Lemon Chiffon Pie

This is my great Aunt Frances' recipe.  My Dad's family was full of great cooks and he was smart enough to gather these family recipes before it was too late. I love making stuff like this because you don't see these recipes very often as they are much more traditional than your trendy coconut milk lavender creme brule type desserts that are all the rage these days.  Plus, it feels like a great way to honor the memory of these wonderful ladies in my family, most of whom passed away while I was still a child.

This pie is light and perfect for summer.  And, if you have a prolific lemon tree in your backyard, like we do, it is a great way to use up some lemons!  Enjoy!

(By the way, still pregnant, due on Friday, and beginning to think this may drag on for awhile...ugh!)

1 envelope Knox Gelatin
¼ cup cold water
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar (divided)
½ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 cup fresh whipped cream

Bake pie crust according to package directions, if you choose a frozen one, or according to directions if you make your own, and let cool. (I regret being lazy and not making my own.  The frozen one I bought sunk a little so we ended up with a rather thick bottom crust and not much on the sides.) 
 
Add ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and salt to beaten egg yolks. Cook over boiling water until it is custard consistency, (coats a spoon). Sprinkle gelatin on top of cold water (at the last minute), then add to hot custard and stir until dissolved. Add grated lemon rind. Cool.

When it begins to thicken, fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. To the egg whites you have added remaining ½ cup sugar.

Fill baked pie shell and leave to set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Spread thin layer of fresh whipped cream on top.  I garnished with some fresh blackberries and lemon rind. 

      

Lemon Lime Pudding Cake Cups

Who knew planting trees could be so controversial?  The people of my neighborhood are, well, interesting some times.  A local high school decided to make a service project out of planting trees along our street.  How wonderful!  Or, at least one would think.  My two next door neighbors are adamantly opposed to this kind gesture, and I had the unfortunate luck of being home and outside today when they decided it was time to recruit me to their anti-tree party.  These neighbors are generally nice people, a little on the crabby side, but we do cut them some slack for being of a few generations before us.  I might be a bit crabby too after 50 years of listening to the teenagers skateboarding down the street.  But, planting trees?!  Can't we all agree that this is going to add value to the neighborhood?  Won't shaded sidewalks be nice to walk down in the heat of the summer?  Haven't studies shown that tree-lined streets have less crime?  Isn't it just plain nice to look out your window and see a tree rather than just cars and cement? Apparently, not everyone agrees.  I witnessed our mother-earth loving neighbor across the street interacting with my two crabby side neighbors, and let me tell you, it was a sight to see. The conversation went something like this, "Aren't we lucky to have people giving us a beautiful piece of nature?"  "Lucky?  You call having to sweep more leaves, lucky?  Let me see how lucky you feel when the roots are lifting up the sidewalk, and the sap is dripping onto your shiny new car.  We'd be lucky if these people would leave us alone."   "Oh no, no, we can now have leaves putting nitrogen back into the soil, and shade for our yards and houses.  It's going to be so beautiful."  This was about the time I decided to excuse myself and go in to make my lemon lime pudding cakes.  I could observe the rest of the scene play out from my kitchen window.  What was the result?  A tree in front of my house, the house across the street, but not either house next door.  Oh well, there will be some shade and beauty, and, as consolation for me, the lemon lime pudding cakes were divine!  But, I'm only sharing them with my across the street neighbor...

Recipe from www.bbcgoodfood.com, simply called Lemon Lime Puds
Serves 4         
NOTE: This recipe is in weights rather than measures.  You will need a scale!

50g butter
200g golden caster sugar
1 lemon , zested
1 lime , zested
50ml lemon juice
50ml lime juice
3 eggs , separated
50g all purpose flour
250ml milk

Ready in 45 minutes


1.Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, sugar and lemon and lime zest together in a mixer. Add juices, egg yolks, flour and milk one by one to make a smooth batter. Pour into a large bowl.


2.Whisk egg whites until firm - fold into the batter. Pour into 4 buttered ovenproof dishes and put in a baking tray half filled with hot water. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned and set.

Parmesan and Parsley Crusted Salmon with Arugula and Roasted Tomatoes

There is a long history of salmon fishing in my family, but I only know the stories from as far back as my grandfather.  It was a hobby, not a profession for him.  That being said, how much time does one need to spend at a hobby before we wonder if it is their profession? 

I went salmon fishing a couple of times with my Dad, my Uncle, and my Grandfather, and, to be perfectly honest, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.  It was early in the morning.  It was cold.  It was windy.  The water was rough, and the boat was rockier than I'd prefer.  There was a lot of waiting around too.  And in the end, we came home with no fish.  How was this fun?  The men in my family tried to convince me that it was just a bad day.  I never had the patience, or desire, to sit through the number of bad days you needed before you had a great day.  So, I decided, I'd rather enjoy land and the final cooked product, whenever it arrived. 

