I Can Has Bento?: pre-gaming: summer

Living in Iowa can sometimes... well... suck. When, for example, the temperatures in early April are 20 degrees warmer than in mid May, I can't help but curse the Midwest weather gods. But occasionally they dish out a gift. Today was pretty nice - the second sunny day in a row, upper 60's, albeit a little windy (you can't have everything). And - perfect timing - I had the day off. Of course I spent a good part of it cooking - and even fired up the grill! So even though I didn't make a bento, I decided I'd blog a little out-of-the-box. Everything was a bit too good not to share. :)

black beans w/ orzo, tuna steak, green beans
...perfect with a good ol' can of Miller, by the way ;)

Green beans are, to me, one of the great things about summer. I can remember snapping the ends off freshly picked beans from Grandma's garden when I was a little girl, and to this day the sound and smell of snapping beans reminds me of warm, sunny afternoons.

My all time favourite green bean 'recipe' is simply sautéing them in bacon drippings (ohhhhh yeah). Today I changed it up with a drizzle of sesame oil, a splash of rice vinegar and a bit of coriander, salt and pepper - then into a veggie basket on the grill. They were the perfect complement to my Major Grey's chutney marinated tuna steaks.

Following the outdoor feast, I walked to the shaved ice stand with my bestie, Mindy (whose blog, by the way, you should check out - she's putting this English major to shame!). It was my first time (awwww) and it was DELICIOUS. Totally worth freezing our butts off walking back home with the sun going down. I have a feeling Tro Sno will become a biweekly habit at least.

As if grilling out and walking to get shaved ice wasn't summery enough, we went to a couple of friends' softball games tonight. Nothing says summer like a ball game! Even if it's in the 50's and super windy and feels more like football weather... ah, like I said. Iowa.

In case you hadn't gathered it by now, I'm a little piggy, and so after the game I was craving a snack. Something summery. Something bright yet comforting. Something like... lemon curd.

I LOVE lemon curd! And once I figured out I could make it at home instead of paying $4 for a jar at the grocery store, I shamelessly succumbed to addiction. If you think it sounds difficult or fancy (as I did not long ago) - prepared to be amazed. And please, please, please try this because IT IS FANTASTIC. :)

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Lemon Curd

4 egg yolks

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C + 1 T lemon juice

(I squeeze my lemon juice fresh; usually this takes about 3 - 4 small cocktail lemons)

for lack of a good written description, here is a picture of that point

Stir together and heat in a double boiler over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. At this point I always start thinking to myself, what the heck does 'coat the back of the spoon' mean?? And then I keep stirring and checking and then somehow some kind of kitchen magic starts working and it looks right.

Remove from the heat and stir in 5 tablespoons of cold, cubed butter and a pinch of kosher salt.

Stir until the butter has completely melted.

At this point, it's up to you whether to call it good or strain it for a smoother texture. I inevitably steal a few bites before straining. :)

<-- Before straining.

It's hard to see in this picture, but...

This is what gets left behind in the strainer. -->

Basically just bits of lemon pulp and egg white.

<-- And this is post-strain, pre-chill. The consistency is quite a bit looser when it's warm; it turns buttery and thick when cooled in the fridge for a couple of hours. Either way, irresistible!