circle of baking paper over the base and add “baking beans”.

    Bake blind at GM 7 – 220°C for around 15 minutes.

    Remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5 minutes.

    Leave to cool.

    *

    In a saucepan blend a little of the water with the cornflour.

    Add the rest of the water and the butter.

    Bring to the boil and then lower the heat

    Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

    Remove from the heat.

    Add the lemon rind and juice.

    Add the yolks and 50g of caster sugar.

    Mix well and leave to cool.

    *

    Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160°C.

    *

    Fill the pastry with the lemon mixture.

    *

    Whisk the egg whites till stiff.

    Whisk in 50g of caster sugar till stiff.

    Fold in 50g of caster sugar.

    Cover the pie with the egg white mixture.

    Make random peaks over the surface.

    Bake for 25 minutes.

    *

    Leave to cool before serving.

    OPTION

    If you have an extra egg white, say from making the pastry, use this with extra sugar for the topping.

  • Served here on Royal Doulton Tapestry.

Iced Lemon Yoghurt Cake

  • I have been looking for a good recipe, which uses yoghurt but not always with much success.
  • I came across this one the other week and tried it out.
  • Although I made a few alterations – I found that this is the best I have come across.
  • The texture is good and the taste is super.
  • I learnt a new tip, which was to add the lemon rind to the sugar for about 30 minutes – this releases more lemon oil.
  • *
  • I am going to adapt this to make an orange version very soon.

Ingredients

  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 185ml of Greek style Yoghurt
  • 3 eggs
  • 120ml sunflower oil
  • Large pinch of salt

Method

  • Add the zest to the sugar and leave for about 30 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180ºC.
  • Use a loaf liner to line a 2 lb loaf tin.
  • Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  • Add the yoghurt and eggs to the sugar mixture.
  • Gradually add the flour mixture and mix well.
  • Add the oil and mix well again.
  • Pour the batter into the loaf tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for around 45 to 50 minutes.
  • Check a little earlier and cover with greaseproof  paper if it is starting to burn.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.

Lemon Icing – Ingredients

  • 100g icing sugar – approx
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Lemon Icing – Method

  • Mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice.
  • Adjust sugar or juice to make a thin pouring icing.
  • Once the cake is cold, pour this over the cake.
  • Smooth down with a warm spatula.

Tea plates – Greenway Hostess by John Russell from the 1`960s.

Yoghurt Desserts

  • These desserts are similar to my twaróg desserts. 
  • They are make with packet jellies with the addition of yoghurt.
  • The more yoghurt you add the softer the mixture will be.
  • The variations are endless depending on the jelly flavour.
  • Topping and sauces can also be varied.
  • Leave the mixture to set in a large bowl and then put scoops into individual serving dishes.

Lemon Version

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of lemon jelly
  • 250 – 400ml of yoghurt
  • Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
  • *
  • Toppings
  • Bottled blackcurrants – drained
  • *
  • Juice from the bottled blackcurrants
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons of potato or corn flour

Method

  • Make up 500ml of lemon jelly as per the packet instructions.
  • Add the lemon juice and the rind.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Whisk in the yoghurt and mix till all is blended in.
  • Leave to set in the fridge.
  • Place scoops into individual glasses.
  • *
  • Make a sauce with the blackcurrant juice and the potato or corn flour.
  • Mixed in and then heat, stirring till it thickens.

Blackcurrant version

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of blackcurrant jelly
  • 250 – 400ml of yoghurt
  • *
  • Toppings
  • Chopped tinned peaches
  • Sauce made from raspberry jam and water

Method

  • Make up 500ml of blackcurrant jelly as per the packet instructions.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Whisk in the yoghurt and mix till all is blended in.
  • Leave to set in the fridge.
  • Place scoops into individual glasses.
  • Add chopped peaches.
  • Heat around 80g of raspberry jam with some water to make a thick sauce.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Pour over the peaches.

Lemon Torcik

  • This is such an easy way to make the lemon and cheese mixture.
  • It is adapted from a recipe on a tin of condensed milk.
  • The bottom layer is made from a biscuit base – I have made a chocolate one.
  • You can adapt this base using different biscuits or omitting the chocolate.* see footnote photos
  • I used a little chocolate to decorate the top and this was enough for me.
  • You could add fruit and syrups or many other options.

