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Lemon Essence (Cognac au Citron)

Lemon essence from Erken 1914: thin lemon peel steeps 24 hours in cognac, is strained, and mixed with cooled sugar syrup (30 g sugar, ½ dl water). Used one dessert spoon at a time to flavor creams, sauces, and puddings.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 502 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A homemade flavoring essence from the dessert chapter of "Stor kokebok" (1914). Such essences were made in advance and kept in a bottle, so that one could quickly flavor creams, sauces, and puddings.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Peel the lemon

    Wash the lemon well and peel the zest as thinly as possible. Any white that comes with the peel will spoil the flavor.

  2. 2

    Steep in the cognac

    Pour the cognac into a bottle, add the lemon peel, and let it stand covered for 24 hours.

  3. 3

    Strain

    Strain off the peel and pour the cognac back into the bottle.

  4. 4

    Cook the sugar syrup

    Cook sugar and water together for 5 minutes, skim off, and let it become completely cold.

  5. 5

    Mix and cork

    Pour the cold sugar syrup into the cognac and cork the bottle. A dessert spoon of the essence gives cooked creams an excellent flavor.

Changes from the original

Measures are converted to modern deciliters and grams. The method is divided into numbered steps; otherwise unchanged. "The cognac is diluted" is clarified to mean the water/sugar syrup is mixed in.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
1949 (proofread, p. 580) → 1914 (proofread, p. 502)~50% of the text changedremovedadded
(Cognac au citron) til kremer, sauser og puddinger. 2½ del. konjakk konjak ½ del. vann vand 30 gr. sukker 1 sitron. Sitronen citron. Citronen vaskes, og skallet skrelles tynnest skrælles tyndest mulig av. Det minste mindste hvitt, sittende siddende ved skallet, vil forringe den gode smak. Konjakken varmes vannes og has på haves paa en flaske, tilsettes sitronskallet, står tildekket tilsættes citronskallet, staar tildækket i 24 timer, siles og has haves tilbake på paa flasken. Sukker og vann vand kokes sammen i 5 minutter, skummes og helles heldes i konjakken når konjakken, naar det er ganske koldt. Korkes. Korkes, 1 dessertskje full dessertske fuld av denne essens vil gi kokte kremer en utmerket udmerket god smak.

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Frequently asked questions

Why must I peel the lemon zest so thin?
Because the white part under the peel gives bitterness and spoils the good flavor. Use only the outermost yellow peel.
How long should the peel steep in the cognac?
The cognac is diluted with ½ dl water, poured into a bottle with the lemon peel, and left covered for 24 hours. Then it is strained and poured back into the bottle.
When is the sugar syrup added?
30 g sugar is cooked with water for 5 minutes and skimmed. The syrup must be completely cold before it is poured into the cognac, then the bottle is corked.
How is the essence used?
1 dessert spoon of the essence gives cooked creams an excellent flavor. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 502.

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