lemon cream pie with biscoff cookie crust

This is the Lemon Cream Pie I mentioned in my last post. Another winning pie that was so good, I had to make it myself when I got home from the reunion. 2.0 originally found this recipe, and when she made it, she used Biscoff cookies for the crust (my other sister has made it with a normal pie crust, which is extremely delectable, as well). I went with the Biscoff option, cause, I mean, have you tried Biscoff Spread? And how can you go wrong with the flavor of "crisp, caramelized biscuits"? I'm telling you—you can't. You just can't. So get up on this. As soon as you can.

Lemon Cream Pie, adapted from RealSimple.com

1 package Biscoff Cookies
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus about 1 tablespoon more for serving

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Heat oven to 350° F. In a food processor, process the Biscoff cookies until fine crumbs form. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, using a straight-sided dry measuring cup to help. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the edges are dry and set, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, condensed milk, lemon zest and juice, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until set in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool and then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spread on the pie, sprinkle with the additional zest, and serve immediately.

bakesale betty's fried chicken sandwiches and lemon ice

A long time ago, I posted about going to Bakesale Betty's in Oakland. It was so inspiring and delicious. If I opened my own storefront, I'd love to run it similar to her business model. The last week I was in SF for work, I stayed the weekend to hang with the parents, and I dragged them out to this giant White Elephant Sale, then to Bakesale Betty's. I've been craving that lemon ice since I first had it years ago and I just wanted them to see this place that really inspired me to want to do my own thing with food one of these days (someday? hopefully?). When we were ordering in line and Ms. Bakesale herself realized my mom had never been there and we were just getting lemon ice's, she gave us two of their famous fried chicken sandwiches—on the house. Seriously, I love this woman! We took it home and split them up between the parents and myself. We were all blown away. A few weeks later, my dad did his thing and found the recipe for this online and for the lemon ice that haunts me on the daily. Fast forward to Memorial weekend, when my parents and I were visiting two of my sibs in Southern California. Needless to see, we made these ridiculously good sandwiches and the drink. Everyone LOVED it! The cole slaw that you make really puts it over the top. My rad sis-in-law who haaaaaates onions totally got down with these bad boys. I'd call this success for all parties. See recipes below.

Bakesale Betty's Fried Chicken Sandwich

Serves 4
You'll have some breading left over, even after dipping twice. This makes a hefty sandwich in all regards - you'll need two hands to eat it.

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each (we sliced the chicken breasts in half, to make sure they weren't too thick. Or you could pound them to be flatter, if you don't want to slice them)
Kosher salt to taste
1 quart buttermilk
The vinaigrette1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
The coleslaw1 small red onion, very thinly sliced (we used half this amount)
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 jalapenos, seeded, cut in half and sliced crosswise
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 green cabbage, core and outer leaves removed, and very thinly sliced
Kosher salt
The breading1 pound all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt + more to taste
11/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
4 Acme Bakery torpedo rolls, sliced lengthwise (we found rolls as close to this as possible. We also buttered and toasted the buns, to avoid soggy bread)

Instructions: Season chicken breasts with kosher salt. Let sit at least 5 minutes. Fill a wide, shallow nonreactive bowl or casserole dish with buttermilk. Add the chicken and soak in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to overnight.
For the vinaigrette: Combine mustard, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended.
For the coleslaw: Macerate onions in red wine vinegar, and let sit at least 20 minutes. Remove onions and discard vinegar. Toss onions with jalapeno, parsley, cabbage and salt. Toss with vinaigrette until evenly coated.
To fry chicken: Pour vegetable oil into a large stockpot. Do not fill up more than halfway, or the oil could splatter. Bring oil up to 365°, using a digital thermometer/candy thermometer to monitor the heat. Prepare the the breading while waiting for oil to heat up.

In a wide shallow bowl, mix flour, cayenne, salt and pepper. Pull a chicken breast out of the buttermilk one by one, letting excess drip off, and dredge completely in flour. To create a thick crust, place in buttermilk and dredge in flour a second time. Do not drain or shake off excess buttermilk or flour during the breading process.

