Brilliant summer treat and the fab shabby chic's giveaway...

Feeling a bit hormonal today, in sharp contrast to how I felt over the weekend. I just could not stop smiling, for no particular reason at all. Do you have day like that, where you really feel on top of the world.
Not sure what brought this feeling on, the fact that I bought some lovely books, or the fact that I lost my first stone... And no, there is no way I will tell you how long that took me, or how many more I need to lose, it is gone, and that is the most important thing. To celebrate, I made myself the most wonderful dessert, and only 281 calories a portion... OK that is quite a lot, but then, it counts towards my five-a-day. It is gorgeous though, and if you are in need of a treat, I highly recommend it.

Raspberry and cherry gratin (serves 4)

7 fl oz milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
2 eggs, separated
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
squeeze of lemon juice or eau de vie
10 oz cherries, stoned
10 oz raspberries

Heat the milk and vanilla pod in a pan until nearly boiling, then leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Whisk together the egg yolks with 2 tbsp of sugar until pale and light, then whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Whisk the warm milk into the paste. Pour the mixture into a pan, than cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl, discarding the vanilla pod, then leave to cool a little.
Whisk the egg whites until trebled in size and stiff peaks form. Add the remaining sugar a little at the time, whisking well between each addition, untill the mix is thick and glossy. Stir in the lemon juice or eau de vie ( I used the latter I am afraid, it worked really well with the fruit) into the custard mix. Add a third of the meringue to the custard, stir well to incorporate then carefully stir through the remaining meringue in two goes.
Scatter the fruit into a large, shallow heatproof dish. Put under a medium grill for 3-5 minutes to soften the fruit slightly. Spoon over the custard mix. Return to the grill for 3 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

Apparently these count as 1 of 5 a-day...
I never made custard from scratch like this, particularly not a meringuey one...
Before it went under the grill...
And just after... The last thing I want to mention is the wonderful giveaway Mel from Country in the town is staging. If you do not know her blog, you simply must have a look. It is incredibly fun and colourful. She really is a very creative and talented lady. I am sure her give away will be worth entering as she makes gorgeous things and has a really good eye for pretties.

I realise I have not been able to read a lot of blogs in the last few weeks, I really missed you all and will do my utmost to catch up with you all in the next few days.

Have a gorgeous evening!

Summer colours...

Normally I am a pastel colours kind of girl, I love pinks, soft greens and greyish blues. But in summer, I am sure it has to do with the quality of the light, I really feel drawn to the hot colours. Like these ones...
Just look at these cheery beauties. I had meant to eat out in the garden tonight, but just as I went outside, it started to rain again. So that was a bit of a disappointment. But... on the plus side, have a look at how incredibly vibrant these Zinnias look after a shower. I have always loved Zinnias, but have not always been able to find them in the nurseries I have been to. Which makes these ones extra special...
The little sunflowers are a fun story. Apparently a mouse stashed them in one of my little flowerpots for later and then forgot about them. So, they came up, incredibly cramped together and with not much room for a root system, but they have also decided to flower. Which makes me smile every time I see them.

Have a colourful evening!

Thoughts of future projects...

This morning I received this book that I ordered from Bol.com ( the Dutch equivalent of Amazon). I simply could not resist it, I just love the look of the one with the red, white and blue border... I can not wait to start this project, it will just be so much fun, I love things that are made up of smaller parts, they seem to finish just that little bit quicker.
I have also decided on two other tops to knit, after my success with the first one.
I will have to pick my time to get the yarn though, as I have to go to Amsterdam for it. The next few weeks I will be working full time, and my weekends are pretty much booked, so I fear I will have to bide my time I am afraid. Patience is not my biggest virtue, but it can not be helped.
I am happy to be at least working again for a few weeks, all be it in my old job (long story) as a temp. My colleagues are over the moon, I just think it is funny!
The other thing I did this morning is have a walk around the fleamarket that is held in the middle of town every fortnight. I did not bring my camera, so unfortunately there are no pictures. There was a lot of dross, but there were two stalls that had quite nice utility crockery. I nearly succumbed to the temptation, but did not have enough money on me. Oh well, maybe next time...

Have a fun weekend and do not drown in the rain!

Grasshopper...

That is the name of the colour of the yarn I used... Not sure that that is very flattering, but as everyone, including me is obsessed with being green these days, it seems oddly appropriate that I should use it.
Anyway... as you can see I have actually finished this project from a few posts ago. Remarkably quickly for me, I have to be honest, but I tremendously enjoyed knitting it. The border took a few attempts, and I had to frog ( see what I did there?) the beginning a couple of times, but it all went remarkably smoothly.
To celebrate my accomplishment, and to stay in the green theme, I baked myself these cookies. I love cornmeal anything and lime is truly one of my favourite scents and tastes. There is something so uplifting about it.

Lime cornmeal glazed cookies
Makes about 2 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
4 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes total)
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (2 medium oranges)
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, plus more for coating glass
Lime glaze

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add egg, beat until just blended. Add citrus zests, lime juice and almond extract.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add flour and cornmeal. Continue beating until well blended. Transfer dough to a piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line to baking sheets with baking parchment. Fill a small bowl with cornmeal. Using a 1 1/4 inch ice cream scoop, form balls from chilled dough. Place balls on prepared sheets, spaced about 3 inches apart. Dip bottom of a medium drinking glass in the cornmeal. Flatten balls with the bottom of the glass until dough is about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Bake cookies until crisp and light-golden brown around the edges, 14-16 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, make the lime glaze;
3 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
8 table spoons fresh lime juice, plus 2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest.
Stir the ingredients together and use glaze immediately.
6. Place a wire rack on top of a piece of parchment paper. Pour the lime glaze over the cool cookies, allowing the excess to drip over the edges. Let glaze set.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Enjoy the weekend and do a little sun dance!

Summer drinks...

It has been so hot and dry here for a couple of weeks now, that I feel like I am in the south of France... And even though it is not the best feeling to be unemployed, it is lovely to be able to enjoy this summer. I suddenly realised that the last summer I had been as free as this was my last year at school, and that is a very distant memory I can tell you.
Is it me or does seem all fruit to be particularly good this year? I do not think I have ever eaten as many strawberries as I did this year! The other day I bought a whole lot of gorgeous raspberries, they were amazing. So, when I found this recipe of raspberry lemonade I had to try it. It is completely fab, I imagine it to be good in sparkling white wine or vodka even, but have not tried that yet.

Raspberry lemonade
10 oz/ 300 gr caster sugar
1 1/2 lemons, sliced
1 orange, sliced
3x 170 gr punnets raspberries
ice and fresh mint to serve, optional

Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and pour over 350 ml cold water. Bring to the boil, stirring often, then leave to cool. Pour through a sieve, pressing down with a spoon to extract all the juices.
The syrup can now be stored in the fridge for up to a week. To serve, pour a little into a glass and top up with sparkling or still water, ice and mint.

As ever, I could not leave alone and added a bit less sugar than specified, as I like things a bit sharp. I do not really like the way sugar tends to drown out the taste of the fruit, but this really is one of the best lemonades I know.
The other thing I have been enjoying a lot of so far is a drink that I have developed after buying it once at a juice bar.
Just put a good chunk of watermelon, a glass of applejuice, a sizeable sprig of mint and the juice of approx. half a lime in the blender. Whizz and pour over ice. Truly summer in a glass!
Enjoy the summer, it is tipping it down here now...