Margarita Tart

I got the idea from the Guy Fieri show last week. He did a "Tequila Lime Tart" and I thought that looks good! As usual I can't stay in the lines and do a recipe the way it was presented. This one got the wheels turning...why its almost the same flavors as a margarita. All that is missing is the hint of orange in the back to be a margarita.

I looked at the recipe a little closer and decided it needed to be a little limier too. So I opted to add in 1/2 t lime zest. And then I decided...hmm let's go for the Margarita profile and added in 1/2 t orange zest. Tasty stuff was the result for Bill and Stacey's Carne Asada BBQ tonight.

Margarita Tart
For the crust: 10 ounces vanilla wafers 1/3 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup butter, melted

For the filling: 2 egg whites 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 cup tequila 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
½ t lime zest
½ t orange zest
4 egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Fresh whipped cream, for serving

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Add wafers and pine nuts to food processor, pulse until well ground up. Pour into bowl and add melted butter.
Mix by hand, with a wooden spoon, and press into 10-inch tart pan. (reserve 4 tablespoons of crumbs to sprinkle on top when done baking.)

Place tart pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

For the filling:

In a mixing bowl add egg whites and sugar, beat until there are soft peaks.
In another mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Fold in the egg whites. Pour into tart shell and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved crumbs.

Let cool before cutting and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Now for some of the tips and things I have learned over the years. Always bring your ingredients to room temp. Things mix better and actually let the flavors blend better than if you just pull them out cold.
Always make very certain your egg whites are at room temp. Always beat in a copper bowl. I don't understand the chemistry behind it but there is a reaction between the copper and the egg whites that allows them to incorporate more air. A pinch of tartar will help stabilize them as well.

When folding beaten egg whites into the base flavor mixture which is always much denser start by adding 1/2 your whites to the base and fold that in. When it is well incorporated you can pour that into the remaining whites and fold them in. This tempering allows you keep maximum air in the mixture while still getting it well mixed.

Bake your shell by putting it onto another sheet pan. This protects the bottom from cooking to fast. It also will catch any filling dribbles or boil overs and prevent a mess on the bottom of your oven. Lastly, doing that makes it easy to put the full shell into the oven without spilling as well as getting out easy without sticking your finger into the baked filling.

Lemon Pound Cake

Continuing with the "all things lemon" theme of the last few posts today's entry is Lemon Pound Cakes based on a recipe for Orange Pound Cake from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. (She and Paula Deen are just about my favorites for baking as it "all starts with a stick of butter"). Since I still have some 200 Meyer lemons ripening I convert a lot of things to lemons these days.

Just wait am only a couple of weeks away from grapefruits. I may have to start bagging them and handing them to the fruit sellers at the offramps and let them make some free money whilst disposing of my bounty.

Lemon Pound Cake

• 2 sticks butter at room temperature
• 2 c sugar
• 4 extra large eggs at room temperature
• 1/3 c grated lemon zest (about 8 large lemons)
• 3 c all purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/4 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 c buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 t pure vanilla extract

Simple Syrup

• 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 c sugar

Icing

• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 t fresh squeezed lemon juice

Grease and flour two loaf pans. Line bottoms and drape 2 sides with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugar, beat 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well with each addition. Fold in lemon zest.

Combine Dry ingredients and sift into seperate bowl. Combine wet ingredients. Add 1/3 of flour and beat well. Add 1/2 wet ingredients beat well. Add next 1/3 flour and beat well. Add remaining liquid and beat in well. Add the last of the flour and beat well.

Divide batter between loaf pans. Smooth tops. Bake center oven for 45 - 60 minutes until toothpick comes out dry.

While baking prepare simple syrup by bringing juice and sugar to a boil stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.

When cakes are done remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. At the end of the 19 minutes the cakes will be quite warm , remove them by loosening the sides and pulling parchment paper putting cake on a wire rack. Spoon over each cake 1/2 of the lemon syrup.

When cake is cooled make the glaze by whisking in lemon juice to the powdered sugar. Add additional lemon juice by drop full until it is a runny consistency. Spoon the glaze over cake until the top is covered and it begins to run down the sides of the cake.

Enjoy one, pass the other on to a friend. That's what us folks with fruit trees do. A lot.

Lemon and 40 clove Garlic Roast Chicken...stuff them up its butt!

Continuing with all things lemon here is a twist on roast chicken. I used a lot of whole peeled garlic and included lemons in the pan itself to get a nice citrus tang to the pan juices. Definitely is tart but still very tasty.

