Diner Style Lemon Pudding

   

Although I am rationing flour and sugar, I did want to make us something sweet for a weekend treat.  Usually at the weekend I like to have a dessert of some kind.  This Diner Style Lemon Pudding fits the bill perfectly. 

 

Not only does it not use any flour, but it also uses a minimum of sugar.  Plus I had a lemon which needed using up and I'll be darned if I waste anything now.  I cooked pasta today that was 10 years past its use-by date and it was perfectly fine, believe it or not, and yes that was very brave of me.  It smelt alright and I cooked a bit and it tasted fine, so I used it.  And I lived to tell the tale.

 

This recipe comes from a cookery book I have had since 2007, enitled The American Diner Cookbook, by Elizabeth MdKeon and Linda Everett.  It was originally published in 1962 and is filled to overflowing with an abundance of tasty sounding recipes. There are no photos in the book, bar fascinating photos of old Diners.

 

Diners hold a special place in the heart of Americans, and the culinary history of America.  Known for their warmth and good simple food they are restaurants which have always beckoned and tempted diners and weary travellers alike with the promise of delicious home cooked food.

 

The type of food your mama would have cooked.  Great food, excellent service and great prices.  They are the backbone of  the American culinary experience.  They are also very popular here in the UK,  Many entrepreneurs have tried to mimic the warmth and style of the American Diner experience, but I have to say in my experience, most have fallen way short of the ideal.

 

For the most part their food has been over-priced and lacking in something.  You can dress up a restaurant with all the chrome and formica you want, but without the heart and the warmth of the original they will always be sadly lacking in that special Je ne sais quois.  Just my opinion and experience.

 

This is not a pudding in the sense of a British pudding, which tend to be deliciously stodgy desserts, all of which come under the heading of puddings . . .  steamed, baked, pies, cakes, etc.  Over here all are classed as pudding, which is merely another name for dessert.

 

This is very much a pudding in the North American sense . . . in that it is a thick, creamy cold custard type of pudding.  Comforting and delicious. 

 

Rich and lush this pudding is filled with lemon flavour!  Not too tart, but neither too sweet . . .  just lemony enough without being over the top . . .

  

Creamy and lucious  . . . rich with the addition of whipped cream, cream cheese and sour cream, but not a lot of any one thing . . .  just a touch . . .

 

You begin by cooking a lemon custard, which . . .  thickened and cooled, has whipped cream folded into it.

 

This is then poured into a casserole dish and topped with dollops of billowing sweet meringue  . . .

 

Popped into a hot oven briefly  until the meringue dollops are golden brown, but still remain soft.

  

This went down a real treat with the both of us, even my so-called lemon hating husband.  He actually really enjoyed it, so much so that he had two helpings.  He just loves custard . . .

Diner Style Lemon Pudding

Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

A delicious lemon pudding recipe which I adapted from a cookbook entitled American Diner.  This is quite simply delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 large free range eggs, separated
• 64g of caster sugar (1/3 cup finely granulated sugar)
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 120g sour cream (1 cup)
• 120ml lemon juice (1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 120ml cream (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 TBS caster sugar

Instructions:

How to cook Diner Style Lemon Pudding

1. You will need a double boiler for this, or a heatproof bowl that will sit comfortably over a saucepan of boiling water.
2. Beat the egg yolks togeher with the sugar.  Beat in the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, combining well.  Pour into the top of the double boiler, or into the heatproof bowl.
3. Cook, stirring constantly over simmering water, until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
4. Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. 
5. Whip the cream until stiff.  Fold into the cold lemon mixture and then pour the pudding into a shallow casserole dish.
6. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy.  Continue to beat  while drizzling in the sugar.  Beat until the egg whites become stiff and form peaks. 
7. Drop by tablespoons over top of the cold pudding.  Pop the casserole into the oven for about 6 minutes until the meringue is golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

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This recipe also works very well, cut in half, which is what I did.  It was my first time making this pudding.  It was so delicious that I can promise you it won't be my last! 

