Avgolemono: Lemon Chicken Soup

Two meals that I only ever tasted once during my childhood stick out vividly in my mind to this day.  They were that good.  First, an incredible peanut soup that I had at a friend's house.  Her mom set steaming bowl in front of me, and I'll admit, I was wary... peanut soup?  It was unlike anything I had ever tasted before, and it was amazing.  The second was also a soup.  And it was also at a friend's house.  My best friend growing up had the most amazing cook for a mother.  And I spent so much time at her house that I started calling her mom Auntie Suzanne.  One day she set a bowl of lemon chicken soup in front of me, and I've dreamed about it ever since.

Yesterday Carsten requested soup for dinner.  He knows I love soup, and they are relatively quick to throw together.  When I don't follow a recipe though, my soups all turn out about the same: delicious but not entirely exciting when you just ate it a week prior ;)  So I decided to look for a recipe, and Auntie Suzanne's lemon chicken soup immediately came to mind.  I have no idea why it has taken me this long to try to make it.  It's maybe the easiest soup I've ever made, and if you're craving soup on a hot summer day, this one is refreshing, even though it's piping hot.  I found this recipe at Katie at the Kitchen Door, and adapted it only very very slightly.  Enjoy!


Ingredients
(serves 2, with maybe a bit for leftovers)

6 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium)
2 chicken legs
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed or finely minced
1/2 cup brown rice
1 can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste (I didn't feel the need to add any salt)

Procedure
In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the chicken broth, chicken, minced/crushed garlic, and brown rice. Bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until both the rice and the chicken are fully cooked – the rice should be tender and the chicken should be cooked through, with no pink in the middle when you cut into it.

Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard skin and bones, tear meat into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.

Beat the egg white with a whisk in a medium bowl until it is white and thick. Lightly beat the egg yolk, then add the egg yolk to the beaten egg white and whisk together. Slowly pour the lemon juice into the egg mixture as you whisk. The mixture should be pale yellow and fairly thick. Slowly add a thin stream of the hot broth-rice mixture to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking the eggs vigorously as you do so, to temper the eggs, using about 2 cups of the broth mixture. Pour the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the pot, whisking the soup as you do so. Continue to stir, and add the chicken pieces, chickpeas, and dill to the pot. Cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, to heat all ingredients through and slightly thicken the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot.


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Applesauce Cake with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients for Cake
1 1/4 cups flour
2/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup whole milk
3/4 cup applesauce
9 Tbs butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Ingredients for Frosting
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp hot water


Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl combine dry ingredients minus the brown sugar. In a second mixing bowl mix together milk and applesauce. In a third mixing bowl cream butter. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add eggs; mix well. Add in dry ingredients and applesauce mixture in three batches alternating between dry and wet, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour into greased 9x13 loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Let cool ten minutes in pan, before removing to drying rack. Let cool completely before glazing. For glaze, combine powdered sugar, juice and water. Mix well and drizzle over cool cake.



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Adapted from here.

Strawberry Lemon Scones

For Scones

4 plus 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbs baking powder

2 tsp salt

1 Tbs lemon zest

1 1/2 cups butter

4 eggs

1 cup cream

1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries

For Egg Wash

1 egg whisked with 2 Tbs water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In large mixing bowl mix 4 cups flour with sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Cut in cold butter. In a separate bowl combine eggs, and cream. Mix briefly. Slowly pour into flour butter mixture until just blended. In a separate bowl mix together 1/4 cup flour and strawberries. Add to batter. Mix briefly.

On a lightly floured surface knead dough for 1-2 minutes before forming a circle one inch high. Cut out desired shapes and place on a greased baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.

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Adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe.

Citrus Hazelnut Bars

Ingredients Crust:
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/6 cup chopped hazelnuts

Filling:
2 eggs
1/6 cup chopped hazelnuts
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp grapfruit zest (optional)
1 Tbs orange juice (adjust if lime or lemon juice is unavailable)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs powdered sugar (for dusting)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, beat butter on medium for 30 seconds before adding the sugar and beating until thoroughly combined. Beat in flour. Add hazelnuts. Mix until crumbly. Press into bottom of ungreased 8x8 square pan. Bake for 10 min, or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile in large mixing bowl stir together eggs, sugar, flour, zests, juices, and baking powder. Beat for two minutes at medium speed. Pour over hot baked crust. Sprinkle with hazelnuts. Bake for approximately 20 min, or until lightly brown around the edges while center is set. Let cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.



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Adapted from a Better Homes and Garden's recipe

Lemon-Poppy Seed Shortbread

Ingredients
1/2 cup + 3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cup flour
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until creamy. Add flour, poppy seeds and salt until smooth. Press dough evenly into 9 inch cake or pie pan. Lightly prick the surface all over with a fork. In pan, cut wedges or squares (depending on your pan shape). Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

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Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe.