I’d like you all to know that I started a book club and that I’m really, really excited about it. Nerd-haters and book-haters you might want to look elsewhere today, because Eating for England is geeking out.
I’ve wanted to be part of a book club for so long. I think they are the coolest thing ever and by no means do I feel like an old lady for being into it. An organized reason to talk about books post-university? It’s like your coolest lit class with wine and zingy little snacks. What’s not to love?
Talking of zingy snacks. We decided that our book club was not going to become a full-on dinner commitment for whoever was hosting. Snacks, finger food, whatever you want to call it – this is our limit. This tapenade is one of the few things I made from scratch and it was worth it. The other was a gorgeous and quickly-devoured salad that I’ll share next time.
Green Olive Tapenade
adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups pitted green Spanish olives, rinsed, drained well
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil (preferably extra-virgin for the biggest flavour pow)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Combine olives, capers and garlic in a food processor and chop finely. With motor running, gradually add lemon juice and oil and process until blended.
- Transfer tapenade to bowl. Stir in cilantro. Season to taste with pepper.
- Can be made 1 day ahead. Be sure to cover and refrigerate it. Serve with crackers and toasted baguette slices.
Note: Tapenade (like hummus) is one of those taste as you go things in my opinion. By all means follow the recipe but if it’s not smooth/lemony/olive-y/caper-y enough then just add a smidge more and whizz it all up again.
This was a rainy day cake. I mixed all the ingredients together while it poured outside my windows and the sky looked dark and mean. By the time I put it in the oven the rain had stopped and the sun peaked out so that I could open the windows and breathe in that lovely scent of spring.
Every bite of this cake is lemony, light, moist, and sweet. It’s a really good cake. If you wanted to you could make a lemony glaze or syrup to drizzle over the top but I think it’s sweet enough the way it is, with just a dusting of powdered sugar.
By the way, pound cake refers to a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Since that would make a beast of a cake many pound cake recipes are adapted. I halved all the ingredients from the original of this recipe to fit my 8 cup bundt pan. The only thing I didn’t reduce was the lemon zest and juice giving the cake a wonderfully bright, lemony flavour. Zing!
Sour Cream and Lemon Pound Cake
adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- powdered sugar, to dust
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 8-cup tube/Bundt pan. Dust pan with cake flour; tap out excess flour.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and peel. Using a rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients. Mix in sour cream. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around cake in pan. Turn out cake.
- Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature).
[photo credit: BBC Food]
You didn’t think I’d ignore it entirely did you?! Admittedly, I’ve not been that caught up in all the royal wedding hullabaloo but that doesn’t stop me loving (unabashedly) the idea of a proper Royal Wedding Party. If you happen to be planning a last minute celebration, here are some decor and food ideas that might just (royally) tickle your fancy.
1. Design Editor has all the down-loadable paper goods you can imagine for decorating a British/Royal themed party. 2. BBC Food of course has a several possible Royal Wedding recipes to choose from but here are some of my faves. Cucumber sandwiches! 3. Sausage rolls are so quintessentially British and so delicious. Check out my recipe for mini sausage rolls (so cute!) here. 4. Lord, I think I’m dribbling all over myself. Traditional scones with clotted cream and jam. Absolute favourite. 5. If you’re going to bake a cake, make it a Victoria Sponge. 6. For something more dainty, I’d recommend these strawberry and cream cupcakes. 7. And last but not least, don’t forget to kick things off with some Pimm’s Punch. Cheers!
