Lemon Meringue Pie

Yikes!!! We had a howling wind storm and in the morning the yard was covered in lemons that simply didn't weather the wind. What were we to do with 53 lemons??? Think Giz, think, you're a food blogger for goodness sakes - you should know what to do with all the lemons. First things first, have to make a batch of Lemon Drop Martinis .

The flour, cornstarch, lemons and pastry crusts came out and it was time to start making lemon meringue pies. I decided to try a new recipe that I found at All Recipes called Grandmas Lemon Meringue Pie.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked 4 egg whites 6 tablespoons white sugar

For the meringue:
4 egg whites
6 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Make Lemon Filling:



In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.



To Make Meringue:

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown



Put your pie in the fridge to set for a few hours. Don't be alarmed if your pie seems loose when you put it in the fridge - the setting time is magic. Slice, serve and enjoy



Tomorrow's another day and the lemon marathon will continue. We decided to get a little creative and made some lemon candles for the dinner table.

Hollow out the lemon. Make a cut along the bottom so they stand straight. Fill the inside with some heavy duty tin foil and fit a lemon scented votive inside. Easy!!

Fresh Eggs A Sign of Spring for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club

It's really hard to believe that it's March already. I'm not exactly sure how it happened but I think that while I was sleeping someone pulled a fast one, changed the clocks and calendars and made me believe that it'll be spring in a few short weeks. One of the first signs of spring for me is a dessert made with spring produce. One of the first things we see at the markets in spring is rhubarb ... add some farm fresh eggs and you've got the start of rhubarb custard bars I think a better name for these low fat treats is "Won't Last Long Rhubarb Custard Bars". It went so fast that I couldn't even get a clean shot without a piece taken out of it.

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
Cooking spray
Filling:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
3 large eggs
5 cups (1/2-inch) sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (unthawed)


Topping:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) block-style fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup (4 ounces) block-style 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Mint sprigs (optional)
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

To prepare filling, lightly spoon 1/3 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1/3 cup flour and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a large bowl; add milk and eggs, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Stir in rhubarb. Pour rhubarb mixture over crust. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature.

To prepare topping, place 1/2 cup sugar, cheeses, and vanilla in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping; spread evenly over baked custard. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Rice Pudding Las Vegas Style

I'm very blessed. I'm enjoying the winter in Palm Springs, CA in one of the wonderful homes previously owned by Dinah Shore. Known as a singer, actor and television show host Dinah was also the first cooking show host to hit the television screen. A child of the "Rat Pack" era, her home is filled with signed memorabelia and reminders of who she was during her lifetime. How much fun is watching oldies like this:



One of the three of Dinah Shore's published vintage cookbooks is in the house and as I'm sitting in the kitchen I'm feeling inspired to recreate something that she actually prepared.



The other very fun thing is reading the preambles that were written for each recipe and how they've documented all the symbolism of her life. The first recipe I decided to recreate is called Rice Pudding from the Riviera Hotel. Here's Dinah's preamble:

One night after that second show at the Riviera in Vegas, I sat down with a couple of hungry show folk and let me tell you - I'll put them up against any hungry group and that includes ball players, opera stars or lumberjacks. Vic Damone started the whole thing. He ordered rice pudding. Since he was playing the Flamingo, it was kind of a shocker for me to find that he came to the Riviera for his rice pudding, along with Shecky Greene and Don Rickles of the Sahara. It was great! I begged Mr. Gruber, Food Chief of the Riviera, for the recipe for Pauline and me.

He finally gave it to me - ten years later - and then only because of Lorne Greene, who was going to be a guest on my television show. Lorne had lost 60 pounds on that famous Duke University Rice Diet and I didn't want him to kick the rice habit cold turkey so I S.O.S.'s Mr. Gruber. Here's why it took ten years sending it to me. The recipe called for 6 pounds of rice, 60 eggs, 20 quarts of milk, etc. He broke it down to this:



1/2 cup regular rice
1 cup water, salted
1 quart whole milk
1/8 lb (1/2 stick) butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup plump raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Pour rice slowly into rapidly boiling, slightly salted water in a large pot. Do not stir. Cover tightly and cook exactly 7 minutes, at which time all the water will be absorbed and the rice will be slightly undone. Add the milk and butter. Stir a little. Bring to a boil, cover and cook slowly over a low flame for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, beat eggs, add sugar, raisins and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the rice, stirring slowly until the rice starts to thicken. Serve hot, warm or cold with a mixture and cinnamon and sugar sprinkled lightly and evenly over the top.

This should serve 4 people, unless they're show folk, in which case it will serve 2.

Verdict: We had surprise company just as I finished making this - nothing left - enough said. I can totally see why it was such a huge hit in Las Vegas!!!