When the oil is at 365°, carefully place chicken pieces into oil one by one. Let it cook for a minute before disturbing chicken, then help it "swim" in the oil with tongs, until it is evenly cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels. Season immediately with salt.

For the sandwich: Place fried chicken breast on bottom of torpedo roll and top generously with coleslaw.

(recipe found via)

Bakesale Betty's Lemon Ice
Makes about 5 drinks
This recipe is from Alison Barakat (a.k.a. Betty), owner of Bakesale Betty in Oakland, where the lemon ice is kept frozen in a slush machine. This is an adapted version for home cooks.

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup hot water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
Instructions: In a 2-quart pitcher, whisk sugar with hot water until sugar is dissolved. Add 2 cups cold water and the lemon juice, and stir until combined.

Pour 2 1/2 cups of the lemon mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. Store the rest in the refrigerator. Add lemon ice cubes and liquid mixture to a blender and pulse until you get a slushy consistency. Pour into 5 glasses and serve immediately.

(We used an ice cream maker and mixed it until it was slushy enough, since we didn't have time to make the cubes.)

recipe found via

i want this

real bad. a yellow one. all i want in the summer is a frozen treat. a lemon frozen treat, 99% of the time. i saw this recipe for lemon granita on pioneer woman's blog, and i think if i don't get one of these cute lil' things, i'm gonna rock that recipe all summer long.

lemon-yogurt-poppy seed muffins

these were the first thing to break in my brand new oven. not a bad way to go, cause if you've spent any time with me at all lately, you'd know i'm obsessed with all things lemon. at least three times a day i mention my insatiable desire for a lemon slushy like the one i had at bakesale betty's. which i have yet to find again here in salt lake.

back to the muffins. you should probably make these.

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon, finely minced
1 t. lemon extract
1 c. plain yogurt
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 T. poppy seeds

lemon syrup:
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 t. lemon extract
1 c. sugar


preheat oven to 375°. arrange oven rack to middle position. line muffin pans with paper liners. cream butter until smooth and creamy. blend in sugar and then eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, zest, lemon extract, and yogurt. blend well; fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. bake until golden and set, about 25 minutes.

for lemon syrup, simmer water, lemon juice, extract, and sugar over low heat for 5 minutes. cool well. brush baked poppy seed muffins 2 or 3 times with lemon syrup wile they are still warm. let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

(recipe from "a passion for baking" by marcy goldman)

busy little bee

this weekend my gorgeous and fabulous friend, liz gillman of fleur de sel catering hosted a beautiful croquet party and had me make some goodies for it. i made a double batch of lemon bars and some snickerdoodles. but the star of the show had to be liz's fig pizza. it's one of the best things i've ever had! oh so delicious! it was a very lovely and bourgeoisie (bougie) event, and i was so happy to be a part of it. thanks, liz!

lemon brioche rolls

i was planning on a potluck brunch with friends on sunday afternoon and i had seen this recipe on picky cook a week or so before. i'm obsessed with all things lemon right now, so it was a perfect recipe to make. i'd never made brioche before, either so i was a bit nervous, but i'm pretty happy with the results.


lemon brioche rolls
from The Knead For Bread

1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs (room temp)
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups soft butter
1 1/4 cup lemon curd (recipe below)
3 tablespoon powdered sugar

egg wash - 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water

pour milk into a saucepan and heat till lukewarm. (about 100 degrees)

In a large bowl add sugar and warm milk. add 1 cup of flour, mix till smooth. add lightly beaten eggs and mix completely. add in instant yeast and another cup of flour. continue to mix. add in salt and a half a cup of flour. mix till the dough comes together. add a little flour on a flat surface and pour out the dough. (i just kept the dough in my bosch and kneaded it that way for the next step rather than doing it by hand)

knead dough for 3 minutes adding just a little bit of flour at a time. you want the dough to be on the sticky side. the dough will stick to your hands a little. just add a little flour to your hands and continue to knead. the dough will became a little easier to handle as you knead.

place dough back into bowl. add a 1/4 of the soft butter to the and mix together by hand. once the butter is completely incorporated add another 1/4 of butter, continue till all 1 1/2 c. of the butter is mixed in. (again, i just did this in my bosch and it worked great.)