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Lemon Splits

  

I've been pretty laid out with my back this past couple of weeks and have not really been cooking anything new for the most part. The pain has been pretty bad, but finally today I feel like I have begun to turn the corner somewhat and so I decided to do a new recipe to share on here. Lemon Splits!

  

Its okay if you don't know what they are.  I had never heard of them either before I moved here to the UK.  I have always loved Lemon flavoured anything.  Those lemon puff cookies were my favourite when I was growing up.  Buttery lemon flavoured crackers put together with lemon icing. If you are a lemon aficionado you will know exactly the ones I mean!

 

I discovered these Lemon Splits in the grocery shop about a year or so ago. What they are is plain Welsh Cakes, without the spice and raisins, put together with a layer of lemon curd in the middle.  My goodness but they are some tasty. They don't always have them in the shops however so it is hit and miss as to if you can find them or not.  I looked for a recipe online but couldn't find one anywhere.

 

I decided to take the bull by the horns and create my own.  I have made Welsh Cakes in the past.  You can find that recipe here.   Welsh cakes are really good. They are like a cross between a pastry and a scone in my opinion.  Buttery with a short texture and oh so tasty, especially when served with a hot bevvie!

 

They are a very traditional Welsh teatime treat and you will find them all over Wales.  They are extremely good I have to say.  All of the teatime treats in the British Isles are extremely good.  They know how to bake good things! 

  

So what I did was make Welsh Cakes, without the spice or the raisins  . . . 

Just plain  . . . flour, butter, sugar and an egg. You might need to add a bit of milk to the dough, but my dough was perfect without it.  In fact I had to generously dust my board and pin with flour or it would have stuck too much.

 

I baked them on my Pampered Chef Griddle pan.  You need to heat it so that its not scalding hot and not too cool.  You can use a heavy based non-stick skillet as well.  The important thing to remember is to not have it too hot, or the outside will brown too quickly and they won't be done inside.

 

I heated mine over medium low and once it was heated I turned it down to low.  This worked well for me, about 2 to 3 minute per side did the trick. I knew it was time to flip them over when they started looking a bit puffy on top and were golden brown on the bottom.

 

When they were done they were golden brown on both sides and the edges looked dry.  That's the best that I can explain it.

  

You can of course make your own lemon curd to fill these from scratch and I have a darn good recipe that you can find here. 

 

But a really good quality store bought one works just fine also and sometimes that's all we have time for!

  

These are perfect!  We both enjoyed them very much, even the "so-called lemon hater". Methinks he doth protest too much personally!  He scarfed two down right away no problemo!  If you really don't like lemon, these would be awfully nice sandwiched together with your favourite jam as well. Ohh, black currant jam or jelly would be lovely!

Yield: Makes 12 to 14

Author: Marie Rayner

Lemon Splits

prep time: cook time: total time:

Traditional Welsh Cakes without the raisins, sandwiched together with lemon curd. Don't worry if you don't have a griddle or hot stone to cook them on, they will cook perfectly find in a skillet with a heavy base.

ingredients:

• 225g self rising flour (1 1/2 cups + 2TBS)
• 110g salted butter (1/2 cup minus 1 tsp)
• 85g caster sugar (7 TBS)
• 1 medium free range egg
• Milk (if needed)
• flour to dust the cutting board
• butter to grease the griddle (optional)
• good quality lemon curd to fill

instructions:

