wild fern: whirlwind

yikes. sorry about yesterday. time got away from me and before i knew it it was midnight.. -_-

but. the food i made yesterday was so good we can forget all about that. for breakfast i made this lovely bowl of oats:

*sultanas
*pecans
*cherry jam
*coconut milk
*vanilla
*turbinado sugar

i feel as though i've fallen into a rut for the past couple of days. it seemed like i'd gone a really long time without eating something that i thought was really truly delicious (excluding my oats). so it was a miracle yesterday when i was scrolling through blogs and stumbled upon heidi's recipe for roasted lemon chutney on 101 cookbooks. wow. it was truly one of the best things i've ever made. and it was really quite easy too! here's how it went:

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

3 small lemons

1/4 cup olive oil, and a little more to brush the lemons

1 tablespoon honey, more to taste

sea salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped basil or mint

soak the shallots in a small bowl of cold water to reduce their strength a bit.

preheat the oven to 400F with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

rinse the lemons in warm, soapy water and then set one aside to use later. slice the ends off of the remaining lemons and toss it -this part is mostly pith, which makes the chutney bitter. slice the lemons into 1/2-inch-thick discs, and use the tip of a knife to remove any seeds. any easy way to check for sneaky seeds is to hold the slices up to the light...

arrange the lemons on the baking sheet and brush with a bit of olive oil. turn and coat the other side as well. roast the lemons, turning them every 10 minutes, until they are tender with just a few hints of brown, 20 to 25 minutes. don't let them get crisp. set aside until cool enough to handle.

the smell of these roasting was one of the most incredible things ever.

transfer the lemons to a food processor or blender. drain the shallots, shaking off any excess water, and add them. stir in the honey and blend until the lemons are coarsely chopped. add the juice from half the extra lemon and the 1/4 cup of olive oil. keep on blending it until the chutney is smooth and creamy, with just a few small lemon bits. season graciously with salt and pepper and more lemon juice or honey to taste. keep adding and testing it until it tastes perfect. transfer the chutney to a small jar and let sit for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld. or eat it immediately. its also amazingly delicious. just before serving stir in the fresh basil or mint and put it on everything.