Lemon Olive Oil Biscotti

I made limoncello in 2016 and I keep it in my freezer – the limoncello has been improving with age and is the real secret in this recipe. I sometimes toast my almonds depending on whether I want a stronger almond flavor in the biscotti.

Lemon Olive Oil Biscotti

2½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup slivered almonds chopped

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup olive oil

Zest of 3 lemons

2 teaspoons lemon juice or limoncello

1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon extract*or ½ teaspoon of each

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add chopped almonds and stir to combine and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together eggs, sugar, olive oil, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium speed for 1 minute.

Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Reduce mixer speed to low; gradually add flour mixture and mix until dough just begins to come together.

Do not overmix.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Shape each piece into a 12-inch-long log, 1/2 inch high.

Bake logs until firm, about 28 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Cool logs on baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to a cutting board.

Using a serrated knife, slice each into 24 half-inch-thick biscotti. Place biscotti on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1/2 inch apart.

Bake biscotti until slightly crisp, about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes:  2^nd bake at 300 for the 15 minutes

Limoncello Icing

¾ cup powdered sugar

3 teaspoon limoncello

1 ½ tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon lemon extract

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Lemon Custard Cake

My husband has a few food memories of his grandmother, Capitola.  Her lemon custard cake was one of his favorites.  He fondly remembers the soft cake topping the the lemon pudding underneath.  One year my father-in-law, generously, gave us Cappy's original recipe cards. Here is her recipe.  The best lemon flavor comes from lemons picked fresh if you can.  This cake is not overly sweet and just tart enough!

Capitola's Lemon Custard Cakes

6 servings

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup Sugar, plus 1 tablespoon

3 large eggs -- separated

4 tablespoons all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt -- a few grains

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1¼ cups milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.

Cream butter, add sugar and egg yolks and beat thoroughly. 

Add flour, salt, lemon juice, and zest, then milk.

In separate, grease free bowl with a clean beater or whisk, beat egg whites. 

When egg whites start to froth, add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Whisk egg whites until stiff and hold a point.

Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into egg and milk batter carefully. 

Add a spoonful or two to lighten the mixture, then fold in the rest.

Pour into 6 custard cups or a square 8x8 glass baking dish.

Set in a pan of water and bake 40-45 minutes.  

Serve warm or cold as preferred.

Lemony Yogurt Cake

Every February, when lemons are harvested, my mouth starts salivating for a sweet and tart lemon cake.  While I love the layered lemon cake with seven minute frosting, I wanted to keep this cake simple and quick.  I adapted my yogurt cake recipe and added a thin layer of lemon frosting and had a pretty and delicious cake in about 3 hours time.

Lemony Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon lemon extract or lemon juice

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. 
Butter 9-inch metal cake pan, line with parchment round, butter the parchment and coat pan with flour (omit parchment paper if desired).
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. 
Combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, and lemon extract or lemon juice in large bowl; whisk until well blended. 
Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. 
Using rubber spatula, fold in oil. 
Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Place cake in oven and bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. 
Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. 
Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack and then turn cake upright on rack and cool completely. 
Can be made 1 day ahead.  Wrap and store at room temperature.

Lemon Frosting
makes enough for 1 9-inch round cake

1/2  cup (1 stick) butter, very soft

3-4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Zest from one large lemon (if desired)

Place the butter and powdered sugar  in a large mixing bowl, lemon juice, extract and zest if using. 

Beat until smooth and creamy. 

Gradually add the remaining sugar until icing is spreading consistency.

lemon bars

     It is that time of year - lemon harvest! I am fortunate to have a lemon tree in the back yard that produces really nice lemons that are aromatic, flavorful and the zest is wonderful. As I am always looking for new ways to use my lemons, lemon bars  came to mind after my sister told me about a cookie exchange she participated in and made lemon bars.  Sadly, I cannot remember if I ever tried one her lemon bars as we live far apart.  Lemons were not a big part of my childhood diet – summer time meant powdered lemonade mix and sometimes my Mom made lemon meringue pie with meringue a mile high.  I loved watching her whip up those egg whites to perfect stiffness.  Ironically, I did not like my Mom’s pie until I was an adult that I attribute to the high acidity and lack of lemon flavor of the grocery store plastic lemon juice she used being too strong for my small child palette.  I can remember my aunt making lemonade during the summer and using the plastic lemon juice and remember it tasting skunky.  Always use fresh lemon juice!! I juice and freeze mine so I always have some on hand.

    These bars offer a combination of creamy tartness perfectly balanced on an unobtrusive buttery and delicious crusty platform.  These are quick and easy to make and are perfect for Christmas cookie trays – they add a nice counterpoint to all the sweet cookies on a tray.  They are great at room temperature but equally as good icy cold.

Zesty Lemon Bars

Ingredients

Makes 20 bars

Crust

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more for pan

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

Topping
2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center of oven.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

To make crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt; process to combine.

Add butter to processor and process until mixture is pale yellow and resembles a coarse meal, about 10 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl.

Add butter and work into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers.

Pour crust mixture into prepared baking dish, pressing down with your fingers to create a ¼ inch thick layer along the bottom and ½ inch up the sides, pressing firmly at the edges to seal.

Transfer pan to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Topping

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and flour; stir in lemon juice, milk, and salt until well combined.

Remove crust from oven.

Stir topping and pour into warm crust.

Return pan to oven and continue baking until topping is just set but not browned, about 20 minutes.

Transfer baking pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into squares.