Lemon and 40 Clove Garlic Roast Chicken

• 2 roasting chickens, about 5-6 lbs each
• 8 lemons
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 T thyme
• 2 c cubed carrots
• 4-5 medium white potatoes quartered
• salt, pepper
• olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 c water, white wine or broth

Preheat oven to 425. Wash and clean the chickens. Dry them. With cut one lemon into 4 slices. Remaining lemons cut in half.

For each chicken: Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Sprinkle in approx 1 t thyme. Add 3-4 lemon halves and 6 cloves of garlic. Slip fingers between skin and breast meat. Insert 2 lemons and 2 cloves garlic on each breast of the chicken. Fold wings under, truss and tie legs together. Lightly oil the chicken with the olive oil. Salt and Pepper the top and bottom of chicken. Sprinkle remaining thyme over the two chickens.

Place the celery stalks in the center of large roasting pan. Place chickens on top of the celery. Add remaining lemons, cut side down around the chickens. Put in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.

Toss remaining cloves of garlic, carrots and potatoes with 1T olive oil. Add 1 t sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. At the end of the 15 minutes remove the roasting pan. Add the vegie mix around the chickens. Insert thermometer or oven probe to the thickest leg of the largest chicken.

Lower oven to 325. Roast until thermometer reaches 170. Baste as needed if your pan starts to dry out. (The potatoes soak up a lot of pan juices so you do need to monitor).

At the end of the cooking time remove the chickens and put on platter, tenting to let stand 10-15 minutes. Spoon out the vegies and put in serving bowl. Add additional broth to pan juices and a thickener to make a gravy.

2 lives for 10 lemons...limoncello time baby!

So what does one do with a single tree producing such copious amounts of lemons? You can only stuff so many up a chickens butt for tasty roast chicken. No, you need something that uses great quantities of lemons. Being a frugal (cheap if you will) person I hate to toss anything away. Lemon Zest has so many uses, but face it that only addresses part of the lemon.

The answer my friend lies in Limoncello that Italian liqueur, digestif and a host of other names you want to call it. Unbelievably easy to make, time consuming but not difficult at all. And is uses a bunch of lemons. To make it more fun have someone over and make it a party. I had my old college pal Ruth666 over so she could help me use up the bounty and just have some fun in general.

Limoncello

• Zest of 10 lemons
• 4 c vodka

Use a tightly sealing jar and add the zest and vodka too it. Put in a cool dark place for 4 days. I use the floor of a hall closet for this step.

• 3 1/2 c water
• 2 1/2 c sugar

On the 5th day combine water and sugar in large pan, over high heat bring to a boil stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add the vodka to the simple syrup in a tightly sealed jar and refrigerate 1 day.

On the 6th day pour the limoncello through a cheese cloth line strainer or sieve. Gather the cheese cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Toss out the zest solids and soiled cloth. Using fresh cheese cloth reline the strainer. Pour the limoncello through for the second time, discarding the cloth when done. It is very important to do the second straining through the cheese cloth if you are to have a clear limoncello at the end.

Zesting is about the longest and most time consuming part of the process.

End result is a bowl of nekkid lemons.

Zest and Vodka waiting for the final step.

Now what does one do with a dozen nekkid lemons? Can't toss 'em you make lemonade!

Simple Lemonade

• Juice of 10 lemons approx 2 cups
• 2 c sugar
• 6 c water

Add sugar and water to a large sauce pan. Stir until dissolved and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Cover and cool to room temperature.

For a less acid lemonade add the juice when the syrup comes to a boil add the juice and bring back to a boil for one minute.

*variation, add 6-8 quarter sized coins of fresh sliced ginger for a Ginger Lemonade before bringing the syrup to a boil. Remove the coins after lemonade has cooled before serving.

Serve chilled over ice.

Chili Corn Chowder

Not exactly a cool winter day but I'll grab those soup nights while I can as soon enough it will be blazing hot.

Tonights soup is an adaptation of a very healthy soup from the Cooking Light Magazine. This one has a nominal bit of fat for flavor and to aid in the sautee at the beginning. I tend to like things with a bit of a kick so I do add in some chili powder and cayenne. Not enough so it burns out the back side, just enough so you feel a little heat at the back of the mouth.

Chili Corn Chowder

• 2 c fine diced cooked chicken breast
• 1/4 t Chili powder
• 2-3 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 pound frozen corn
• 1/2 C fine diced celery
• 1/2 C fine diced onion
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t fresh cracked pepper
• 1 T butter
• 1 can chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 c each finely sliced green onion and cilantro.

