Roast Chicken with Garlic and Lemons

This is one of my mother's favorite dishes. How can you beat a meal like this. Just heavenly!

8 organic chickens thighs (2 per person)

1 lb new potatoes, washed and cut into quarters

1 lemon (unwaxed), cut into quarters

6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into strips

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

6 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb mushrooms

fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a frying pan gently cook the mushrooms in some olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Keep the heat low to medium and cover with a lid. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

Place the chicken thighs in a lightly greased baking dish. Put a little butter under each chicken thigh, and tuck 3 or 4 slivers of garlic under the skin. Dot the tops of the thighs with some more butter.

Add the mushrooms and the cooking juice.

Divide the potatoes and lemon quarters between the chicken, and season with salt and pepper and some fresh thyme to taste.

Cook for about 45 minutes, and then gently stir the chicken before returning to the oven for another 30 minutes or so until it has cooked through.

As there is quite a lot of liquid the chicken and potatoes will not roast, but they will turn golden brown and be assured they will be totally scrumptious!

This is a super tasty meal and is particularly delicious served with broccoli and some butternut squash.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Recently I've become totally obsessed with baking, and over the last few weeks I've watched every single episode of the Great British Bake Off! Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are very inspiring indeed. This is Mary Berry's Lemon Meringue Pie which was very successful and a big hit with my guests. The recipe called for using only 4 egg whites for the topping, but I used six egg whites and just made a big mountain of meringue! Who doesn't love meringue?
The dough recipe actually made more pastry than I needed, so I saved half of it and made a traditional egg custard tart the next day.

Pastry Base:
 1 3/4 C flour, plus some extra to dust
 1 1/4 sticks butter, chilled and cubed
1/2 C confectioners' sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 TBsp

Lemon Filling:
zest and juice of 6 lemons 
1/2 C corn starch
2 C water
1 1/4 C superfine sugar (or blitz granulated sugar for a few seconds in a food processor)
6 egg yolks

Topping:
6 egg whites
1 C superfine sugar
2 level tsp corn starch

(You need a 11" fluted removable-bottom tart pan.

 

Citrus Pudding

This recipe is from Delia Smith. It’s one of those delicious old-fashioned puddings that reminds me of my Granny’s Lemon Pudding, which I think I’ll make later this week. Her recipe was very simple to make and just as delicious, so I think I’ll do a taste test. Both recipes have a refreshing citrus custard-like sauce at the bottom, topped with a light fluffy pudding. Heavenly.

3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar (preferably extra fine or caster)
3 eggs, separated
1/3 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 orange, juiced and zested
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 lemons, juiced and zested
7 fl oz. milk

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

Using a food mixer cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl, and then add them slowly to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until the egg yolks have been combined.

Add the sifted flour, baking powder and salt to the mixing bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon, and then add the fruit juice and zest, and stir until the ingredients are well blended. Finally add the milk and stir again.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until you have soft peaks, and gently fold them in to the mixture. The pudding mixture will look a little curdled at this point which is normal.

Pour the lemony pudding mixture in to well buttered 3 pint Pyrex dish. 

Bake for 50 minutes until the top rises up and is golden brown.