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| The Italian book club meal |
Oh my, now I'm starting to reminisce about the beginning of the summmer...
Every year in June, before taking a break for the
summer, my book club gets together for a special meeting. We share a potluck
meal that reflects the country of origin of either the author or the subject of
that month’s book. This year, we read a novel that I absolutely loved,
about an English language newspaper in Rome, called The Imperfectionists
by Tom
Rachman. Imperfectionism is my thing. As it turned out, we discussed the book
briefly but were significantly more focused on the food. Julia brought some
Limoncello to serve as an after-dinner drink. It’s a pretty potent reminder of
things Italian.
Jude waxed eloquent about Limoncello recipes. Here’s one she found in the May 2011 issue of Delicious Magazine. As you may recall, I also used Limoncello is a trifle recipe of my own design. (See post dated Dec 17, 2009 )
Ingredients for the Lemon Syrup:
Combine the grated lemon zest, juice, sugar and limoncello in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the lemon curd and cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth, and then beat in the mascarpone. Line a 1 litre loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving plenty overhanging. Dip 8 sponge fingers in the limoncello mixture, then use them to line the base of the pan. Spread half of the cream mixture over first layer of sponge fingers. Repeat with another 8 soaked sponge fingers, then the 2nd half of the cream mixture. Last layer, 8 more sponge fingers soaked in the lemon mixture. Cover with plastic wrap tightly and freeze for 6 hrs or overnight until set.
Meanwhile, for the lemon syrup, place sugar, and pared lemon zest in a pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5-6 minutes until slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and chill to cool and thicken. Place the semifreddo in the fridge to soften for 30 minutes before serving, then slice thickly and serve with drizzled lemon syrup.
Serves 6-8
Jude waxed eloquent about Limoncello recipes. Here’s one she found in the May 2011 issue of Delicious Magazine. As you may recall, I also used Limoncello is a trifle recipe of my own design. (See post dated Dec 17, 2009 )
Ingredients for
the
Semifreddo:
- finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) limoncello
- 325 g jar of lemon curd (or you could make your own.)
- 250 g cream cheese
- 250 g mascarpone
- 24 sponge fingers
Ingredients for the Lemon Syrup:
- 100 g ( 1/2 cup) white sugar
- the pared zest of 1 lemon, cut into thin strips
Combine the grated lemon zest, juice, sugar and limoncello in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the lemon curd and cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth, and then beat in the mascarpone. Line a 1 litre loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving plenty overhanging. Dip 8 sponge fingers in the limoncello mixture, then use them to line the base of the pan. Spread half of the cream mixture over first layer of sponge fingers. Repeat with another 8 soaked sponge fingers, then the 2nd half of the cream mixture. Last layer, 8 more sponge fingers soaked in the lemon mixture. Cover with plastic wrap tightly and freeze for 6 hrs or overnight until set.
Meanwhile, for the lemon syrup, place sugar, and pared lemon zest in a pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 5-6 minutes until slightly thickened. Transfer to a bowl and chill to cool and thicken. Place the semifreddo in the fridge to soften for 30 minutes before serving, then slice thickly and serve with drizzled lemon syrup.
Serves 6-8
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