Ingredients – Biscuit Base

  • 150g of Petit Beurre(morning coffee or similar) biscuits
  • 75g of butter
  • 50g – 75g of dark chocolate

Method

  • Grease a spring-form or loose bottomed tin with melted butter. (Use a 20cm or 22cm diameter tin).
  • Crush the biscuits in a bowl.
  • Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat then add the chocolate and let it melt.
  • Add the butter & chocolate mix to the biscuits and mix them all together.
  • Press the mixture into the base of the tin and leave it to cool completely.
  • Once cool you can put it in the tin and into the fridge for several hours.
  • You can leave this overnight if you wish.

Ingredients – Lemon Cheese

  • 300g of yoghurt cheese or cream cheese
  • 1 tin of condensed milk (397g weight).
  • Juice and fine grated rind of 2 large lemons
  • *
  • Chocolate flake or grated chocolate to decorate.
  • Lemon rind strands from 1 lemon to decorate.

Method

  • If using your own yoghurt cheese, a good idea is to leave it overnight in a large sieve over a bowl to get rid of excess whey.
  • Put the yoghurt cheese, the condensed milk, the juice and rind of the lemons in a big bowl.
  • Whisk the contents together.
  • Spoon the mixture over the base and smooth the top.
  • Leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
  • *
  • Put long strands of lemon rind in around a tablespoon of granulated sugar.
  • Leave for around an hour.
  • *
  • Take great care when removing the torcik out of the tin.
  • Use a long thin spatula to ease the edge.
  • Use a tin to place the cake tin on, to move it apart from the base.
  • *
  • Decorate the edges and the centre with chocolate flake and lemon rind.

Served on tea plates by Greenway Hostess by John Russell –  1960-1979

*The following photos are from a version made  without the chocolate in the base and a fluted loose bottomed tin was used.

 

  • Served on Royal Doulton – Counterpoint tea-plates 1973 – 1987
  • Portmeirion Crazy Daisy cake forks by Sophie Conran from 2009.

Lemon Icing – American Style

I used to work online for an organisation in America and I still correspond by e-mail with one of my old colleagues.

He sent me a recipe for a Lemon Cake which his maternal grandmother, Maude Hodge, used to make, saying that this was his favourite cake and she often made it for his birthday.

My nephew, who is now working in America, loves lemon cake – I made him two types when he was here on a visit over a year ago – see previous posts – Lemon Drizzle and Lemon Cream Roulade.

I am sure he will love this one and if he makes it – the recipe will have crossed the Atlantic and back!

The recipe is for an icing or topping, which is a “cousin” to Lemon Curd and Lemon Meringue Pie filling.

I made two cakes using 4 eggs using a butter sponge as in  – How Did My Sponge Become Sandy? You could also use a fat free sponge. (Use 21 or 22 cm diameter tins)

The original instructions said to cut each cake into two so that you had four layers – my cutting ability is not that good! (Also I liked the thick layer in the middle)

You spread the icing on the layers to sandwich them together and then cover the top and sides.

Ingredients

  • 440g of granulated sugar
  • 250ml of water
  • 3 lemons – juice and finely grated rind
  • 1 egg
  • 5 tablespoons of cornflour
  • 1 teaspoon of butter

Method

  • In a saucepan mix the sugar, egg, cornflour and water together.
  • Add the lemon juice and rind.
  • Cook over a low heat, stirring gently until the mixture thickens.
  • Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Place one of the cakes on a serving plate – one with a lip is best.
  • Spread the icing on the cake.
  • Put the other cake on top.
  • Cover the top and sides.

 

  • The cake is on a Walther  Glas crystal cake plate.
  • Served on Aynsley – Las Palmas tea plates,  from the 1960s.
  • Coffee cups & saucers by Colclough,  Ridgway Concord,  from the 1970s.

 

 

Lemon Drizzle Cake

This is not a Polish recipe but my nephew loves cakes with lemons and after trying many versions this is the one I baked for him especially when he came to visit recently.  I will be sticking with this recipe from now on.

Ingredients – Cake

  • 175g butter or block margarine
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 160g self-raising  flour

Ingredients – Drizzle

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 110g caster sugar

Method

  • Grease and line a large (2lb) loaf tin – or use a ready bought liner.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180oC
  • Cream the butter and sugar till soft and fluffy
  • Add the lemon zest and mix again.
  • Add the eggs, 1 by 1, and mix well.
  • Add the juice of 1 lemon and mix well.
  • Fold in the flour with a metal spoon.
  • Put the mixture into the loaf tin and gently level the top.

  • Bake for around 50 – 60 minutes – check after 40 minutes and cover the top with greaseproof paper if needed to prevent the top burning.
  • Leave to cool slightly in the tin and then remove and place on a cake rack and allow to cool a little more.
  • Prepare the drizzle by mixing the sugar and lemon juice until it dissolves.
  • Remove the greaseproof paper or liner and place the cake onto a plate (a long rectangular one with a lip around the side is the best ) so that the base is flat and excess drizzle does not run off.
  • Prick the top of the cake with a skewer
  • Gently spoon all the drizzle over the top of the cake

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Herbata – Tea

Legend has it that in nearly 3,000 years BC the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nung, was sitting outside when leaves from the evergreen shrub Camellia sinensis fell into some boiling water which he then tasted – and so tea was born!

Traders from the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie)(VOC)  first brought tea from China to Holland at the beginning of the 17th century where it became very popular & it was Dutch traders that brought tea to Poland.

Tea is mentioned in the mid 17th century by King Jan Kazimierz II (1609-1672) in a letter to his wife Ludowika Maria(1611-1667) and the drink became very popular with the nobility.

Tea in Polish is herbata which comes from the Dutch Herba thee  & which earlier may have been from the Latin Herba thea.

Cza (cha) – is a Chinese word for tea and in Polish the word for a teapot is czajnik.

Poland – a country of tea drinkers

I think tea could be classed as Poland’s national drink and per capita per annum the Polish consumption is the 4th in Europe (figures from 2014) following Ireland, the UK and Russia & in 9th place globally, ahead of Japan and Saudi Arabia.

A typical Pole drinks a glass of tea for breakfast, lunch, dinner & supper and in between as well.

Serving Tea in Poland

Tea is served as “black” tea – though in fact it is very light weak tea – it is never served with milk. It is served on its own or with slices of lemon or  a small amount of fruit syrup  such as cherry or raspberry.

The syrup  in the photographs below is raspberry – malina 

Tea was often served with honey although nowadays it is more likely to be served with sugar.  However I usually  drink my  tea without sweetness, except when I  add some fruit syrup.

Polish honey from the lime tree also know as the linden tree.

Note

The Polish for July is lipiec  – meaning the month of the linden blossom – many Polish cities have parks and avenues with linden trees & in July the air is heady with the scent.

 

Porcelain lidded sugar bowl by TCM Germany – bought in a second hand shop in Krakòw

 

 

 

 

 

The tradition way is to brew  a  very strong solution of tea  called  esencja (essence) and this is poured into a glass or cup and boiling water added to make a very light coloured – weak tea.

Often a samowar was used  with the  strong essence of tea kept in the little teapot (often this could be a little enamel pot) and the samowar is used to boil the water and keep the essence warm.

Samo means by itself  …. war means to heat or to boil.

The photographs are of my samowar which is electric – It was made in the 1980s.

My father talked about their samowar in Poland which had a tube in the centre into which you put hot charcoal to heat the water.

Tea Bags

Nowadays tea bags are often used and a very popular brand is Yellow Label from Unilever Polska – Liptons .

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Thomas Lipton(1848-1931) was from Glasgow, Scotland and Lipton Yellow Label has been sold since 1890 when the first version of the Yellow pack with a red Lipton shield was used.

Strangely enough this brand of tea is not marketed in the UK – I used to bring it back from Poland – now I can buy it in all the Polish shops.