The flavors of this dinner blend so nicely together.  The juice of the roasted tomatoes adds to the fish and serves as a salad dressing for the arugula.  Unlike other fish recipes, I'd hesitate to substitute another kind of fish.  After all, Grandpa would be so disappointed!  

Serves 2 (but easily doubled)

For the tomatoes:

2 whole tomatoes, halved
olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
parmesan cheese, grated

For the fish: (fish topping recipe adapted from BBC Good Food, http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/)

2 1-1.5-inch thick pieces of salmon
1/2 Cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

Large handful of arugula

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.  Prepare the tomatoes on a baking tray or cookie sheet.  Salt and pepper the tomatoes, cut side up, and top with a little parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.  Put in the oven to bake while you prepare the fish (10-15 minutes).

Stir or blend together the breadcrumbs, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.  (I did this in a little food processer.)  It should be moist, but still crumbly.  Place salmon on a greased baking tray.  Cover salmon with breadcrumb mixture.  Place in the oven with the tomatoes and bake 10-12 minutes or until cooked through and breadcrumbs golden.  Remove fish from oven, turn the oven up to broil and move the tomatoes up to one of the top racks.  Broil until tops become golden or tomatoes seem soft and cooked through (2-4 minutes).  Place fish and tomatoes on a plate of arugula.  Serve immediately.     

  

Lemon Feta Halibut with Roasted Corn Polenta

We moved into our house two and a half years ago. The back yard was ugly, to say the least. There was painted green cement everywhere, gravel, and some paving stones that were laid out in a design fit for the bottom of a swimming pool. We had maybe one or two nice flowers, but mostly the yard screamed "LOW MAINTENANCE"! At the time, we were preparing the house to welcome our daughter who was to be born in just a few months, so the yard was the least of our concern. But as she grew older, we started to want somewhere for her to play and we both hinted to each other our secret desire to grow our own fruits and vegetables. Hence, the backyard redo project was born. Andrew dug 40 tons of dirt (seriously, 40 tons of dirt) out of the back hill. We terraced with beautiful stone work, planted grass, and sectioned off an area for vegetables. The entire backyard was gutted, and we had a clean slate, except for our one lone lemon tree. It seemed an odd choice to keep as we had to redesign the retaining walls to go around it, but there was something special about this tree. Our aging neighbor begged us to keep it as apparently this is how he had been getting his quota of vitamin C! Another neighbor said she'd be heartbroken if we took that tree out as the woman who lived in our house before us used to bake delicious lemon bars which she shared with the whole street. So, we found ourselves struggling to give this tree up. Thankfully, we kept it, and it is now a highlight of the back yard. It's incredibly prolific, so we are always looking for 'lemon something' recipes. I came across this one and thought, "Great, I might be able to use up two whole lemons!" Regardless, it's worth a try. The flavors blend so well together, it's pretty easy to do, and it comes out looking oh so gourmet!

I used halibut, but any white fish would do. Also, the polenta expands, so use a big pot!

From http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

Serves 3-4 people

For the polenta:

1 Cup dry polenta

4 Cups organic low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 Cup feta cheese

1/4 Cup half and half

2 Ears of corn (use white corn if available)

1 Large onion, sliced thin

1/2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

Handful of fresh chives, chopped

Salt and pepper

For the fish:

2 or 3 6 oz. pieces of halibut (or whatever is available near you)

1/4 Cup feta cheese

3 Tbsps. lowfat Greek yogurt (sour cream or mayo would work as well)

1/3 Cup chopped parsley, divided

1 Lemon, sliced very thin and a bit of juice

Fresh pepper

Turn on oven to 475 degrees.

1) Peel back the husk and silk of the corn and discard. Grill on the barbecue for ten minutes or so, rotating often. Remove to cool. Cut the kernels off.

2) Heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil. Add sliced onion and saute over medium heat for 15 minutes or until brown in color. Turn off heat.

3) Prepare the fish topping. In a small bowl, combine the feta, yogurt, garlic salt, lots of pepper, little bit of lemon juice, and 2 tbsp of chopped parsley.

4) Coat a baking tray with cooking spray and put the fish skin side down onto the tray.

5) Season fish with a little salt and pepper. Then top with the feta-yogurt mixture. Lay a few thin pieces of lemon on top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Put in the top rack and keep an eye on it while you proceed with the polenta. Fish should take about 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness.

6) Continue with the polenta while fish is baking. Bring stock and half and half to a boil. (The first time I made this I forgot to put in the half and half and it still came out great, so feel free to delete if you want to save a few calories!) Slowly pour in the polenta and stir until it begins to thicken, 5-8 minutes. Take off the heat. Gently fold in the caramelized onions, grilled corn kernels, lemon juice, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, fold in the 1/2 cup of feta cheese.

7) To serve, put a good portion of polenta on the plate and top with lemon fish and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve immediately. Excellent with a green salad on the side.