lemon profiteroles with white chocolate
These are a delicious alternative to your normal Chantilly cream and dark chocolate covered profiteroles. They are light and fresh and perfect for a summery dessert. If you like them even lighter, fold in some whipped cream to the pastry cream to give a softer edge.
Serves 6
65g plain flour
pinch of salt
50g butter diced
2 large eggs beaten
200g white chocolate
1 litre pastry cream
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Sift the flour and salt. Put 250ml water in a saucepan and add the butter, heat until the butter melts and then bring to a boil. Pour in the flour and salt and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and forms a soft ball. Get rid of any lumps and cook out for about 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
Gradually add the eggs a little at a time beating well after each
addition. Sprinkle a baking sheet with water and pipe small rounds onto the sheet leaving room for the profiteroles to expand during baking. Wet your finger and press on any sharp points of the mounds to prevent them burning while cooking.
Bake for 25 minutes or until well risen and golden. Remove and pierce to allow the steam to escape then return to the oven for 5
minutes. Remove and cool. To fill slice across the profiterole and pipe in a generous amount of pastry cream. Lay on a dish and pour over the melted white chocolate, serve immediately.
pastry cream
Pastry cream is used widely in Neapolitan desserts and cakes and is usually flavoured lightly with lemon. This is an easy crema pasticcera and can be flavoured with coffee, liqueurs, chocolate, pretty much whatever takes your fancy. My mum always used to make this to put in our birthday cakes and I used to hover around waiting for the lemon peel to be taken out so I could lick off the cream. You can make pastry cream with or without butter I’ve given you both recipes.
Makes about 1 litre
2 whole eggs,
6 egg yolks,
2.5 litres milk
250g sugar
20g flour
10g butter
peel of two lemons
Same method just
omitting the butter
½ litre milk
250g sugar
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
30g flour
peel 1 lemon
Put the milk in a pan, add the lemon peel and bring to the boil. In another bowl put the sugar with the flour and egg yolks. Pour the milk slowly on the egg mix stirring continuously then put it back on the heat and stir bringing back to the boil. Take off the heat and add the butter and leave to cool.
lemon panna cotta
Panna cotta or cooked cream is a very versatile dish you can pretty much use whatever flavours you like. I find this one really light and refreshing and a great way to end a meal. You can make it as sweet as you like. Use the zest and juice of the lemons for this. I like to keep the zest in but if you like it really smooth, pass through a sieve to remove all the pieces.
Serves 4
120 ml milk
1 leaf gelatine
250ml whipping cream
75g caster sugar
2 lemons, juice and zest
½ vanilla pod
Place the gelatine leaves in cold water and leave to soak for about 5 minutes. Put the cream and sugar in a pan and gently bring to the boil. Remove from the heat add the lemon juice and zest and leave to cool slightly. Drain the gelatine and squeeze out the excess water. Put it into the cream mix and stir well making sure it melts properly. Pour the mix into dariole moulds or cups and set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
To serve run the knife round the edge and turn upside down to tip it out. Serve as is or with some fruit compote.
Lemon cake
Lemons grow profusely along the Amalfi coast which means that Agerola is full of them. My cousin Maria Rita and her husband Salvatore have lemon groves high in the mountains of Vettica along the coastline. Like many families in the area they sell the lemons and also keep their families in supply. You will find many meals utilising lemons in wonderful and varied ways and it is of course one of the principal condiments in Campanian food.
With a glut of lemons come the habitual Limoncello, sorbets, ice creams, creams and cakes. This is a wonderful moist cake that is bathed in a delicious fragrant, lemony syrup and is
delightful on its own or with a good dollop of cream.
I like mine very lemony to the point of zingyness but you can mess around with the number of lemons and the amount of juice to get to the taste you like.
It is a straightforward cake to make but wows with the flavour.
If you can use big juicy lemons from Amalfi great, if not use good plump, unwaxed ones from nearby.
Makes a 9 inch cake
150g butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
zest and juice of 4 large lemons
500g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
125ml milk
For the syrup
150ml water
180g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. In a large bowl mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time then add the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the juice. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Fold in half the flour mix to the egg and sugar mix and then add half the milk. Fold together then add the remaining flour and milk. If the mix is too hard add a little more lemon juice.
Pour into a prepared Bundt pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Whilst the cake is baking make the syrup by boiling the sugar, lemon juice and water in a saucepan on a low heat until the sugar has
dissolved. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 15
minutes.
Make holes in the top with a skewer or toothpick and spoon over nearly all the syrup. Allow the cake to absorb the juices and then turn it out onto a plate. Heat up the remaining syrup so it reduces and thickens and then spoon over the top of the cake to form a light glaze. Serve in thick slices.
Delizie al limone/lemon delicacies
These little lemon mounds are served all over the Amalfi coast and are very popular all over Campania.
Either sold as individual cakes or on huge trays. They are a beautiful sight and taste delicious.
They are basically a soft sponge cake that is filled with a lemon pastry cream and then smothered in a Limoncello, lemony cream. If you love lemon you will love this. Delicate yet zesty and light.
These are traditionally made in small rounded tins which can be bought from specialist shops but if you can’t find them make them in muffin tins and no one will be able to tell the difference.
Use unwaxed lemons.
Serves 6 - 8
For the sponge
6eggs
150g self raising flour
200g sugar
zest of 1 lemon
For the lemon cream
500ml milk
100g sugar
55g plain flour
3 egg yolks
peel of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
For the syrup
200ml water
100ml Limoncello
3 tablespoons sugar
1 lemon
For the Limoncello cream
500g double cream
300ml Limoncello
200g lemon cream
zest of 1 lemon
Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Make the sponge cakes by whisking the eggs, zest and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on a very high speed for 5-10 minutes until doubled in size and pale. Add the flour and fold it in then spoon the mix into the moulds and cook for
20-25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.
Make the lemon cream by mixing the egg yolks, flour and sugar in a saucepan then adding the vanilla, milk and lemon peel, stirring
continuously over a gentle heat until it thickens. Remove the lemon peel and leave the cream to cool. Add 30ml Limoncello and 100ml double cream which has been whipped to soft peaks.
To make the soaking syrup put the water and sugar an the zest of 2 lemons in a small pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Add the Limoncello and remove from the heat leaving it to cool.
To make the covering cream, put the cream, Limoncello, 200g lemon cream and lemon zest into a bowl and mix well. The cream should be neither too runny nor too thick,
To put the dessert together take the cooled cakes and cut the bottom off, remove the centre of the cake very carefully not breaking the outer shell. Wet the cakes with the syrup them fill them with the lemon cream. Put the top of the cakes back on and turn them upside down. Layer them on a tray or serving platter and pour over the decorating cream, it should cover them completely. Decorate the cakes with whipped cream and lemon zest. Chill for 1-2 hours before eating.
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