Avgolemono Soup

A Greek staple that is made in two parts:  chicken broth plus a rich egg-lemon sauce.

Ingredients
1 whole Organic chicken
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
2 onions
1 tsp salt
pinch pepper
8 quarts of water
1-1/2 cups orzo

3/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cups water

7 egg yolks, whisked
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Add chicken and vegetables to water.  Cover, bring to boil and simmer 1 hour.  Skim any inpurities.  Strain broth.  Cool chicken and shred.

2.  Add broth back to pot and simmer with Orzo.  Whisk together flour and 1-1/2 cups water and slowly stir into broth and let thicken. Turn off heat and let rest 10 minutes. 

3.   Whisk the lemon juice and egg yolks to make a sauce, and add to the pot slowly while whisking together.  To serve, top each bowl of soup with shredded chicken.

Angel Food Cake

It's going to be 3 or 4 hours from the time you start before you can eat the cake so plan accordingly.

100 g cake flour (approx. 3/4 cup) 150 g + 150 g sugar  (approx. 2/3 c + 2/3 c) 480 g egg whites 1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1-1/2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp almond extract

Equipment: Tube pan with removable bottom, large rubber spatula, whisk or electric mixer, sifter.

Note from #TheScratchiest: 480 grams of egg whites equates to the whites from a dozen large eggs. When I have recipes that use just yolks, I put the leftover egg whites in a container in the freezer. Since I never remember how many whites I've collected, I prefer to weigh them when needed. Weighing also makes it easier to have a mixture of whites from different sized eggs. Feel free to mix whites from chicken and duck eggs.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Sift all of the cake flour with 150 grams of the sugar and set aside. If you like, sift it more than once to get out any lumps and to thoroughly mix.

Combine lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract.

Using the tool of your choice (hand mixer, stand mixer or whisk), beat the egg whites until they start to froth. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Continue beating until the whites are billowing mounds and not yet soft peaks.

Continue beating the egg whites while gradually adding the 150 grams of sugar. When all of the sugar has been added and you have soft peaks, beat in the lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts.

Using your spatula, fold in the cake four/sugar mixture. You want to keep the mix as light as you can so add the flour and sugar in two or three batches.

Scrape the batter into the tube pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when the top springs back when pressed. Remove from oven and turn upside down to cool. Wait 2 to 3 hours before removing from pan.

Curried Egg Salad

For a quick appetizer or healthy snack, spread egg salad onto crackers and top with sliced cucumber.

Ingredients

• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 1 teaspoon plain 2-percent-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sherry vinegar, or to taste
• 1/3 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
• Kosher salt

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs.

 

Using a fork, chop or lightly mash the eggs. Add the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sriracha, sherry vinegar and curry powder. Season with a pinch of kosher salt.

 

Mix well and adjust seasonings as needed.

 

Makes about 1 cup.                   

CLASSIC EGG SALAD

   MAKES 4 SERVINGS

 

6 HARDBOILED EGGS

¼ CUP MAYONNAISE

2 TSP FRESH LEMON JUICE

1 TBSP MINCED ONION

¼ TSP SALT

¼ TSP PEPPER

½ CUP FINELY SHOPPED CELERY (use organic, please)

CHOP EGGS.  MIX MAYO, LEMON JUICE, ONION, SALT AND PEPPER IN BOWL.  ADD CHOPPED EGGS AND CELERY; MIX WELL. 

Chicken Scratch Cake

This lemon-y cake is called “Chicken Scratch” because the frosting and topping resemble the chicken yard after a busy day of hen scratching. And also because it has a lot of eggs, making it dense and moist.

Prep time: 1 Hour
Cook time: 40 Min
Total time: 1 Hour 40 Min 
Ingredients:
For cake:

• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract (can substitute vanilla)
• ¾ cup milk
• zest of one lemon
• ¼ cup lemon juice

For frosting:

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup (one stick) butter
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (can substitute vanilla)
• 3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• ½ cup salted, roasted almonds

Directions:

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter & flour two 9 inch round cake pans. (Use buttered parchment rounds if desired.)

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt & baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. (Approximately 4-5 minutes.) Add eggs & almond extract, and beat on medium speed an additional 5 minutes.

Reduce to low speed. Add flour, milk & lemon juice alternately, to butter/egg mixture. Begin and end with flour. Beat until combined. Add lemon and beat briefly to incorporate.
Divide batter evenly between two pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes on middle rack of oven, rotating pan halfway through to brown evenly. Cake is done when cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool for 10 minutes, and turn out onto cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting:
Begin by toasting coconut: preheat oven to 375F. Spread coconut on baking sheet. Bake for 7-12 minutes, stirring every five minutes to keep from burning. Once flakes are golden brown, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Pulse salted roasted almonds in food processor until coarsely ground.

In electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar & almond extract on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add one third of the toasted coconut.
Beat on low speed until just combined.

To assemble cake, spread ¼ of frosting mixture evenly on top of one layer of cake. Place second layer on top. Spread remaining frosting evenly on top and sides. Sprinkle remaining toasted coconut on top of cake (and sides if desired). Sprinkle salted roasted almonds over top of coconut.

*Recipe courtesy of Beekman1802.com

Brick Chicken

One of the easiest ways to prepare a whole chicken for the grill is to butterfly.  Simply use poultry shears, or sharp scissors, to cut alongside both sides of the spine and remove it along with the neck.  Then your chicken can be flattened and ready to grill!  And the rest of the ingredients needed for this recipe are likely already on hand.

Serves 2 – 4

1 tbs fresh pressed garlic
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 C plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbs finely grated lemon zest
3 tbs finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as chives, parsley, rosemary, etc., divided
3-1/2 lb or so butterflied chicken, preferably organic and free range
1 tbs or so flour
1 C rich chicken stock or combination of stock and dry white wine
2 tbs lemon juice

Combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, olive oil and lemon zest, and half the herbs in a small bowl. With your fingers loosen the skin over the breast and thighs and work the garlic mixture as evenly as you can under the skin. Spread any remaining over the bone side of the bird. Place chicken on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 12 inch skillet over high heat. Either wrap two bricks with foil or set another heavy skillet aside. Add the chicken to the skillet skin side down and place bricks or the other skillet with a few soup cans in it on top.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until the skin is beautifully golden brown and crisp, 15 – 18 minutes. Remove the top weight, turn chicken over and pour out all but a couple of tablespoons of fat. Replace the weight on top and continue to cook for another 12 – 15 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165 degrees.

Remove chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile pour off all but 2 tablespoon of fat in pan, add flour and stir to make a roux. Whisk in stock and lemon juice and whisk until sauce thickens. Stir in remaining herbs and serve chicken with the pan sauce.