Orzo With Lemon and Parsley
From Williams Sonoma Kitchen
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. orzo, cooked
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Using the directions on the package, cook the orzo.
- In a small Dutch oven over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil.
- Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes.
- Gently fold in the cooked orzo, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper until well mixed.
- Transfer the orzo to a serving bowl and serve warm.
Serves 4.
Lemon-Raspberry French Toast Strata
From Gourmet magazine
1/2 cup pure maple syrup, plus additional for serving
6 cups 1-inch cubes day-old country-style white bread with crusts (about 12 ounces or 3/4 loaf)
1 pint fresh raspberries or 1 bag of frozen raspberries
6 large eggs
4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
- Arrange rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Lightly butter 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish or 14-inch oval gratin dish. Pour in maple syrup; scatter bread cubes and raspberries in dish.
- In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, lemon zest, and salt; pour over bread cubes.
- Bake strata until puffed and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool 5 minutes, then serve warm with additional maple syrup.
Serves 8 to 10.
Lemon Cake
From Diana's Kitchen
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 cup sour cream
Lemon Glaze:
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- Preheat oven to 325°. Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
- Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl with hand-held electric mixer, cream 1 cup butter and granulated sugar; beat at high speed until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl frequently. Blend in lemon zest.
- Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, adding each in 3 additions. Scrape sides of bowl frequently.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan; bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine lemon glaze ingredients in a bowl, blending until smooth. Carefully turn cake out onto a platter; drizzle evenly with glaze.
Serves 12.
Lemon Meringue Pie
From Jim Fobel
For the pastry:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons cold lard or solid vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- Make the pastry: In a large bowl, combine the flour with the salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter and lard until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water as you toss the mixture with a fork. Gather the dough into a ball and knead 2 or 3 times until evenly moistened. Pat the dough into a 6-inch disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the chilled pastry into a 12-inch round 1/8 inch thick. Fit the pastry into a 9-inch glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 1/2 inch; fold the overhang under and crimp decoratively. Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights.
- Set the pie shell on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the edge has set. Carefully remove the foil and weights and bake the shell for 15 minutes longer, or until the bottom is firm and light golden; tap the bottom with a spoon if it bubbles up. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover the edge with foil. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
- Make the filling: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar with the cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, the egg yolks and lemon juice. Whisk in the cold water and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest and butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Pour the filling into the pie shell, cover with wax paper and let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and position a rack in the upper third.
- In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form.
- Remove the wax paper from the filling. Scrape the meringue onto the pie and gently spread it over the filling all the way to the crimped edge of the pie crust. Make decorative swirls with the back of a spoon.
- Bake the pie for about 7 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 3 hours.
- Cut the pie with a sharp knife dipped into hot water and serve.
Makes 1 pie.
Make ahead: the recipe can be made through Step 4 and refrigerated overnight. Top with the meringue and bake, then let cool before serving.
Lemonade Cookies
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007
1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus extra to sprinkle over the cookies
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (optional)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Fill a large bowl with warm water, and plop in the unopened can of lemonade to thaw while you make the cookie dough.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter and the sugar with a hand mixer.
- Add the lemon zest, if desired.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is light and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes, then set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking soda and salt.
- Measure out 1/2 cup of the thawed lemonade, and set the rest aside.
- Add about one third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir, then add about one third of the 1/2 cup lemonade. Continue adding the flour and lemonade alternately, stirring after each addition, until the mixture shows no streaks of flour.
- Beat on low speed with the mixer just until all the ingredients are combined.
- Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies, checking them after 8 minutes. When the edges are just starting to brown, remove the cookies from the oven. (The centers will still look soft.) Using a pastry brush, immediately brush the top of each cookie very lightly with a little of the remaining lemonade, then lightly sprinkle with sugar. Transfer the cookies to a rack, and allow them to cool completely.
Makes 4 dozen.
Make Ahead: If you want to make the cookie dough ahead of time, it can be refrigerated for several days if you seal it in two layers of plastic wrap. Dough straight from the refrigerator should bake for about 12 minutes; dough at room temperature bakes for 8-10 minutes.
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