Well, it was a week ago and I’ve finally recovered from Easter. I love Easter; I love the meaning of it, I love rabbits, I love eggs, I love spring, I love being with my family and of course, I love the food. I planned on starting my diet clean detox program the next day, so I really needed to stuff myself full of good Easter food that day. Sadly, I accomplished my goal with gusto. My Aunt Lina helped out with her homemade lumpia and my sister-in-law, Laureen, brought Ina’s Smashed Potatoes and my soon-to-be- sister-in-law, Stephanie, brought Ina’s Potato Fennel Gratin (without the fennel). Praise the Lord! I had one disaster- that would be the deep fried Mormon funeral potato balls. The recipe from Sunset seemed so decadently trashy that I just had to try them. Perhaps, I did something wrong, but they turned out inedibly salty. Darn it.
Easter to me means lamb, roasted asparagus and lemon pie {besides that amazing resurrection}. This year, I tried two new lemony desserts out; Meyer Lemon-Vanilla Tart and Lemon Cream Cheese Pie. The Lemon Cream Cheese Pie is now my all-time favorite lemon pie. The one thing I would do differently is double the filling. The recipe is from 1965; a time before super-sizing and deep dish pie plates. So, the filling only came about halfway up the pie shell. I have doubled the filling from the original recipe.
Here is what we had for Easter:
- Leek Fritters
- Devillicious Eggs
- Aunt Betty’s refrigerator rolls
- Pea Salad
- Green Salad
- Roasted Asparagus
- Ina’s Smashed potatoes
- Ina’s Potato and Fennel Gratin
- Artichoke stuffed Pasta Shells with Lemon Ricotta Sauce
- Ham
- Lamb of God
- 8 hour lamb with feta
- Meyer Lemon-Vanilla Tart (see below)
- Lemon Cream Cheese Pie (see below)
- Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
- Tunnel of Fudge Cake
Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
Adapted from The Farm Journals Complete Pie Book (1965)
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe for pastry crust, subbing in 1 T. lemon juice for water & adding a little grated lemon peel
- 2 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 cup water
- 2T. grated lemon peel
- 2/3 cup lemon juice
- 4 eggs, separated
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
Cooking Directions:
- Line 9 inch pie pan with the crust; flute edge and prick entire surface with a fork. Blind bake at 400 degrees until pie is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool.
- Combine 2 cup sugar with the cornstarch; add water, lemon peel and juice and slightly beaten egg yolks in a saucepan. Stir until smooth and cook , stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and blend in cream cheese. Cool thoroughly.
- Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold into lemon mixture. Turn into pie shell and chill thoroughly.
- Total lemon-y goodness!
Meyer Lemon Vanilla Tart
adapted from better homes and gardens (January 2010)
Ingredients:
- Pastry Crust******
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 1 -5 T. ice water
- ********* ***********
- 2 meyer lemons (enough for 6 T. of juice)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 T. flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 T. vanilla extract
- 2 small meyer lemons (or oven candied lemon slices)
Cooking Directions:
- To candy lemon slices: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut 2 small lemons crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Arrange on a single layer on the sheet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over slices. Bake at 275 degrees for 45-50 minutes. While still warm loosen sliced from paper to prevent sticking.
- Make pastry by cutting cold butter into flour until pieces are the size of peas. Combine the egg yolk with the water and then add to the flour mixture. Add 2-4 more tablespoons of ice water as needed to moisten dough. Wrap in a ball and chill until the dough is easy to handle.
- Roll out the pastry to an 11 inch circle. Drape, do not stretch, pastry over 9 inch removable bottom tart pan. Press pastry into fluted sides of tart pan. Trim edges even with the pan. Line pastry with a double thickness of foil. Bake for 8 minutes at 450 degrees, remove foil and bake for 5-6 more minutes.
- Grate lemon peel from 2 lemons to make 4 t. and then squeeze the juice. Hopefully, you will have 6 T. of juice; set aside.
- In a bowl, combine sugar and flour, add eggs. Beat on medium to high speed for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened and lightened. Stir in lemon peel and juice, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into pastry shell.
- Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan.
- Top the tart with the oven candied lemon slices.