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When life hands you lemons . . .


Patrick S

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Patrick S

I like the look of the baking pan/ bundt style you used for the lemon cake, what brand is that?

All of your lemon baked goods look great!

Thanks!

The sour cream lemon bundt that I made was baked in a silicone mold. I can't find any brand name on the mold, but here's what it looks like:

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"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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Tonight, the blackberry-lime curd and the citrus curd from The Secrets of Baking. The citrus curd is flavored with 2 lemon's worth of zest and equal parts lemon, lime and orange juice. The curd is heated to 160F, cooled just a bit, and the butter is added with an immersion blender. These pictures show the curds still cooling, at about 65F, not fully firm. The ras lime curd has a beautiful red-puple color, and the flavor is interesting, but not really inspiring, to me. The citrus curd though is very nice.

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Included also is a pic from my last batch of lemon curd, just because I have a good photo of it.

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EDITED due to the realization that 'organge' is not actually a fruit, or a word.

Edited by Patrick S (log)

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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Tonight, the blackberry-lime curd and the citrus curd from The Secrets of Baking. ..... The ras lime curd has a beautiful red-puple color, and the flavor is interesting, but not really inspiring, to me. The citrus curd though is very nice.

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I was disappointed by the blackberry-lime curd as well. I actually turned my batch into ice cream because no one was going to eat it otherwise.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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I was disappointed by the blackberry-lime curd as well.  I actually turned my batch into ice cream because no one was going to eat it otherwise.

I have a few cups of lemon syrup, and I think the curd needs a little more sugar anyway, so I think it might be prudent to thin the curd with some lemon syrup, freeze it, and whip it into a sorbet.

As the saying goes, when life hands you blackberry-lime curd, add lemon syrup and make lemon-lime-blackberry sorbet . . .

Edited by Patrick S (log)

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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First, I prepare a batch of Moroccan preserved lemons; a generous ¾ cup of the peel is added to the batter along with 1 cup of freshly made yogurt and a ½ cup of fragrant honey.  The (4) large eggs are separated; the whites being whipped before incorporating them into the batter. Trust me, such modifications elevate pound cake to a thoroughbred class!

Do you make your Moroccan preserved lemons with salt and lemons?

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Ina Garten's Lemon Meringue Tart (in Barefoot in Paris) is one of the best lemon desserts I've made in a while. It seems like most lemon pies use cornstarch, which tastes really, really bad to me, but hers relies on eggs only for thickening. Also, her meringue is silky (as opposed to foamy), which I love

If substituting meyer lemons for "regular," can anyone give advice on adjusting sugar amounts?

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I'm out of my league here in the pastry forum, but what the heck?

My mothers birthday is in May and she adores pound cake, lemons and lavender.

So I thought that just maybe I could (attempt) to bake her a cake using some of her favorite flavors.

Does anyone think that a lemon pound cake would be tasty soaked with a lavender syrup? Or is that not.a.good.thing and maybe my brain is fried by the coffee? :rolleyes:

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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Claudia Fleming has a Lavender-Lemon Pound Cake.

She incorporated lavender in the batter, as well as a syrup.

Fantastic! Thank you.

Another thought was using a rose-petal syrup. Again, she loves roses and used to purchase rose-flavored pastilles so I know that she enjoys the flavor.

Thank god I have a few months to try these ideas out. -whew-

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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Thank you, Sinclair. By 'testing' the recipes I meant testing my sorely lacking baking skills. But I love lemony pound cake (I have a wonderful source for Meyers lemons in Portland, Ore.), my lavenders are still (!) blooming and I love my mom :wub:.

This has just got to be better than the messy, frosted cakes I made her as a child. I hope.

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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Alright, the last three items on my lemon kick are the lemon bars and lemon pudding cakes from Yard's The Secrets of Baking, and miniature tart shells filled with Herme's lemon cream. The lemon bars are not extraordinary. The pudding cakes are made with Yard's lemon curd. 1/2 milk is mixed into the curd, then 2Tb flour. Whites and sugar are whipped to a stiff meringue, and then folded into the curd in three additions. The mix is poured into buttered and sugared ramekins and baked in a water bath at 325F for about 25 minutes.

The bars I think are fairly underwhelming. I like the citrus bars from Celebrate with Chocolate much better.

Of all the lemon desserts I've tried, only the lemon cream has earned a permanent place in my 'repertoire.' Everything else has frankly paled in comparison. The mouthfeel, the color, the lemon taste -- everything is just as it should be.

Also, I'm not as sold on the Ina Garten cakes as I thought I was. They're not bad, but when I did side-by-side with the Ligurian cake, my impression of the ligurian cake improved while that of the Garten cake diminished somewhat.

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Edited by Patrick S (log)

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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Lemon curd and anything with lemon curd in it!

I couldn't agree more! I've just made a new batch using Meyer Lemons, which IMO produce particularly heavenly curd. Aside from dolloping it on hot buttered toast at breakast this morning, I've used some of it whipped into home-made vanilla icecream and then I'll be making my favourite lemon-curd based dessert which is hot lemon curd souffles, which are great to eat on miserable winter nights - a burst of sunshine in every spoonful.

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." Oscar Wilde
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  • 6 months later...

I'm resurrecting this thread because this lemon cheesecake is one of the most satisfying lemon desserts I've had in a long time. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. Yum!

