Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Cook the Books Club: The Little White Horse


The May/June selection for the Cook the Books Club was The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. It is a lovely and mystical fantasy story that sends a message of hope and courage along with tasty culinary tidbits along the way.

Although it took me awhile to find the time to read this novel, once I made it past the first chapter, I couldn't put it down. It was such a nice change from the busy-ness of my current reality.


As I read, I kept part of my mind open for a culinary inspiration. The description of one meal caught my attention -- pork chops with onions and apples -- so that is what I made for dinner last night.




First, I caramelized the onions, then sauteed and lightly cooked the pork chops. While they were cooking, I made fresh applesauce, from Braeburn apples, as the accompaniment. I did add some mashed potatoes as a side dish.


For dessert, I made a Lemon Syllabub, which was mentioned several times throughout the story. It is a simple, quick, and light dessert. Instead of white wine, though, I used limoncello to accent the taste of the lemon. My daughter approved, saying it was like ice cream only better.


For the basic recipe for two, I combined 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 healthy tablespoon of limoncello, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and let it sit while dinner was cooking. After dinner, I started whipping about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of whipping cream, and just as it began to thicken, I poured in the lemon mixture and continued beating. It immediately thickened, so I kept beating until it reached my desired thickness, then spooned it into chilled dishes. It was a perfect way to end the meal and to celebrate the story of Maria and the other characters.



Perhaps you can join us for the next good book.

8 comments:

Rachel said...

Awesome entry Judy! I could go for a sample of that syllabub right about now!

Megan said...

Limoncello? Seriously?

It's David's favorite drink / dessert component. I will make your recipe this weekend. It sounds perfect for the hot weather.

Deb in Hawaii said...

Great job with your CTB entry, Both the pork and apples and the syllabub look wonderful! I love the addition of the Limoncello.

Suzie said...

What a fantastic meal from the book. Marmaduke Scarlet would approve I'm sure!

NKP said...

A great meal all around, and I'd take a second helping of that sylabub!

Joanne said...

I loved that this was such a fast and easy read as well! I thought about making a syllabub but wasn't sure how my family would react to it. Glad to see that yours was a success!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Great minds think alike... but your syllabub for dessert makes yours so amazing!

Arlene Delloro said...

The pork chops are the "cake" and the limoncello syllabub, the "icing." Great post.