British Spring

Yup. The picture above pretty much sums it up. Cold, wet and gloomy. But spring in Britain is more than just crap weather.

Spring in Britain means the baby lambs are in need of shepherding after a day of grazing...

Some need a little special attention...

When you live in a country where you can't expect the sun, you've just got to do what you gotta do and move on. Protect your plants with little mini-greenhouses...

And reap the rewards of the British Spring - asparagus, peas, rhubarb...

And ramsons (a.k.a. wild garlic shoots)...

Ramsons are absolutely delicious and like the sun in Britain, go as quickly as they come. They have a smooth, mellow garlic flavor and pair nicely with all the British spring populars - like asparagus and peas. Perfect for this year's Springtime Frittata.

RAMSONS, ASPARAGUS, SPRING PEA + MASCARPONE FRITTATA

• 1 Tbs butter
• 6 c loosely packed, chopped ramsons (could substitute ramps)
• 1 c fresh shelled peas
• 12 -15 tender asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 c mascarpone cheese

METHOD

Preheat broiler in oven to medium. Whisk eggs and egg whites together with salt and pepper, set aside. Melt butter in a large non-stick, oven-safe pan. Add ramsons and saute over medium-high heat. Once wilted, drain any excess liquid. Add peas and asparagus pieces. Cook for 1 minute and reduce heat. Make sure that everything is spread evenly about the pan. Pour egg mixture over top. Leave on low heat till the bottom and sides set. As this is happening, add small dollops of mascarpone to the eggs. Once the sides are set, place in the oven under the broiler till the top sets and browns gently. Remove from oven. Let sit for a few minutes and then remove from pan and serve. Can be refrigerated and served cold, but I prefer it warm. 

With a great, non-stick pan (my eight-year-old All Clad non-stick, which has traveled thousands of miles and lived in many countries still does the trick). You can loosen the frittata with a flexible rubber spatula and slip it out of the pan. Or you could flip it out, but I like to see the bits of mascarpone. You could also use a mild cheddar, but I wouldn't use a stronger cheese as it will over power the delicate flavors of the springtime greens. 

And, on those cold rainy spring days, sometimes you need a treat with a little zest that puts a zing in your step. Like lemon poppy seed cake...

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

• 6 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 2/3 c sugar, divided equally into two parts
• 4 eggs separated
• 2/3 c yogurt (full-fat) plain or lemon flavored 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 c AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 c poppy seeds
• zest of 3 lemons

METHOD

Zest three lemons and juice one to get 2 Tbs lemon juice. Sift together drys and add poppy seeds and lemon zest - set aside. Separate eggs and leave whites aside. Combine the yolks in a different bowl with the yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice - set aside. Beat or paddle the butter with half (1/3 c) of the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat on low and alternate adding the yolk mixture and the drys mixture. Once combined, do not over beat - set aside. Clean your beaters or change to a whisk attachment on your KitchenAid (this is when having an extra bowl makes life so much easier!). Beat egg whites to medium peaks, sprinkling in the remaining sugar once the eggs get really frothy. Sacrifice some of the whipped whites into the yolk/drys mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the rest. Bake at 350F till cooked through and dark golden brown. I made 2 small rounds in paper molds (25-30min), but this will make one 9-inch cake (40-45min).

This cake must sit for a day. Once its cooled wrap it up in plastic and set aside in the fridge. Don't look at it or attempt to eat it for 24 hours. Not sure what it is but a good cake out of the oven turns into something amazing if you wait. You can have it plain or with a little bit of vanilla buttercream. I just beat room temp butter till its pale and then sprinkle powdered sugar (to taste) and a bit of vanilla bean and splash of vanilla extract. To frost - trim any dome off the top. Cut the top half off the cake. Frost the middle, put the top half back on, and frost the top and sides. 

Comments

[Ann]

Wow.. cute baby lambs! love the recipe too..looks very tempting.

[Sophie]

Waw!! Truly beautiful foods!

I so love your garden too! that frittata sings to me!!

Georgous!!

[OysterCulture]

Oh my goodness, love it a bonus recipe and so tasty good too. As much as I love rhubarb, I confess to alway having it in sweets but never savory combos and now I am so anxious to try your recipe and see what I've been missing out on.

[gastroanthropologist]

OysterCulture - Sorry to confuse, but no rhubarb in the frittata. I just had to include the picture of the rhubarb in the post - fresh from Nottinghamshire! I'm with you on the rhubarb though - much prefer it in the sweeter side of things.

[Brenda - Aesthetic Dalliances]

Wow that frittata looks delicious. I have to admit that I am a little down about the British spring this year too, so your post helped cheer me up - and I wasn't expecting the lemon poppy seed cake at the end as an added bonus. It's still baking weather so... :)

[Tangled Noodle]

Double treat - something savory and something sweet! For the first time, I managed to score 'ramps' and enjoyed them very much, though now I wish there were some left. As for the cake - no doubt it's divine on its own, but I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to have a bit of buttercream frosting. 8-)

[The Duo Dishes]

Holding that baby lamb while eating a slice of that lemon poppy seed cake would pretty much be the best thing in the world.

[lisa]

Two delicious recipes in one. I've been into making savory frittatas and quiches lately. Love the mascarpone! Delicious.

[Maria]

I don't know where to start ... the frittata looks amazing! Love the ingredients you've used and the rustic simplicity of a frittata. As for the cake, I've been trying to cut down on sweets, but I would devour a slice of that if it were in front of me right now!

[Lori]

Okay, so the first photo is a bit daunting with the gray sky, but those baby lambs are so cute! At least they completely brightened my day.

Perfect example of an ingredient I was previously unaware of - ramsons. I bet they are delicious in the quiche and I could not be hungrier for that cake!

[mycookinghut]

Yes, the weather makes me feel depressed! At least, your poppy cake and frittata cheer me up!

[Daily Spud]

I've been enjoying my wild garlic leaves over here too - not quite the same variety as ramsons but equally tasty and perfect for frittata...

And I am very glad that rhubarb season is here again, can't get enough of the stuff.

[Velva]

I enjoyed this post. I thought the idea of using bottles as mini-greenhouses a clever one.

I will be sure to pass along some of our Florida sunshine your way.

[5 Star Foodie]

The frittata sounds amazing with all the wonderful spring ingredients, and great addition of mascarpone cheese in the recipe! I would totally love a slice of the delicious cake too!

[Catriona Sutherland]

I live in Scotland and I see wild garlic every year and hadn't really figured out what I could do with it! It's a while till Spring now but I think Wild garlic frittata is going to be on the menu . . .
By the way, I'm an anthropology student who kind of has an obsession with food, so I'm a big fan of the title of this blog!