Midnight is where the day begins

I don't know about you but everytime I think about lemons I think of that fabulous U2 song 'Lemon'. Here it is on youtube:



//http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fCE_ASpejs



And it rings true for me - midnight is where the day begins. The time when the kiddies go to sleep, when everything is quiet, when I've finished a day's work of cooking, cleaning, washing and all the rest of it, when I can finally sit down a bit and read a book or do my knitting or a tapestry or, now, write this blog. Or, for example, make a cake like I did last night! This is a lovely lemony cake created by the equally lovely Tessa Kiros, one of my favourite cooks. I discovered her in an issue of 'Cuisine et vins de France' and have bought a few of her books since (still have to grab her latest 'Peri Peri'). I've adapted the recipe a bit, cut down the sugar and whatnot. Give it a whirl and tell me what you think. It's dead easy so you boys give it a go too - believe me, there's nothing that impresses a girl or a boy more than a boy who knows how to cook!

Yoghurt and semolina syrup cake

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and flour a lamington tin (I think they're about 20 cm x 30 cm). Separate 3 eggs. Beat the whites until peaks form. Cream 125g butter and 1 cup brown sugar together. Add the egg yolks, 250 g yoghurt or buttermilk and the grated peel of 1 lemon. Sift in 1 cup of flour mixed with 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 cup of semolina and 1/2 cup of ground almonds. Carfeully fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter in the prepared tin and bake for about 40 minutes.

While the cake is baking, boil 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of brown sugar so that the sugar melts and it turns into a syrup. When the cake is finished, prick it all over with a toothpick then pour the lemon syrup on top.

Bon appetit!

PS I have to say that one of the many wonderful things about growing up in Australia is having citrus fruits in your backyard. My kids still can't fathom that I had an orange tree, a grapefruit tree, a mandarin tree and a lemon tree growing right in my backyard. I really miss that about Australia (among other things, like my mum and many of my dear friends...). But then again, I never had a cherry tree growing in my backyard or wild strawberries which taste of Mother Earth herself like I do now...I guess I have the best of both worlds!