Serve immediately or refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

Stuffed Pork Chops

I grew up eating pork chops -my parents made them nearly every week.  While I still like pork chops, my family is not so fond of them except when I make this dish.  These pork chops are flavorful with the stuffing though I do not pack mine full of stuffing - just enough to moisten the meat and notch up the flavor of an otherwise bland meat.  The lemon thyme pan sauce is a delicious accompaniment.  As a general rule, I brine all my pork chops as I find supermarket pork lacking in flavor and tenderness.  My simple but effective brine method is a combination of sugar, salt and water.

Stuffed Pork Chops

serves 4

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion chopped fine

1 finely chopped rib of celery

¼ salt

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 slices or 2 cups of better quality bread cubed (small cubes or rough fresh crumbs) placed in medium bowl

3 tablespoons heavy cream

pepper to taste

4 pork chops (I used center thicker cut boneless and bone in chops - 3-4 pounds)

3 or 4 tablespoons oil for searing

Heat oven to 450°F.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.

Add onions, celery and soft cooking until softened.

Stir in the herbs and garlic and cook until fragrant 40 seconds or so.

Remove from heat and toss with bread, cream and pepper pressing until mixture comes together.

Cut a pocket along long edge of chop (I make an incision along edge then use my knife to cut a pocket without disturbing the outer edge in order to hold the bread mixture). Stuff each chop equally.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan and brown the chops on both sides until brown (5 minutes).

Transfer to baking dish and bake until center of stuffing reaches 135°F (around 18 minutes depending on your oven).

Turn chops half way through.

You can cook your chops until they reach the internal temperature of 145°F or remove when the stuffing reaches temperature and put the chops on a plate tenting with foil (they will continue to 'cook' under the foil).

Use saute pan to make a pan sauce if desired.

Lemon Thyme Pan Sauce

2 teaspoons oil

1 shallot or ¼ onion minced

1½ cups of chicken broth

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons of chilled butter in 3 pieces

Add oil to skillet that you sauteed your chops in and heat to shimmering.

Add shallots or onions and cook until softened.

Stir in thyme until fragrant.

Add broth scraping up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan and simmer until thickened about 5 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice and additional pork juice from the plate of cooked pork chops.

Turn heat low and whisk in 1 at a time the butter pieces.

Do not add a new piece of butter until the one before it mixed in.

Take your time so as not to break the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.

French Lemon Cream Tart

Quick pinch me! Am I dreaming! Could something taste so delectable, so decadent, so delicious but at the same time be so comforting. It is either food of the gods or food for babies. This is the lemon curd of my dreams...the words to describe this filling...I could go on in an ecstatic drivel about the wonders of this tart. It is silky and smooth and voluptuous combined with the right amount of sweet and lemony tartness. The pusses of my family were not puckered with sourness but puckered up to kiss the next wonderful bite of tart. The super dreamy cream curd matched with the sugar cookie crunch of the tart shell was a wonderful match.

Lemon Cream

1 cup of sugar with the zest of 3 lemons rubbed into it (the sugar should be moist and fragrant)

4 large eggs

3/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice (5 lemons)

2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature cut into 12 pieces

1 9-inch tart shell

Have a food processor or blender ready with a strainer at hand.

Place the sugar in a medium size heavy bottom saucepan and whisk in the eggs then lemon juice. 

Over medium low heat and whisking constantly bring the mixture up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit  on an instant read thermometer (the mixture will thicken like a custard). 

As soon as you hit 180 degrees Fahrenheit strain the mixture into your food processor or blender and let rest until the mixture cools to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Turn  on your food processor and add butter pieces a few at a time scraping down sides as necessary.

Once the butter is incorporated blend on high for 3 minutes until the texture light and airy.

Put cream in a container that seals well with a piece of plastic wrap pressed to the top. Chill well. 

Spread into a tart shell of your choice.

 Recipe inspired by Dorie Greenspan

Lemon Sables

It is time for the lemon harvest! I have an abundant crop this year and I am looking for new ways to preserve and store my lemons. I do not know what variety my tree is but it produces very balanced lemons with just the right amount of acid to sweet. I made these lemon shortbread cookies and they were delicious and super easy. They were tender and sandy at the same time. I had to hide the container around the kitchen because my kids were devouring them and I would forget that I hid the cookies and then open the cabinet or microwave and find the container of cookies! They are so good you can't stop eating them!

Lemon Sables

makes 3 dozen

2 sticks of butter at room temperature (67F) the stick should bend not greasy soft

1/2 cup sugar

zest of 2 lemons or to your taste

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 large egg yolks at room temperature

2 cups of all purpose flour

coarse sugar for decorating edges of cookies if desired

In a small bowl rub the zest into the granulated sugar until moist and fragrant. 

In a heavy duty mixer, cream butter until smooth and creamy. 

Add sugars, salt to the butter and beat until well blended about a 1 minute. A smooth velvety mixture not light and airy. 

Add the egg yolks at low speed and mix until combined. 

Add the flour all at once and mix at low speed. 

Mix for 30 more seconds and use a spatula to mix in remaining flour. 

Scrape dough out onto work surface dusted with flour and gather into a ball, divide in half and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper and form dough into a 9 inch log. Refrigerate for 3 hours or freeze for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit

Brush log sparingly with leftover egg white and roll the exterior in coarse sugar

Slice cookies off log 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick and place on Silpat or parchment lined on cookie sheet leaving an inch of space between cookies.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes - they should brown very slightly on the edges.

Let sit on cookie sheet for a minute then transfer for cooling racks.

Recipe inspired by "From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan