Light and Luscious Lemon Cake

Gateau au Citron or French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

Need to add a little sunshine to your life? just one slice of this lemon cake can do just that. At the very least it will cause a smile,a happy sigh of pleasure. I promise. It's just that good.

I don't need much help in the smile and sunshine department lately. The delight of a recent sunny road trip along the coast and in the southwestern states still lingers in memory. Our Seattle weather can do it's changeable, unpredictable thing, but I'm still smiling remembering February sun and enjoying a slice of lemon cake.

Lemon meringue pie is too sweet for my taste, but other lemony desserts hold appeal. I remember Eric Z's homemade lemon bread, a long-ago gift from a second-grade student. The bread had been glazed while still warm, topping that dessert loaf with a sweet lemony crunch. My recipe box still holds a well-used card for Mrs. Z's Lemon Bread. Over the years I have added citrus juice and  orange or lemon zest to numerous cookie recipes, here and here, but nothing matches the success of this lemon cake. This recipe just might be my favorite dessert slice - or breakfast/brunch choice, or anytime snack.

     

This cake is smiling too!

Oops! I didn't sift the powdered sugar for the icing.

Gateau au Limon

Adapted from Orangette, with added inspiration from APlumByAnyOtherName, lauriebot, et al. Orangette noted this cake is an old French classic and traditionally the ingredients are measured in a yogurt jar, a small glass cylinder that holds about 125 ml.

One 9-inch round cake pan
Butter for greasing pan
Parchment paper


For the cake:

1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt(or Greek yogurt) 

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unbleached AP flour

2 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt

1 Tbs. grated lemon zest

1/2 cup canola oil (or olive oil)

For the syrup:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup powdered sugar

A few drops of vanilla extract

For the optional icing (from APlumByAnyOtherName):

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Scant 1/4 cup lemon juice
For the optional lavender cream (from lauriebot)
1 Tbs. honey
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
scant 1/4 tsp. lavender blossoms

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously butter the sides and bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter it too. You really don't want this cake to stick when you turn it out!
2. Combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl; stir until well blended.
3. Using a sifter or sieve, add the baking powder to the flour and sift into the yogurt mixture; add the lemon zest and mix all to just combine.
4. Add the oil and stir until it all combines into a smooth batter. Initially it will look like a dreadful mistake, as though the wet and dry ingredients will never blend. Just keep stirring, it will eventually come together.
5. Pour and scrape the batter into the buttered cake pan: it will just fill a 9-inch round pan.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not remove from the oven until the cake tester comes out clean, but don't overbake either.
7. Cool the cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely. Run a knife along the sides of your pan to assist in the unmolding. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, parchment side up. Put the rack on a baking sheet (to catch any drips from the syrup). Remove the parchment paper. Slowly spoon the syrup over the cake; it should soak into the cake top, not run over the sides onto the plate. Cool completely and enjoy a slice, with or without toppings.
8. Option 1: Just before serving, whisk together the icing ingredients and spoon or pour over the cooled cake. 
9. Option 2: Add honey, cream and lavender to a small pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat and let steep, covered for 5 minutes (no longer, since lavender can be an overpoweringly strong flavor. Strain and place in refrigerator to cool. Just before serving, whisk until light and fluffy.

Are you a lemon fan too? What's your favorite lemony recipe?

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and Grits - that's a tempting entree or appetizer in any month, so don't wait for Mardi Gras to indulge.

 

Picture a bowl of decadent cheesy grits, finished with a bit of cream and butter, tucked beneath sweet wild shrimp and sauced with a zingy andouille gravy. Garnished with a gremolata of lemon zest, parsley and green onion, mmmm mmm, that’s comfort food at its best. If you just can’t resist the temptation, go ahead and add some crispy bacon bits, but the dish is plenty tasty without them.

Before any food purists shout out that “real” Low Country Grits don't feature cheese or dairy, I’ll admit this recipe could be non-traditional. Too bad, I like my grits this way. For the best results use stone-ground grits rather than the instant or quick-cook varieties that come in a box. It’s a textural thing, a different mouth-feel that in no way resembles the dreaded Cream of Wheat cereal of my youth. 

The shrimp and sauce part of the recipe tends to change each time I prepare this dish. Variations spring from suggestions in cookbooks or online sources (like this and this) and it’s fun to mess with the basic recipe. Last Saturday's version for a Mardi Gras Potluck Party was based on a Tyler Florence recipe, found online and in his cookbook, “Stirring the Pot”.

Some of the best suggestions come from the online readers’ comments. For example, an alcohol reduction* blended into the roux added extra depth and richness to balance the zing of cayenne and hot sauce. Not knowing the heat tolerance of the partygoers, I kept this batch on the mild side. Bottles of Cajun Sunshine and Green Tabasco sauce let everyone add heat as desired.

Note to self: the andouille gravy mellows and loses some of it's spicy heat when prepared a day ahead of time.

Shrimp and Grits

Recipe based on Ultimate Shrimp and Grits by Tyler Florence

Serves 4-6 an an entree

Grits:

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup milk

1 cup stone-ground grits

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup shredded cheese (any mild, white, meltable not stringy when heated variety) 

Kosher salt and white pepper

Shrimp:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium white onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 pound spicy sausage, cut in chunks (andouille, chorizo, spicy Italian, etc)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 green onion, white and green part, chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

Hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper to taste 

To make the grits, place a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the milk and slowly whisk in the grits. When the grits begin to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon so the grits don't stick and scorch. Cook according to the package directions, or until the mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir in the cream, cheese and butter; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more cream as desired for looser grits; they will set up and thicken a bit as they stand.

To make the shrimp, place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic; saute for 2 minutes to soften, not brown. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown. Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps. Toss in the bay leaf. When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the shrimp. Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat. Do not overcook the shrimp! Season with salt and pepper; add cayenne and/or hot sauce to taste. Stir in half of the parsley, lemon zest and green onion. 

To serve, spoon the grits into a serving bowl or into individual bowls. Add the sauced shrimp mixture and garnish with the remaining parsley, lemon zest and green onion. Serve immediately, with extra hot sauce available.

Notes:

• Use really good, spicy sausage; I prefer andouille or a mix of andouille and chorizo.
• Shrimp shells simmered in the chicken stock add extra flavor. Discard the shells before adding the stock to the roux. 
• Alcohol Reduction*: For the liquid, I used the chicken broth, but I also brought to a boil about 1 scant cup of dry white wine, about 3/4 cup of a dark lager and a jigger of Kentucky bourbon. I slowly reduced it all down to about 1/3, and added it to the gravy along with a bit of butter just before serving. It sounds like a bit of a bother, but it really added a richness of flavor. 
• The Cajun Sunshine contributed a sweet, mild heat to the dish, without the harshness of cayenne. It may be hard to locate, but it's worth the search.

 Laissez les bons temps rouler!