Tea Glasses

Tea was always served in tall glasses often with a holder of metal or straw .  Many years ago I had a big clear out and got rid of my straw holders – I so regret that now!

Images below from photos on the World Wide Web

 

 

Last Saturday, I went to the second hand market in Huddersfield and found 2 pairs of tea glass holders, 1 pair in stainless steel & 1 pair in silver plate.   They have cleaned up very well – I am so pleased I found them.

Glass handled mugs are a substitute.

 

China cups and saucers are also used on many occasions –

Herbata & Sernik (Polish Cheesecake)

Royal Albert  tea set – Primulette from the 1950s

Tea is often used in baking, it can be used to soak dried fruits before making a cake or as part of a poncz (punch) to drizzle over a cake such as a yeast babka.

 

Tea & Chocolate babka

The cake stand & pastry forks are Crazy Daisy (21st Century design) by Portmeirion

The tea service is Lyndale, by Royal Standard from the 1950s.

The green teapot is Cafe Culture by Maxwell Williams.

 

 

Śmietana – Soured Cream – A Classic Polish Salad Dressing

Śmietana – Soured Cream – must be one of the most used salad dressings in Poland.

Soured cream is used  just on its own and sometimes if it is thick or because they like it that way people will add lemon juice to make it more runny.

I am going to write about the three classic salads which will have soured cream on them.

Mizeria

Legend has it that this salad was beloved by Queen Bona, the Italian princess, who married King Zygmunt 1 in the early part of the 16th Century.

She is famous for bringing her chefs and a variety of vegetables to Poland  and many vegetables names in Polish have Italian roots.

The word mizeria comes from the Latin meaning misery.  It is said that this salad made the Queen homesick for Italy.  I can understand the cucumber – not sure about the soured cream – but that is the story.

It certainly is a delicious cooling salad for a hot day.

I was talking with one of my Polish friends earlier last week and I said that I was going to write about mizeria and she said “Oh there were 20 people for dinner yesterday and I made a huge bowl of mizeria – it was delicious and it  was all eaten!”

It is the salad that everyone loves to make in the summer and it is so easy.

Ingredients

Just – Cucumber, Soured Cream and a little salt.

Option extras

Lemon juice added to the soured cream.

Some people add little bit of icing sugar.

Dill or chives as a garnish.

Take a cucumber and peel off the skin. If the skin is thin then sometimes I do not peel it all off,  just stripes so that you have a nice pattern later of dark and pale green.

Cut the cucumber into thin slices and put them into a bowl

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Lightly salt the cucumber.

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Add several spoonfuls of soured cream to the cucumber and mix them together, you want to coat most of the slices.

Sprinkle with a garnish of chopped dill or chives if desired and serve.

This is delicious with Polish style smoked meats and sausage and also with  hot roast meats as a lovely contrast.

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Mizeria Garnished with Dill

Dill
Dill

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Mizeria Garnished with Chives

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note

This is best made with  young fresh cucumbers in summer.  However now that you can get greenhouse grown cucumbers all year round I sometimes find that they are a bit old and woody,  if this is the case I would remove the seed area – this is best done by cutting the cucumber lengthwise in two and removing the seeds by pulling a teaspoon down the seedy middle. Then you can slice the cucumber as before.

Some cooks salt the sliced cucumber and leave this for about half an hour and then discard the liquid before adding the soured cream.   I do not usually do this unless I am making it for serving at a much later time.

Radish Salad

Ingredients

  • Radish and Soured Cream.
  • Chives or Spring onions to garnish.
  • Prepare the radishes by removing the hairy roots and stalks.
  • Thinly slice the radishes.

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  • Put the radish slices in a bowl and add several tablespoons of soured cream (thinned with lemon juice it desired).
  • Garnish with chives or the green part of spring onions, finely chopped.

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I love the way the radish skin colour seeps into the soured cream after a while and makes it pale pink.

Lettuce Salad

This is the most simple salad you can make – just use lettuce leaves pulled off from the head of lettuce, wash and dry them using a tea towel or a salad spinner  and add several tablespoons of soured cream (thinned with lemon juice it desired) and mix them together.

Garnish with a few chives if you have them and serve.

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