cover bowl with plastic wrap and place into fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

after resting time sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface and place dough on top. cut dough in half and set one piece aside.

roll out dough into a 15 inch diameter circle. using a pizza cutter, cut dough into eight triangular pieces.

add a heaping tablespoon of lemon curd to the base of the triangle. start from the base of the triangle roll each one up and curve into a crescent shape, pinch the ends closed. (i never managed to do this perfectly. they kept oozing a bit, but i probably put too much curd in there.)

place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat with other half of dough. cover with plastic wrap for 45 minutes.

brush with egg wash. bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15-17 minutes.

allow to cool on a wire rack. then sift a little powdered sugar on top.



lemon curd

zest of 4 lemons
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
4 large eggs (room temp) -- a trick for this is if you have eggs right out of the fridge, put them in a bowl of warm water to bring them up to room temp.--
1/8 tsp salt

put the zest and sugar in food processor and pulse until combined and zest is broken down.

put lemon sugar and butter into mixer and cream. add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. add lemon juice and salt and mix a little while longer.

pour into a sauce pan and heat on low until mixture reaches 175 degrees. (i just did it till it started bubbling and getting thick) cool curd to room temp before you add to the rolls.


**thanks to damian for taking great pictures for me to use.

banana poundcake

i have made this twice now and learned a bit from the first time. the recipe says it's for one loaf of bread, but it went crazy and overflowed and took forever to bake and never really baked all the way through when i made it that way. so the second time around i spread it between two and it worked so much better. also, i added lemon in the recipe and made a lemon glaze that i poured over the top. this is now one of my new favorite ways to eat banana bread. very moist, and dense in a good way.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temp.
1 1/2 medium-size very ripe bananas, mashed not too smooth with a fork (3/4 c.) **i used 2 bananas
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 cups cake flour, or 2 cups plus 3 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. milk
1 T. freshly grated orange peel **i didn't use this, i used lemon juice, and also made a lemon glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice

heat oven to 350°. lightly grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan. **do two. beat butter in mixer for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. with mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar. increase the mixer speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy. with the mixer still on high speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is smooth and very pale and has increased in volume. beat in bananas, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. (the mixture will look curdled.) on low speed, alternately beat in the flour and milk, beating well after each addition. stir in the orange peel **or lemon juice. scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. bake until the cake pulls away slightly from sides of the pan and a toothpick or fork comes out clean, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes. (if the cake starts to brown too much after 1 hour of baking, cover it loosely with foil.) cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edges of teh cake to loosen. turn the cake out onto the rack, invert, and cool completely. **when i took them out, i immediately inverted the loaves and poked them with a fork all over and poured over the lemon glaze while hot.

the cake can be well wrapped and kept at cool room temp. or in the refrigerator up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.

lemonade cupcakes

my oldest sister sent me this recipe the other day and i have to say, it's all she said it would be. moist deluxe and lemony.

Lemonade Cupcakes

white cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
6 oz lemonade concentrate, thawed; reserve 2 T for frosting

Mix together on high for 3 minutes. Fill muffin tins
3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

Frosting:
1 can cream cheese frosting
2 T reserved lemonade from above

Makes 30 cupcakes

these are messy but so worth it!

ps- happy mother's day mom!

lemon bars on brown butter shortbread

this recipe is from the tartine cookbook my friends juliann and kathryn gave me. tartine is an amazing bakery in san francisco the city that is my one true love. these lemon bars are the best lemon bars i've ever had. ever. they recommend you eat them chilled, but i honestly love them still a little warm. cut a piece and sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on top individually.


crust:
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 c. pine nuts (optional - i chose not to add them)

filling:
1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. + 2 T. lemon juice
lemon zest from one lemon
6 large whole eggs
1 large egg yolk
pinch salt (whisking eggs with salt helps to denature (relax) the protein in the eggs and breaks them up more quickly and thoroughly.)

confectioner's sugar to top

preheat the oven to 350° F. butter a 9x13" baking pan.

