Recently I’ve been consuming an inordinate amount of sugar. On the plus side, this surfeit of sweetness, for the most part, is virtual. Well written cookery books, and I purposely make this distinction, should display a health warning. A clear definition of what is well written as a cookery book must be purely subjective so I won’t bother with it any further; suffice it to say that on this disappointingly chilly spring morning I was to be found warming myself before a roaring fire and reading one such book. When engrossed in good food writing I become miraculously aware of each and every ingredient in our store cupboards and their exact geographical location within those confines. However, was I to be actively engaged in cooking in that same kitchen, this clairvoyance ceases to operate. Critical ingredients hide themselves in the shadowy recesses at the back of shelves and packets that I remembered as full are empty or were never bought in the first place. So, when I encountered what was a tooth achingly sexy recipe and could clearly see in my mind’s eye all of the ingredients taking a curtain call in my cerebral proscenium arch, it was but a moments work to root out their physical counterparts from their resting places and get on with making what Nigel Slater calls a “heavenly parfait of orange and lemon”……by the way, the book was “Kitchen Diaries II” by him. The hook, together with line and sinker, for which I fell was the suggestion of crumbling homemade meringues into thick cream and adding dollops of lemon curd together with orange zest.
As you can clearly see, virtual sugar has been left a long way behind. We have entered into a world which, according to the multitude of health gurus, is several steps past heroin fuelled, drunken prostitution…..so, a pretty exciting spot which has the added advantage of there being no health gurus in the hood. The hidden beauty of this recipe is the ease with which it is made, should you happen to have about your person a box of unwanted home made meringues and some very tart Creme de Citron ( a rather sexy French version of lemon curd)…but the success of this parfait relies on a light touch. You need to retain chunky pieces of meringue together with thick streaks of lemon curd. The prepared mix is spooned into a lined container and covered with cling film. Freeze the parfait for around 4 hours….the parfait will happily remain frozen for several days, but take it out of the freezer about 30 minutes before serving.
I think you’ve got The Jones by The Temptations 😉
I’m very tempted by that Creme de Citron too!
It’s good stuff:)
Sounds delicious.
Check it out:)
Oh my – this is a temptation that I would happily be led into….that’s Easter Sunday pud sorted!
I might be doing the same:)
while the the parfait will happily remain frozen for several days it is my doubt that it would actually be left untouched for that long….
It’s gone already:)
Easter has managed to arrive Down Under: thus for your hours and days ahead . . . . may it be a sweet one 🙂 ! We are promised four days of heavy rain: oh well, no watering my rather big surrounds . . .
I hope we’re just coming out of the rain..please, God:)
Want. Now.
🙂
I have made that with a bit less temptations, Lemon curd with sour cream and Yoghurt. Topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. Not such a big friend of Meringues , unless they are homemade, the store bought here in the US are filled with sugar.
I never buy them from a shop..they’re too easy to make and so much better. The boulangerie in the village does make very good meringues but I still prefer my own:)
Sounds wonderful Roger. Your mis-remembering of ingredients reminds me of my aunty who told me she once cleaned out her pantry and found five boxes of pumpkin pie spice, none of which she remembered buying! 🙂
I did that with apricot jam…yesterday:)
Hurray I am back following your blog. No idea what happened but WordPress lost all my follows…?!?! Parfait of orange and lemon – how I love a sweet smack of tartness!
Sweet smack of tartness….love it, Tom:)
Looks divine even though I loathe lemon curd! Creme de citron looks and sounds so much nicer 🙂
It really is a better taste…I’ve only just discovered it
Having a lemon-o-holic partner at home this is the perfect dessert! And the pictures just make it look even more delicious!
Many thanks, Carlos….enjoy:)
I am not a sweet lover but this looks, and sounds, delicious. And easy to make. Must give this a try. Thanks and happy Easter.
…and to you, Fransi:)
OH MY GOD! I have to have this! Immediately. I shall make the meringues tomorrow! And I adore lemon curd – I can make that too! Roger your work is as stunning as ever.. c
Cheers, Celi….luckily my work doesn’t involve your expenditure of energy that makes the Iron Man competition seem like a cake walk:)
Oh to have a box of meringues and Creme de Citron in my pantry. Your parfait is indeed tempting.
Having finished gardening for today, I’m off to make a huge meringue for a Pavlova to have at Easter lunch tomorrow:)
Now I’m super envious. Happy Easter.
White death my friend. White death.
But what a way to go, eh 🙂
🙂
Sounds so much more adult than Eton Mess 🙂 (does a dollop of Cointreau add anything positive?)
..a drop of alcohol never hurts:)
You had me at “heroin fuelled, drunken prostitution”.
It’s not a regular culinary term, but it’s effective:)
My moth is watering at the very thought of lemon curd, meringue and cream…
I’m glad your moth likes lemon curd….how about you:)
Amazing!!
🙂