lemon bars

karen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:25:21 +0000

December 2010 . Lemons

“Think about the things you are thankful for.”

This weekend, I took a brief pause to think about and treasure the little things that make life special. It was dreary wet outside, but it didn’t stop me from trekking around town gathering supplies for my small weekend gardening project. As I walked through the city, I pondered some of the things I am grateful for: 1. My boots, waterproof and comfortable. My feet had plenty of support and stayed dry as I wandered through Russian Hill, Nob Hill and the Marina (about 4.5 miles round trip). Bonus points for me being able to pull together a stylish rainy-day outfit to match. 2. My jacket–warm, lightweight and trusty–at $75, that was my very first “big” purchase right out of high school. 11 years later, It’s still in great shape, lightweight, and warm. 3. San Francisco culture, a big motivator which helped inspire me to search out my culinary passion. My life in SF has brought me a greater sense of awareness of where food comes from, and what impact local, regional, organic, green-washed, and sustainable foods have on the community. I love being a lifelong culinary student. 4. My new oven thermometer, which has stopped my oven from burning food, setting off my smoke detecter, and has eased my annoyance and that of my neighbors. At first I thought my burnt meals were user error. It turns out my oven has an inconsistent tendency of running 25-100 degrees high–yikes! 5. Lemons. More specifically, my mother’s neighbor’s lemons. The bountiful tree branches into my mother’s backyard and during my last visit in December, she gifted me with a large grocery bag full of lemons. Amazingly they’re still good and this weekend I decided to put a couple to use–in my tea and in a batch of lemon bars.

February 2011 . Lemon

I was really suprised at how juicy and fresh the lemons were after all this time. Mind you, the above lemon is a bit wrinkled from sitting on my counter for a few hours before I decided to photograph it.

February 2011 . Lemon Zest

I love the smell of fresh lemon zest.

February 2011 . Lemon Bar Crust

I made the crust extra buttery. I haven’t yet met a recipe that couldn’t handle more butter than the instructions called for.

February 2011 . Lemon Bar

And the lemon bar, chock-full of lemony goodness. The simplicity of the recipe and buttery richness of the lemon bars were the perfect way to end my Sunday funday.

Lemon Bars
Makes 24 bars

1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces, room temperature	Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 powdered sugar. Add butter and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Maintain oven temperature.
4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel	In a second bowl, beat eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel. Pour on top of the crust. Bake 20 minutes until mixture is set and the edges are golden brown. Let cool.
Powdered sugar	Cut into 24 bars. Using a sifter, sprinkle powdered sugar over lemon bars before serving.

P.S. I am also grateful for the visitors who frequent this blog and as a result, the friends I have made. ♥

soy lemon ice cream

karen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:11:09 +0000

February 2010 . Soy Lemon Ice Cream

Four years ago, during a time I like to refer to as Sacramento’s great summer heat wave, I decided to venture into the realm of homemade ice cream. Little did I know, my life would completely transform and I would never look at ice cream the same. The whirling machine hummed as it churned the smooth creamy mixture. When I took my first lick, my taste buds were so delighted with the frozen creamy goodness that I stopped buying ice cream from the grocery store and never looked back. In general, I’m not a big ice cream eater, but when I do have some, I savor each and every moment.

The above image is of a new home recipe, soy lemon ice cream. I love cream-top milk and when possible, try to incorporate it into as many recipes as I can. There’s nothing quite like spooning that thick top layer out of the bottle and savoring its taste and texture. But on this particular Saturday, it was so blustery wet out that I didn’t have it in myself to don my coat, pull on my elephant rain boots and trudge to the market. I had to make do with what I had on hand.

Using a tried-and-true recipe that I’ve changed and altered over time, I decided that logically I could substitute milk with soy on a 1:1 ratio. It only occurred to me while I was pouring the custard into the ice cream maker that a 1:1 ration might not work. But that’s OK. I’m well on my way to becoming a mad scientist for all things sweet and in about 30-40 minutes I would get my answers.

Soy Lemon Ice Cream
Makes 1 Quart

1 1/2 cups soy milk 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 lemon, zested 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise	In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine soy milk, cream and lemon zest. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the soy mixture and then add the vanilla bean.
	Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.
6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar	Meanwhile combine the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
	Remove the milk mixture from heat and gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot soy mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot soy milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 4-6 minutes. Do not let the custard boil.
	Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard the vanilla bean.
	Cool and cover the custard with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on to the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refridgerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
	Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days before serving.

Editor’s note: the original recipe for my first batch (vanilla bean ice cream) has long since become lost in the crevices of my mind—but when I do manage to locate it, I will definitely post (and credit). It’s a good basic ice cream and well worth it to try.

Bakery Days » lemon

lemon bars

soy lemon ice cream