I am sitting here, in a friend’s apartment in Berlin with snow falling outside and fireworks going off, thinking of an appropriate way to sum up the past year. It was hard, it was a struggle, it was difficult and heartbreaking on so many levels for so many different people. In a year of hardship there were also a lot of wonderful things that happened: I started grad school and found a career that I truly love, my boyfriend completed his Masters degree and created a beautiful thesis project and, perhaps best of all, my grandmother survived her hip replacement and a heart attack and is up and walking and laughing again. It only feels appropriate to end this year with something tart, and a little sweet, and hope that next year (and the next decade) will be a better.

Lemon Meringue Pie

I had bought some Meyer lemons in the week before my break, with the full intention of making lemon curd. Of course, between one thing and another the curd was never made and the lemons were left unzested and unjuiced. Because Meyer lemons are so lovely (and so expensive) I did what anyone else would do, I packed them into my carry-on luggage and carried them to California. Yes indeed, to California where citrus fruit is plentiful and there are at least three trees on my parents’ block that are overladen with lemons. Ah well.

Lemon Curd
Adapted from Gourment, January and April 2001

Zest of three lemons (a heaping tablespoon)
1 cup lemon juice
scant 1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
16 tbsp unsalted butter

Whisk together lemon zest, juice, sugar and eggs in a medium saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over low heat, whisking frequently, until the curd has thickened enough to hold the marks of the whisk and bubbles begin to appear on the surface, about 6 minutes. Strain into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Cover surface of curd with plastic wrap and let chill.

Meringue

3 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Whisk together the egg whites and cream of tarter until foamy. Slowly whisk in the sugar and continue beating until whites are glossy and form stiff peaks.

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Pour the curd into a cooled, baked 9″ pie shell. Heap the meringue on top, making sure to seal the edges. Use the back of the spoon to swirl the meringue and form peaks. Place in the oven and bake 8-10 minutes until the meringue is golden. Chill until ready to serve. Watch it disappear.

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We touched down in Newark at 6:00 Saturday morning and were in our double-wide matchbox of an apartment in Brooklyn by 7:30. After a breakfast of turkey sandwiches we settled in for a long winter’s nap. . . . that lasted two hours.

I went through the rest of the day feeling like I had a hangover without having had any of the fun that usually leads to one (unless a red-eye flight from L.A. to New York is your idea of a good time). Both Amir and I agreed that we were in need of a detox.

I had bookmarked this recipe before we went away because it seemed like a perfect post-thanksgiving meal, and it was. It was worth dragging myself to the market to get kale and a big bottle of chestnuts. It was worth soaking the beans. It was worth chopping the onions that always make me cry. It is surprisingly creamy, tangy, rich, nutty and sweet. It will cure what ails you, even if it’s just too much turkey and too many tacos.

Kale and Chestnut Soup
adapted from Gourmet, December 2003

I am so glad I chose this delightful recipe for the first (!) Gourmet Unbound*. It made three dinners for us and seemed to get better every day. I added a little water when I reheated it, and I added a little leftover rice on the last day, which made a nice addition.

I made some changes, which are reflected below. I cut out the pancetta, because I felt like it, and added butter, because it’s always a good idea. This soup was really perfect, tasty, healthy, and hearty.

1/2 pound dry white beans (I used cannellini), picked over and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 (14-15 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained, juice reserved, tomatoes chopped
3-1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 piece Parmesan rind (you save your Parmesan rinds don’t you?)
1-1/2 cups (8 oz) roasted, peeled whole chestnuts, cut in half (or smaller, if you like)
1/2 pound kale, stems and center ribs discarded, ripped into bite-sized pieces (they suggest using Tuscan kale, but I used White Russian Kale because it’s what I could find, it worked splendidly)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

Soak the beans overnight or quick soak them. To quick soak beans: place them in a pot and cover with about 2″ of water. Bring to a boil and let boil for two minutes, cover the beans and let soak for one hour. Drain and rinse.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large (and I mean large, all that kale takes up a lot of space) 6-8 qt. stockpot over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes with juice, broth, water, cheese rind, and salt and pepper, and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once beans are tender, remove the cheese rind and stir in the chestnuts.

Transfer two cups of the soup to a blender and purée until smooth, then return to pot. Stir in kale and simmer, uncovered until the kale is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in thyme. Served topped with grated Parmesan.

*I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else cooked up for the month of December!

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