Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Kouzounas Kitchen, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

HAPPY 8 YEARS DEAR BLOG

Wow, I don’t even know where to start??!! First off I want to say a huge THANK YOU! If you have subscribed to my blog or possibly made one of my recipes, thank you. My blog is my world, my life, and what keeps me sane especially during covid. I started my blog as a chef to just share the love of Greek food, but Kouzounas Kitchen became more than that. I have worked with many great foodies and chefs from around the world, collaborated with over 100 companies, and formulated thousands of recipes to share with YOU!

I may get emotional here, but hear me out. I lost my yiayia and family at a young age. My yiayia means the world to me and this is my way to say thank you to her and dedicate everything I do on this blog to her. Stavroula Kouzouna “Kouzounas” Kalapothakou. Although we have had a tough and very challenging 2020, I want to say my blog has continued to help me share my recipes, thoughts, and emotions. I have met beautiful people around the globe who really push me to keep going. You all know who you are.

One thing I want to say is this. Even though I am a professional chef, I am still learning. The beauty of food is that you learn, and you learn from everyone.  I am a humble chef, and I will always stay that way. If you are a chef, please stay humble and remember we can always LEARN from one another! The beauty of life is constantly learning, and becoming a better version of who we are.

New things on the horizon coming my friends, so please stay tuned in for that! I do thank you for the constant support and love!

Let’s get to the dessert that I made tonight to celebrate!

Lemon Mousse Dessert 

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Lemon curd:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 lemons (reserve juice)
• 1.5 tablespoons of lemon zest
• 2 egg yolks room temperature
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 tablespoon of butter (to add to lemon curd)

Whipped Cream:

• 1 1/3 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 + 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavoring

Method:

1. Prepare the lemon curd. (Make this in advance. I say make it the night before you want to make this dessert.)
2. In a microwavable bowl add the butter and sugar. Place in microwave and heat for about 60 seconds or until melted.
3. Whisk the butter and sugar together, and add the lemon juice and zest. Set aside.
4. Prepare the eggs. In a large bowl add the egg yolks and the eggs. Whisk to combine then add the lemon sugar-butter mixture. Mix, and then place the mixture over a double boiler.
5. Cook the mixture over medium heat and continue to stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens. About 10 minutes or so until the curd will thicken. Once the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon it is done. Remove from heat, and place the tablespoon of butter in the curd and stir to combine. Cover curd and chill for a few hours or overnight.
6. Prepare whipping cream. In a mixing bowl whisk the ingredients together on high. You want stiff peaks. Do not overmix otherwise it will become grainy. Once you have achieved the stiff peaks set aside.
7. In a large bowl reserve 3/4 cup of lemon curd and 3/4 cup of whipping cream to make the lemon mousse. Fold the lemon curd into the whipping cream. Make sure everything is combined.
8. Take about 1/4 cup of the lemon mousse filling and serve over the lemon curd. So you should have lemon curd, lemon mousse, and now add a dollop of the whipping cream over the top. Serve with fresh berries and lemon slices.

Enjoy!