to make the crust, sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. add the flour and stir to mix. add the butter and pine nuts (if using)and beat on a low speed just until a smooth dough forms. transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. it should be about 1/4 inch thick. to help even out the crust, use the flat bottom of any type of cup, pressing down firmly. line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (i used beans cause i didn't have any weights). bake the crust until it colors evenly to a deep golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. rotate the pan 180 degrees if the crust appears to be baking unevenly.

while the crust is baking, make the filling: sift the flour into a mixing bowl. add the sugar and whisk until blended. add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve the sugar. in a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolk with the salt. add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

when the crust is ready, pull out the oven rack holding the crust and pour the filling directly into the hot pan. (it is easiest to pour the custard into the pan if the pan is in the oven.) if the crust has come out of the oven and cooled before you have finished making the filling, put it back in for a few minutes so that it is hot when the custard is poured into it. reduce the oven temp. to 300° F and bake just until the center of the custard is no longer wobbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill well before cutting. using a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares, or as desired. if you like, dust the tops of the squares with confectioners' sugar. they will keep in an airtight container or well covered in teh baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

the best ever sugar cookies

add veeda's request, an amazing sugar cookie recipe. i love, love, love these. they are not dry like most sugar cookies. they are light almost like a cookie muffin. they make a lot, too. these will be a great cookie to make for company for the holiday season. or just anytime at all.

cream:
1 c. butter
2 c. sugar

beat in:
4 eggs
2 T. milk
4 t. vanilla
1 T. lemon extract (this slight lemon flavor really sets these cookies apart. it's not enough that a citrus hater would be turned off)

add:
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
5 cups flour

chill 30 minutes to an hour. form into balls then smash down with bottom of floured glass (about 1/4 inch thick, these cookies should be about the same thickness as those pink grandma sycamore's cookies and a little smaller in circumference.) bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes.

frosting:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. shortening
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. salt
4 c. powdered sugar
2-4 T. milk

in large bowl, beat butter and shortening until light and fluffy. add vanilla and salt. beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. add 2 T. milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. add enough additional milk for desired spreading consistency. **(this frosting may be made up to 2 weeks in advance and kept in and airtight container before serving. bring to room temperature before serving)**

picture time

ok, so i finally made those cupcakes and peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. and these are the photos to prove it. enjoy!


ok, so i didn't have lime oil yet for the cupcakes so i just used the zest and juice of two limes. and i didn't have a blowtorch so, i broiled them on low in the oven, which worked great and is actually probably easier and faster than the blowtorch method.



these cookies are such a great version of peanut butter cookies. i swear, oats make everything better. i did one batch, cooking them at 11 minutes, and the second batch at 12, which made for a slightly chewy/crispier texture which i love in peanut butter cookies. also, i tried 4 different ways of storing them to see what help up the flavor/texture/etc. the best. method 1: wrap cookies in towel and put them in the microwave (too dry), method 2: cookie jar (too dry), method 3: tupperware (pretty good), method 4: ziplock bag (the best). none of them kept the perfect crispy texture that you have the same day that you cook them, but the ziplock kept the chewy moisture the best.

blueberry short cake

blueberries. i love blueberries. here is a delicious blueberry upside down cake. one of our family favorites. it's great for breakfast. or basically anytime.

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 
  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest. Toss to coat berries, then pour into the prepared pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the almond extract and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest. Stir together 2 cups flour and the baking powder. Beat into butter mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter over the berries in the pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place serving plate over the top of the pan and carefully invert cake and plate together, so that the berries end up on top. Carefully unlock the buckle on the side of the pan and remove. Sprinkle toasted almonds on top of cake and serve warm.

pioneer breakfast

so, to celebrate our pioneer heritage and the day off that utahns get, we decided to have a pot-luck breakfast. i made blueberry muffins with a lemon glaze/sugar topping, nicole made super good crepes, chris made yummy potatoes, michelle made delicious eggs, and alish brought juice to round it all out. this is a plate kyle put together to showcase/partake of the goods.


here's to our pioneer ancestors who came to utah and in turn, unwittingly gave us a day of from work so we could eat wonderful carbs.