How to cook Lemon Splits

1. Sift the flour into a bowl.  Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar with a fork. Beat the egg and stir it into the mixture to form a ball of dough, adding a splash of milk if you need it. (I did not need it.)
2. Generously flour a board and then tip the dough out onto it, also generously flouring the dough. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a 2 1/2 inch round fluted cutter.   Re-roll any scraps and cut again, until all the dough has been used up.
3. Heat a heavy grill stone or non-stick griddle pan over medium low heat until fairly hot.  Brush lightly with butter if desired. (I didn't use any.) Add the welsh cakes and bake them for 2 to 3 minutes on one side. They should be golden brown on the bottom. Flip them over and bake for a further 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown on the other side.  Try not to have the temperature of the griddle too high or they will brown too quickly on the outside and not be cooked in the centre.  ( It was my observation that they were ready to flip over when the tops looked kind of puffy.)
4. Remove from the pan with a spatula to a wire rack to cool. 
5. To make the lemon splits, sandwich two together with lemon curd in the centre.  You can dust with some icing sugar to serve.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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One thing I have learnt this week is that I need to slow things down a bit. I think I have been doing too much actually and so I am going to cut back a bit on the blogging, perhaps only do a recipe here 3 or 4 times a week.  I know I have said that in the past, but this time I really mean it.  There will still be quality, tasty recipes here, just not as often! 

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Lush & Creamy Lemon Mousse

 

You are going to fall in love with this beautifully lush and creamy Lemon Mousse Recipe I am sharing with you today. Not only is it very easy and quick to make, using only three ingredients, but it is incredibly delicious! 

 

It is literally as simple as folding prepared lemon curd into softly whipped cream . . .  that's it! How much easier could you get than that!

 

Not much easier and that's the truth.  The only danger lies in whipping the cream too stiff prior to folding in the lemon curd.

 

So do be very careful NOT to do that. Doing so would give you a granular result, and what you are looking for is something which is rich, light and creamy!

 

You can of course use homemade Lemon Curd  my recipe is really very good and very easy to follow . . .  but failing that, using a quality store brand is the next best thing.

 

I call this my five minute dessert, because it literally takes five minutes or less to put it together.

  

I like to top it with fresh berries. Raspberries are VERY good, but you could use any berry you like. I have left them whole here, but you could also crush them with a bit of sugar and raspberry liqueur which is also very nice  . . . just spoon it on top to cover.

 

Whole or crushed, both are very nice  . . .

 

A simple cookie on the side goes very well  . . . tuilles, or as I have done here Shortbread Biscuit fingers, homemade or purchased . . . its really all up to you.

 

Together they make a beautiful presentation!  Your family will ooooh and aaaah when they see it!

 

It is perfectly luscious and light . . .  it makes an excellent dessert after a heavy dinner  . . .

  

You can see here how very light it is, but at the same time it is very rich, so only a small glass is more than enough of a serving. Trust me on this.

 

The lemon flavours in this are absolutely perfect  . . .  not too sweet . . .  just a bit tart  . . . 

  

Altogether, just  . . . lovely  . . .

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Lush & Creamy Lemon Mousse

Lush, creamy and delicious.  This takes literally minutes to put together.  Sure to become a favourite. We enjoy it with fresh berries and shortbread biscuits.

ingredients:

For the mousse:

• 240ml double cream (1 cup, heavy or whipping cream)
• 45g caster sugar (1/4 cup, fine sugar)
• 220g lemon curd (1 cup)

To serve:

• fresh berries and shortbread biscuits

instructions:

How to cook Lush & Creamy Lemon Mousse

1. Using a chilled bowl and very cold beaters, using an electric whisk, whisk the cream for about a minute. Continue to whisk, adding the sugar slowly on high speed just  until soft peaks form. Don't over beat as it will thicken when you fold in the lemon curd. Fold in the lemon curd, a quarter at a time, until well blended.  Spoon into individual serving dishes and place in the refrigerator to chill until serving time.  Garnish each serving with some fresh berries and a shortbread biscuit to serve if desired.

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Have you ever tried lemon and chocolate together?  If not you are missing something really special.  A drizzle of rich chocolate sauce is also very good with this . . .  just sayin' 

Tastes You Can Look Forward to in the Week to Come:

(Subject to change according to whim.)

Monday - Pasta with Rich Chicken Broth, Butter and Parmesan

Tuesday - Fillet of Sole with Fresh Bread Crumbs

Wednesday - Blackberry & Apple Jam

Thursday - Hearty Tomato & Bean Soup

Friday - Cheesy Garlic Bread

Saturday - Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies

Sunday -  Apple Mystery Dessert 

Lots of tastiness to look forward to!  

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