Toss chicken with chili powder and set aside.

In a large nonstick stock pot melt butter and add the celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until soft and just starting to carmelize, about 10 minutes. Stir often. Add 1 lb corn and broth. Over low heat cook about 15 minutes until corn is heated through. Remove from heat.

Take mixture and put in blender whizzing it on high until smooth. Pour soup back into your pan, add remaining 1/2 lb corn and reserved chicken. Heat over low about 10 minutes until warmed through and just starting to bubble. You may have to add 1/2 c or so of water at the end to get it to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve hot garnished with the green onion and cilantro.

There you go a pretty easy and low fat soup. Just enough butter to brown and give it a little smoothness. Unlike typical chowders that are thickened with a roux and milk, cream or half-and-half this soup get's its thickening from the whizzed corn....a natural thickener. The end result is a very low fat chowder that is extremely tasty. Also, added bonus if you substitute vegetable broth and a clear cooking oil you'd be pretty close to vegan which helps when you are on a pipe cleaning diet.

Chicken Mushroom Soup

Yesterday was a cold (well 58 is cold for the LA area) and rainy wet until later in the afternoon. What better for a soup day?

I raided the pantry and put together this quick soup. Tasty. Filling. Doesn't get much better.

Chicken Mushroom Soup

• 1 lb cooked chicken - coarse chop
• 1/2 large onion - diced
• 2 C coarse chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 C coarse chopped celery (including tops)
• 4 oz dried mushroom - coarse chopped
• 2 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 2 C wide egg noodles
• 1 T chopped garlic
• 1 t black pepper
• 2 t thyme
• 1 t rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T parsley
• 8 C chicken broth - low sodium
• salt to taste
  

Coat bottom of large stock pot with olive oil. Heat over medium high heat. Add onion, black pepper and cook 4-5 minutes. Add carrots and celery cook another 4-5 minutes until oil is getting some browned bits. Add garlic, stir for a minute.

Add chicken, mushrooms and broth. Simmer 30 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Add noodles and cook another 10 minutes until al dente. Add spinach leaves and stir 1-2 minutes until wilted. Serve with some fresh parmesan grated on top.

I like this soup for a few reasons, first it is full of stuff. Second is it is big on flavor.

I keep several of the 1 lb bags of ready to use grilled chicken from costco on hand for quick meals during the week.

Costco also has these HUGE bags of dried shitake mushrooms that are so cheap. They are really handy to have around. Toss them into soups as is like I did here. Chop them coarsely in a food processor and add to your marinara sauce to help thicken it. Whirl them until fine and add to your beef stew instead of flour to thicken the sauce like a gravy for another layer of flavor.

Maraschino Cherry Cake

I've got a sweet tooth in case you have not noticed....one with a wide range of expression. My better half however doesn't care for sugary things. Well, with the exception of one cake I make.

This isn't even a fancy from scratch cake, its all from mixes and pre-bought so the hardest part is getting the lid of the frosting can. Our VDay favorite is this cake and a requested item at the various "pot-lucks" that take place this time of year.

Maraschino Cherry Cake

• 1 Vanilla Cake mix
• 1 10 oz jar stemless maraschino cherries
• 1/4 t almond extract
• 2 cans French Vanilla or Fluffy Vanilla frosting
• 3 heart shaped cake pans

Preheat oven to the mix recipe. Line the bottoms of the heart shape baking pans with wax paper. Spray with a "bakers release" type spray that has flour already in it.

Drain cherries, reserving liquid. Put 6 - 8 cherries aside. Drain well on a paper towel. Place the remaining cherries into a food processor and whiz them until you have a coarse chop. Do not puree.

Take reserved liquid add enough water to bring to the cake mix liquid requirement, add eggs oil almond extract and oil as per the mix directions. Mix well. Fold in the chopped cherries. Divide evenly between the cake tins. Bake per directions.

Cool completely. Trip tops. Assemble cake with a layer of frosting between each trimmed top.
Cut reserved cherries in half and arrange on top of the cake.

Sadly I goofed a little and didn't drain the cherries on this cake well enough as some of the liquid bled out on the top. Not picture perfect pretty, but still tasted just fine.

I really like the mini-prep bowl that came with my hand blender. It makes life much easier with the little processing projects. I do like the way the cherry liquid tints the cake without making it look like a bowl of blood that food coloring can do if you aren't careful.
And there you go...one easy cake full of flavor. Now go for an extra walk around the block and enjoy with out worry.