A Summer Lemon Torta from Sorrento
Today’s podcast is all about lemons, from a delectable Lemon Torta recipe from Maria’s new book, The Art of Italian Cookie Diaries: Seasons to chatting with Charly Chairelly, star of the hit 2019 film, The Road to Lemon Grove.
The recipe comes from an entry from July 9th, titled, A Summer Lemon Torta from Sorrento, Italy, and she begins with an excerpt from the book.
“…The perfume of lemon torta wafting through my kitchen always reminds me of summer vacations at a small bed-and-breakfast called Agriturismi in Sorrento where the air is infused with fresh lemons. The view of the bay of Naples, the perfume of fresh lemons, and the vibrant colors all combine to make for a resplendent experience.”
Torta al Limone (Lemon Torta) (serves six to eight)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour, sifted
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 fresh lemons
- ½ cup butter, unsalted
- 1 cup of warm milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 fresh lemon slices
- 1 cup candied fruit
- 6 maraschino cherries
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, melt butter in a saucepan, and set aside to let cool.
- Juice 4 lemons into a small bowl, and set aside.
- Grate peels of 4 lemons, and set aside.
- Cut candied fruit into small cubes, and set aside.
- Separate eggs into two bowls. Whip egg yolks with sugar until blended and creamy with a hand mixer. Add lemon peel and lemon juice, a little at a time, to the egg-yolk mixture while blending in.
- Add in sifted flour, ¼ cup at a time, blending in after each addition.
- Add warm milk and melted butter, a little at a time.
- Beat egg whites until peaks have formed. Fold egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture. Add baking powder, candied fruits, and vanilla.
- Butter and flour pan or cover with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for forty minutes. Remove cake from oven and let cool. Place on a serving dish, decorate with lemon slices and maraschino cherries, and serve.
Be sure to check out The Art Of Italian Cooking Diaries: Seasons, on Amazon Kindle, Apple bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Charly Chairelly
Charly Chirelly is a Canadian film and theatre actor, who recently starred in the 2019 film, “The Road to The Lemon Grove.” Charly Chairelly was born in Italy but moved to America when he was 8 months old. He is currently based in Ontario, Canada.He is a professional harmonica player and theatre actor.
The Road to the Lemon Grove, 2019
The film is a dramatic comedy set in Italy. The film follows a son, who is haunted by his recently deceased father and his father wants him to return to Sicily, Italy to spread his ashes in a lemon grove. The father wants his son to reunite the two feuding families with the spreading of his ashes. The son is reluctant to honor his father’s wishes as he remains headstrong, wishing only to pursue his teaching career path and not return to Sicily. Over the course of the film, the son gives in to the ghost of his father and makes the journey to Italy, and goes on a transformative journey.
Interview with Charly Chairelly
Charly shares a fun story with Maria about a fig tree that was grown in his childhood home. His father had brought a few small branches from a fig tree from Italy to their home in Canada. The fig branches were placed in water to preserve them until they could be planted. The fig branches thrived until they grew into a full fig tree that almost reached 10 feet. To protect the fig tree from the harsh Canadian winters, they would bury the fig tree in a deeper hole and uncover it in the spring. The tree produced a sweet fruit that became a staple in the Chairelly household.
What does food mean to you, Charly Chairelly?
“It is the center of being…Food is life..To eat is to live. Food means everything to me.”