Kane's Kitchen - 24th May 2011 - Lemon Curd Crepes

Lemons are nature’s wonder fruit.   

While rarely consumed on their own, lemons make a major contribution to the flavours of many foods we eat.  Although you wouldn't choose this citrus fruit for a snack, you might squeeze some lemon juice over a fish fillet, add a wedge of lemon to your tea or grate some flavoursome lemon zest into cookie dough.

Aside from supplying substantial amounts of vitamin C, lemons act as anti-microbials.  They destroy putrefactive bacteria in both the intestines and the mouth; used to purify the breath.  Its antiseptic, antimicrobial and mucus-resolving action makes lemons useful during colds and flus.

One of my favourite things to cook with lemons is lemon curd.  It is both sweet and sour and can be used as a filling for a tart or as a dressing over fruit or ice cream.  Crepes are so simple to whip up, so I thought we could combine the two for a delicious dessert!

Lemon Curd Crepes

Serves:  6 (12 crepes)

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

What You’ll Need:

Lemon curd (makes 1½ cups):

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (80g) unsalted butter
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons.

Crepes (makes 12):

• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Butter to grease pan

What You'll Need To Do:

1. For the lemon curd, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks together with the sugar in a saucepan until smooth. 
2. Add the butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk continually, over a low heat, until thickened (approx 7 mins).  Refrigerate for two hours.
3. For the crepes, sift the flour into a bowl.
4. Whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla essence together in a bowl and add to the flour.  Whisk until well combined. 
5. Add 1 tsp butter to a non-stick frypan and heat over medium heat.  When butter has melted, pour 2½ tbsp crepe batter into the pan.   Swirl to cover the base.
6. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes on one side or until bubbles form in the batter.  Flip and cook for a further 1 minute.  Repeat with remaining batter.
7. Serve crepes with chilled lemon curd and a dusting of icing sugar. 

Kane's Kitchen - 31st May 2011 - Corn Fritters with Tomato and Avocado Salsa and Sour Cream

Wow - this week ushers in June - the official start of winter.  And one of the most versatile grains/vegetables you can use to compliment your winter-warming dishes is CORN!  

Corn is so versatile - corn bread, polenta, corn on the cob, salsas, salads, soups, muffins and my favourite, corn fritters!

No matter which way you use it, corn is low in fat and rich in carbohydrates - an important source of energy.  

Here's my recipe for some lovely breakfast / brunch corn fritters.  

Corn Fritters with Tomato and Avocado Salsa and Sour Cream

Serves:  8 (16 fritters)

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

What You’ll Need:

Fritters:

• 420g can corn kernals
• ½ cup plain flour, sifted
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil for frying
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground cumin

Salsa:

• 1 avocado, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander
• ½ red chilli, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream, to serve

  

What You’ll Need To Do:

1. Combine all corn fritter ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 
2. Put some oil into a non-stick frypan and spoon 2 tblsp of the mixture into the pan.  Cook on each side for 4 minutes or until golden and cooked through.  Place on absorbent paper towel.  Repeat with remaining mixture.
3. For the salsa, combine all the ingredients (except the sour cream) in a bowl and mix
4. Top fritters with the salsa and serve with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh coriander/chives.