Transcendent
Lemon and thyme lamb;
an amazing throwback to my childhood
Transcendent
Lemon and thyme cake; the
twist of thyme gives this citrusy delight a kick
Lemon and thyme divine
As a child growing up,
the rule in our house was, on your birthday, you got to pick the meal for
dinner that night. I usually picked one of two things; either my mum's lasagne,
or lemon and thyme lamb.
Lemon and thyme lamb
is a favourite. I've got a picture of my mum's recipe card for it; the recipe
card must be 30 years old and is from the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation. When I moved out of home 15 years ago, I photocopied
a bunch of my mum's recipes - ones I'd loved my mum making as I grew up - and
they formed the basis for what is now the seven volumes of recipe scrapbooks I
have in my kitchen.
But since Emperor D is
not a fan of lamb, I never get to make it. Until recently. On a spur of the
moment decision, we headed home to Australia for Christmas. I returned to
Europe before New Year, but D stayed on until late January, leaving me home
alone for a few weeks - and free to cook what I pleased.
With the weather cold
and wintry, I spent one morning on the couch flicking through my recipe
volumes, searching for inspiration. I came across lemon and thyme and lamb and
was suddenly struck with making it; I hadn't had it - either made for me or
making it myself - for years. I invited a friend over, Sophia, who being Greek,
appreciates the combination of lamb and lemon. But having it with thyme -
instead of the usual Greek combination with rosemary - was something new for
her.
Throwing together the
onion and lots of garlic, the lemon and thyme is added with cubes of diced lamb
and white wine, then left to either bake or gently simmer on the stove for 1.5
hours. I chose to put it all into my faithful bright blue Le Creuset cast iron
casserole pot, throw it in the oven, and allow it to slowly cook away.
Pulling it out of the
oven and lifting off the lid, the delicious aroma of lemon, garlic and lamb
hits my nose. Served simply with white rice, the first bite takes me back to my
11th birthday, May 1991. The lamb is melt-in-your-mouth tender, and together with
the combination of the citrusy lemon, slightly minty/peppery thyme and garlic,
it just works. There’s the zing from
the lemon, which I love, but which is slightly tempered by the thyme and the
strong flavour of lamb. Love it.
Lemon and thyme cake |
It’s strange to have
two key flavours represented in both a savoury main and a dessert like a cake.
But I found a recipe for lemon and thyme cake recently that I thought I’d try. It’s
a twist on a simple lemon cake, with the thyme giving a delicate kick.
Easy to make, it’s
simply butter and sugar creamed together, plus eggs, lemon zest, a small amount
of thyme leaves, flour, and almond meal – which makes it light. What makes it
super moist – and delicious – is a syrup of lemon juice, sugar and thyme leaves
that is poured into skewered holes of the hot cake as it comes from the oven.
I’ve made this a
couple of times now and it’s a winner with everyone. The moist, light cake is
packed with the flavour of citrusy, tangy lemons, offset by the sweetness of
the sugar and given a slight uplift with the thyme. Served with my favourite
Gruyère double cream (bliss!), it’s the perfect tea time treat.
Savoury or sweet, two recipes prove that, together, lemon and thyme are divine.