With spring comes a deep, all-consuming desire for all things lemon.  Can I get an amen?

So, I indulged.  Actually, I told myself that I needed to make lemon curd for a special cake that I made this weekend (white cake, lemon curd filling, lemon buttercream) for a special event that I’m celebrating next week that you’ll hear about on Tuesday.  Got all that?

Lemon curd.

Luscious, silky lemon curd.  Makes me a little weak in the knees just thinking about it.  Of course, it’s sitting in the refrigerator right now.  Just one little spoonful.  Which turns into two.  Which turns into three.  I may have to make some lavender shortbread cookies soon. Because what’s nicer than lemon than lavender?

A spoon.

That’s what’s nicer.

A spoon.  For the curd.  In the refrigerator.  Singing to me.

I reviewed (with great scrutiny) a number of curd recipes before returning to the same one that I made last year.  For one thing, it makes a large batch (approximately 4 cups).  For another, it’s scrumptious.  However, this year I used plain, old granulated sugar rather than cane sugar.  I was looking for a beautifully vivid yellow versus the golden yellow (read: brownish yellow) that was last year’s result.  And it is a beautiful color.

Lemon curd isn’t the only thing that I whipped up.

I am not a coffee drinker.  Sorry.  I know that many are passionate about their coffee and I wish I was part of the coffee drinkin’ club (it smells amazing, if that helps), but it just does nothing for me.  However, I am very much a tea drinker.

Which makes my confession sound ridiculous.  Here it goes:  I had never heard of a London Fog until a week-and-a-half ago.  Or, perhaps I’ve heard of it but didn’t know what it was. A London Fog is Earl Grey tea steeped in steamed milk, often with the addition of lavender syrup.

Delicious.

I hunted around on Pinterest and found a number of recipes as a starting point, then went from there.  Here is my take on the drink:

London Fog

12 oz 1% milk (or milk of your choice)
1 Earl Grey teabag
sprinkle of dried culinary lavender
1/3 vanilla bean
honey to taste

Place milk in small saucepan.  Scrape vanilla seeds out of bean, add seeds and bean husk to milk.  Add teabag, lavender and honey to saucepan.  Heat on medium low until hot.  The idea is not to boil the mixture, and to slowly heat it so the tea has time to steep.

Now, I wanted some foam on mine, like they serve at the coffee shops.  I pulled out my brand new immersion blender I bought from Amazon this week.  Darn thing doesn’t appear to work.  But, I was on a foam mission, so I strained the hot mixture into the husband’s Nutri Ninja and pulsed it a few times.  Instant foam!

Pour in a mug and enjoy!