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"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced" - Vincent Van Gogh
 

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Wow, that looks great. I'm rarely inspired to make a cheesecake (generally too dense for me), but that looks fantastic.

Does anyone happen to have a link to the recipe?

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
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These are all far too tongue-tingling to linger over...I'm craving anything lemon at this moment. One of our favorites is a lemon/cheesecake bar over a shortbread/macadamia crust, and we make them by the panful.

On her first Thanksgiving, when she was ten months old, our Granddaughter kept reaching for the bowl of lemon crescents meant for the iced tea. She had never tasted it before, I suppose, and we were reluctant to let her have such a taste shock after such a good dinner. She took the little half moon into her tiny hands, took a big slurp, and crammed the entire thing into her wee mouth, giving herself that Marlon Brando/Godfather grin as she sucked all the juice out of her section. She avidly asked for more and more, and one of my favorite videos of her life is the soft lighting of the candlelit room illuminating her tiny round self, pillowy Pamper-rump lurching along as she pushed a tiny plastic grocery cart, taking step after step around the dining table, with that enormous yellow smile. :wub:

And she is still a lemon-lover. She's six now, and every visit includes at least one Fairy Tea. Though we partake of imaginary fare and drink of fanciful flavors of pretend tea, when she Pours Out, she never fails to include a squeeze of lemon.

Edited by racheld (log)
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Wow, that looks great. I'm rarely inspired to make a cheesecake (generally too dense for me), but that looks fantastic.

Does anyone happen to have a link to the recipe?

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipe....s=116&iSeason=4

I guess I need to learn how to post a link, huh!

I have made this too and it is fantastic. Just be really sure to use the right brand of animal crackers for the crust. The other brands get soggy.

I have a really fantastic triple-lemon layer cake from fine cooking that I'll post. It is the best cake I've ever eaten.

Edited to add that I guess I can successfully post a link :smile:

Edited by Becca Porter (log)

-Becca

www.porterhouse.typepad.com

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This is amazing and well worth the effort!

Triple-Lemon Layer Cake

Adapted from Fine Cooking

For the Cake:

9 1/4 ounces (2 1/3 cups) cake flour;

more for the pans

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons lightly packed finely

grated lemon zest

6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

completely softened

1 cup whole milk

room temperature

5 large egg whites

room temperature

1/4 teaspoon creme of tarter

For the Filling*-

3 ounces unsalted butter

room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

For the Frosting-

8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter,

completely softened

2 tablespoon lightly packed finely

grated lemon zest

3 ½ cups sifted confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Make the lemon curd first so it can chill.

*This lemon curd is actually from an earlier Fine Cooking.

I like to use my mixer bowl as a double boiler when making it. That way when its done I can put it back on my mixer and whip it until cool. I think it gives it a creamier , fluffier, texture.

Don’t omit the unusual creaming of ingredients at the beginning. Fine Cooking found it eliminated the curdled bits of egg you usually have to strain out.

Beat the butter with the sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 minute more, then stir in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled. Do not panic.

Cook the mixture over low heat until it becomes smooth, then increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, without letting it boil, until it thickens enough to leave a path on the back of the spoon when you drag your finger through it. If you want to go by temperature, you’re looking for 170 F.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Press plastic wrap on surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the refrigerate.

Make the Cake:

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8 by 2 inch round cake pans. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pulse 1/4 cup of the sugar with the zest in a food processor until well combined.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and lemon sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 1 ½ minutes). Add the remaining sugar and beat until smooth (about 1 ½ minutes). Beat in a quarter of the milk just until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture alternatively with the milk in three batches, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; beat just until blended.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer (with clean beaters or a whisk attachment) on medium speed just until foamy. Add the creme of tarter, increase the speed to medium high, and beat until the whites form stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted. Add a quarter of the whites to the batter and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula; continue to gently fold tin the whites, a quarter at a time , being careful not to deflate the mixture.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake until a pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool in the pans 10 minutes. Run a table knife along the sides of the pans and carefully invert each cake out onto the rack. Flip them right side up and let them cool completely.

With the palm of one hand pressed on top of a cake layer, cut each in half horizontally, using a long serrated knife. Put one of the cake layers on a serving plate, cut side up. With an offset spatula or a table knife, spread a generous 1/3 a cup on top of the cake layer. Lay another cake layer on top, spread it with another generous 1/3 a cup, and repeat with third cake layer. (You will have extra curd, enjoy!) Top with the fourth cake layer.

Make the Frosting:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar in batches and beat until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and beat for one minute. (You can make the frosting a couple of hours early and keep it, covered, at cool room temperature.)

Frost the Cake:

Up to a few hours ahead, spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake, filling in any gaps as you go. Chill until the frosting firms up a bit, about ½ hour. Spread the remaining frosting decoratively over the top and sides of cake. Scatter with bits of lemon zest and silver dragees, or garnish as you like.

-Becca

www.porterhouse.typepad.com

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I'm resurrecting this thread because this lemon cheesecake is one of the most satisfying lemon desserts I've had in a long time. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. Yum!

gallery_23736_355_6529.jpg

That looks delicious!! I came across that the other day in my book. I opted to make the regular NY cheesecake b/c my husband was begging for cheesecake. I was VERY satisfied with the regular one. Now that I've seen the rave reviews for the lemon one, I am going to make that one next!!! :biggrin:

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