What are you serving for Easter?

[bluebird]

We had spiral ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, fruit centerpiece, rolls, salad and chocolate cake.

[RobertaD]

We had ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, devil eggs, rolls, cherry pie.

Roberta

[Cooked]

Well, I got a small oven (large slow cooker type) and cooked a turkey and ham with stuffing, potatoes & gravy, asparagus, cauliflour cheese bake (microwaved) and caramel kisses for dessert. Not too shabby for having no oven!

[CalGalInFla]

Ohhhhh lemon dessert! Perfect!

Yes I am going to have to have a ham. My folks love it. I think scalloped potatoes is a perfect side with ham, and seems to be popular here. I made a yummy white cake a few years ago, that had a lemon curd filling and it was awesome! Maybe I will drum up that recipe!!! The cake was lovely to look at - all white w/ a yellow center! Very spring!

Dinner/dessert solved! Thanks everyone! Yummy!

Jodi

[ajrsmom]

Everybody - and I mean everybody- it seems is talking about lemon curd. I've never tasted it but I'm sure that I would love it. It's on my list of one of those things to try soon.

I'd love to see your recipe for that cake, Jodi! It sounds good!

We will probably have ham but other than that, I haven't even begun to think of Easter yet. How pathetic is that?!?

[CalGalInFla]

Let me see if I can find the mag it was in. Stand by!

(you can buy lemon curd pre-made at most markets but its so easy to make and so yummy, why not make a double batch and eat half with a spoon!) DOH! Did I say that??

Stand by for recipe...

Jodi

[bluebird]

That is the best way to make and eat lemon curd! I love it.

I don't know what we will have. I cooked a ham over the weekend because dd could eat a little bit of it. Along with agratin potatoes. I don't know if I want that again so soon.... Maybe new potatoes cooked in thier skins? With a butter sauce?

[CalGalInFla]

Ingredients

CAKE

1. 3 cups cake flour
2. 1 tablespoon baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 2 sticks ( 1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
5. 2 cups sugar
6. 4 large eggs, at room temperature
7. 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
8. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9. 1 cup milk, at room temperature

CURD

1. 9 large egg yolks
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 8 tablespoons

MERINGUE

1. 2 1/4 cups sugar
2. 1 1/2 cups egg whites (from about 1 dozen extra-large eggs)
3. 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture at low speed in 3 batches, alternating with the milk; beat just until smooth.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surfaces. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on racks for 10 minutes, then unmold them onto the racks; let cool completely.
5. 5. MAKE THE CURD: Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a heavy, medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, lemon juice and salt. Add the butter and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the curd is thick and just beginning to simmer, about 5 minutes. Set the saucepan in the water bath and chill the curd, whisking occasionally.
6. 6. MAKE THE MERINGUE: In a saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. In the clean bowl of a standing mixer, whisk the sugar, egg whites and lemon juice. Set the bowl over the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves, about 6 minutes.
7. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat the meringue at medium speed for 10 minutes, or until cooled to room temperature. Continue beating at high speed until the meringue is thick, shiny and billowy, about 15 minutes longer.
8. 8. ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using a serrated knife, trim the cake tops to make them level. Halve each cake horizontally. Set 1 layer on a cake plate, cut side up, and spread it with one-third of the lemon curd. Set another layer on top and spread with another third of the curd. Repeat once more and then top with the final cake layer. With a large offset spatula, frost the side of the cake with a thin layer of the meringue. Top the cake with the remaining meringue and swirl decoratively, then serve.

Make Ahead

1. The cake layers can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. The curd can be refrigerated for 3 days. The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

THIS TOTALLY ROCKS!

J.

[ajrsmom]

YUM! Thanks for looking it up for me.

I am totally going to try this cake and filling recipe but I will have to come up with another icing because my dh hates meringue on anything.



I just baked some HUGE chocolate chip cookies! I wish you were all closer to me, I'd share them with you!! They're really good!!

heehee....wishin' you were here, aren't ya?!?

Now I've to remove myself from this box for a while and get some work done. I'm so bad at putting housework off to sit at my computer!

[CalGalInFla]

Just a side note...I LOATHE meringue. But I made it as is and I promise this is not like any meringue I have ever had. It was much more like icing. (which I also dont love but in small quantities) But I understand. Its just a lovely cake. I didn't want to eat it, it was so pretty on the plate!

Enjoy!

J~