Books and cakes - 53

    Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, the subject of this month's lively discussion, is singularly lacking in cake. The dinner which precedes the opening dramatic events features "white asparagus in hollandaise, a fish course of turbot with crispy sweet onions, tiny chops in a cranberry demiglaze ... lemon mousse", and lemons, or rather their scent, have a subtle power elsewhere in the book - Roxane uses lemon shampoo flown in from Italy, its lingering smell an intoxicant for one character, a trigger of childhood memories for another.



    A lemon cake thus seemed fitting enough to go with the book, so I made Nigel Slater's thyme and lemon cake from his newly-published The Kitchen Diaries II. I was sparing with the thyme, fearing that it might dominate, but in fact it provides a subtle warmth and depth to balance the lemon's astringency, and the cake as a whole is deliciously fragrant and tangy and moist, and certainly one to make again.



(And next time, I'll try not to underbake it!)

Comments

[Dark Puss]

As you know I too was cooking from Kitchen Diaries II last night. Let me recommend the simple, quick and tasty (probably, but I have a cold) "Another quick curry" on p399. Lemon and thyme are certainly my childhood memories from summers in Provence.

[Cornflower]

Thankyou for the recommendation, and stand by for more from NS when we see you later in the week!

[Sue]

I cannot decide what to make first from it. I notice there are a few quince recipes which I would definitely be trying if my tree hadn't failed to fruit this year.

[Barbara MacLeod]

This is one of my old favourites ... and I use my mother's recipe. However I had never heard of adding some thyme. I have masses of lovely thyme in the garden so will have a go at adding some to my never-fail recipe.

[Dark Puss]

I had thyme ice-cream at a nice, quirky hotel on the edge of Paris (Palaiseau-Villebon) this summer. Quite good!

[Rosie]

Sounds delicious. The loveliest desert I've ever eaten was a lemon and thyme sorbet, whilst in Barcelona. It had a shot of vodka poured over it, but I think that might not be such a good idea for the cake....