JANUARY BLUES BUT ONE BIT OF SUNSHINE

They say this time of year is the gloomiest and this week it does seem to be a bit of a slog.  I have managed to meet all my work deadlines but my home to do list is sadly very much unticked.   I think I am fighting the urge to hibernate now that the snow has come. Whilst staying in every evening Michael and I  have been completely obsessed with the boxset of Breaking Bad, the amazing US series that has everyone  who views it, talks about nothing else  for hours on end. We've been watching it  far too late into the night. I am aware I'm boring people  by incessently yapping on about the relationship between Walt and Jesse.  As well as banging on about Breaking Bad, I have indeed also been baking bread and can easily talk for hours about that instead.

Although I always bake cakes, baking bread always seemed like more effort than it was worth but my mind has been changed by one brilliant Dan Lepard. I have been following his column in the Guardian magazine for a long time. My friend Jo brought me his book, Short and Sweet, and I haven't been able to stop. He is utterly inspirational yet so straightforward. I now realise baking bread is  no great strain on brain or brawn, it's inexpensive and makes the house smell scrummy. I am a convert.

Another good thing about January is Seville Oranges,  mmm, perfect for juicing and marmalade with their sunshine colour and tangy taste. To go with my bread, I made Seville Orange Curd. Delicious. spread on warm, freshly baked bread, eaten whilst looking out of a window onto a snowy landscape.

SEVILLE ORANGE CURD

Zest of 2 Seville Oranges
Juice of 5 Seville Oranges
450g of caster sugar
125g of butter
4 large eggs

What to do
1. Heat the butter, sugar, orange juice and zest in  a bowl over a pan of simmer water until the butter is melted.
2. Pour the beaten eggs into the mixture and keep on watching and stirring until the mixture is thickened. Do remember it will thicken even more once it's been put into the jar so don't panic if it seems to be a little runny. This usually takes 10 - 15 minutes. Believe me the curd is definitely worth standing near the stove, brandishing a wooden spoon, for quarter of an hour. Put the radio on. Time will pass quickly especially if you have some good tunes.
3. Once it's thicker, pour into some warm, sterilised jars.  Once it's cooled down, pop it into the fridge where it will keep for 4 weeks. But you will probably eat it before then.

Apart from the taste bud reviving taste, the other wonderful thing about about Seville Orange Curd is that it's such a marvellous blazing orange colour, it's almost like you've captured some liquid sunshine and kept it in a jar. Could almost be convinced that January  is not such a bad month.