Pink Lemons ≠ Pink Lemonade. It sure sounds like a pink lemon would be the secret ingredient in a glass of pink lemonade, but the variegated pink flesh Eureka lemon is pink in the flesh only. The juice runs clear. As for the ingredient that produces the famous color of pink lemonade, it’s [...]]]>

Pink Lemons ≠ Pink Lemonade. It sure sounds like a pink lemon would be the secret ingredient in a glass of pink lemonade, but the variegated pink flesh Eureka lemon is pink in the flesh only. The juice runs clear. As for the ingredient that produces the famous color of pink lemonade, it’s been attributed over the years to an assortment of different fruit juices or other red items and the commercial varieties nowadays use artificial coloring. These muffins are closer to a traditional lemon yellow color, with light brown flecks of ground flax seed. They’re rustic looking and packed with bright citrus flavor.

Here in southern California, I’m treated to a much wider variety of citrus than I ever encountered growing up in New England. I’m constantly amazed at the ever colorful and diverse citrus displays at the farmers market. And it never ceases to amaze me when I look out the car window and see rows and rows of orange trees alongside the road. These pink lemons came onto the farmers market scene a few weeks ago, and I knew they’d be perfect for muffins. If you don’t have access to pink lemons, any type of lemon will do!

With the combination of applesauce and flax egg substitute, these muffins have a less tender, almost chewy crumb. But they’re incredibly moist and definitely healthy. To combat chewiness, make sure to use a gentle hand when combining the wet and dry ingredients. The more stirring you do, the chewier the muffins will be.

For an extra boost of flavor, try using an applesauce that contains a variety of fruit. I used an apple, pear, and goji berry sauce that was a gift from a friend. The pears subdue the apple flavor in the sauce, which really brings out the lemon in the muffins.

For more bright, cheery citrus inspiration, visit the Citruslove event at Mis Pensamientos.

Vegan Pink Lemon Muffins
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 12 muffins

1 tablespoon ground flax
3 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
zest and juice of 1 pink lemon (2 tablespoons juice)
3/4 cup rice milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease muffin tin or line with paper cups and set aside.

Whisk together the flax and water, and allow to sit for about 5 minutes or until it thickens.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, applesauce, lemon zest and juice, rice milk, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flax mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for 12-16 minutes, or until the muffins just start to brown around the edges and are set in the middle.

Fluffy lemon chiffon cake, ice cold whipped cream, and just-picked organic strawberries. What more could you want from [...]]]> Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

Fluffy lemon chiffon cake, ice cold whipped cream, and just-picked organic strawberries. What more could you want from a summer dessert? Though it may appear daunting, all of the components can be broken down into manageable segments that can be spread over a few days. You won’t have to be in the kitchen all day to create such a masterpiece. And believe me, the taste is just as impressive as the presentation. The cake has a pleasant lemon flavor, while the pastry cream filling manages to bring out the fresh flavor of summer strawberries without overpowering them with artificial sweetness.

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers host and she challenged us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

I deviated from the given recipe slightly, by omitting the almond paste topping and the gelatin in the whipped cream, opting to freeze the dessert instead of using a stabilizer.

Lemon Chiffon Cake
Yield: One 8″ cake

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
5 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line the bottom of an 8″ square (or 8″ springform) pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add all but 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and all of the salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the oil, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk for a minute, until smooth.

In a large, clean bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, until frothy.

Add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and continue to beat the egg whites until they hold stiff and shiny peaks.

Using a grease-free rubber spatula, scoop about 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites gently, to lighten the mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Note: My cake collapsed in the center as it cooled. Some chiffon cake experts recommend cooling the cake upside down, which may help to prevent collapse.

To unmold the cake, run a knife around the edges to separate the cake from the side of the pan. If you’re using a springform pan, simply remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper.

Pastry Cream Filling

1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine the milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Heat the liquid over medium-high heat, until it is close to boiling. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk the corn starch and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the eggs, continuing to whisk until smooth. When the milk is ready, slowly pour it into the bowl while the mixer is running, aiming for the small gap between the whisk and the bowl. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue to heat until the custard thickens, is just about to boil, and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps. Allow the custard to cool for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slice the butter into 4 pieces. Whisk each piece into the pastry cream, one at a time, stirring until dissolved. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

When you are ready to assemble the fraisier, remove the pastry cream from the fridge. Place the whipped cream in the bowl of your mixer. Whip the cream with the whisk attachment until it forms medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Simple Syrup

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. It is not necessary to stir the syrup, but it won’t hurt if you do. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract.

To assemble the fraisier:

1 chiffon cake
1 recipe pastry cream filling
1 recipe simple syrup
2 pounds fresh strawberries

Line the sides of an 8″ springform pan with plastic wrap. Do not cover the bottom. Since I don’t have an 8″ springform pan, I used two small plastic containers. I lined them both with plastic wrap.

Using a serrated knife or a cake slicer, level off the top of the cake and then cut the cake in half horizontally. Trim the cake to fit your pan or container if necessary.

Place the bottom layer of cake into the pan. Drizzle with simple syrup until it is the consistency of a moist sponge.

Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to place upright, around the edges of your container. Arrange the strawberries so that the cut side faces out, pointy side up.

Spoon or pipe the cream filling in between the strawberries, filling the container to the top of the strawberries. If you desire, slice some more strawberries and place them on top of the cream layer. I chose to place one unsliced strawberry into the center of the cream layer.

Place the second layer of cake on top of the cream layer. Moisten this layer with simple syrup. Cover the cake and freeze for at least 4 hours.

If the cake has not completely frozen, you can invert the container and gently tug on the plastic wrap to remove the cake from the container. If the cake has frozen, you may need to let it sit out at room temperature for a while before it can be removed. If you have used a springform pan, simply remove the sides of the pan to serve.

Top the cake with remaining pastry cream filling and fresh fruit.

Are you still looking for that perfect arm workout? Or perhaps you’re searching for that zero-net-calorie dessert. Well, [...]]]> Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

Are you still looking for that perfect arm workout? Or perhaps you’re searching for that zero-net-calorie dessert. Well, look no more, because made-from-scratch baklava is the answer! It will have you on your feet in the kitchen all day, running from stove to countertop to oven and back. You’ll be completing the near-impossible task of rolling dough into paper thin sheets. You’ll easily burn more calories making it than you gain by consuming it. And since every killer workout has an element of pure torture, you won’t even be able to enjoy the baklava until it sits overnight.

After completing a solid hour of arm exercise (read: rolling phyllo dough paper thin), I was thrilled to have 16 sheets of transparent dough, stacked and ready to layer with walnut filling. The only remaining step was to slice the dough to fit my pan. As pictured in the recipe, I sliced through all of the sheets at once with a pizza cutter.

The edges ended up hopelessly stuck together! After carefully considering a number of options (baking the dough as is, shoving the filling in between some of the layers, or completely starting over), I broke the dough into 16 pieces and immediately started rolling again. The dough never got as thin as it had the first time, but I still managed to roll out enough sheets for four layers of phyllo and three layers of filling. This time the sheets were trimmed individually as I layered them into the pan.

Being a member of the Daring Bakers certainly has many advantages, not the least of which is an entire global community of bakers who have made the same mistakes, and are there to offer advice and encouragement. This month, we were treated to a special baklava tutorial by Audax. He was lucky enough to have two baklava experts, one Greek and one Turkish, walk him through the entire recipe. They gave very specific instructions for baking temperature, and advised the use of clarified butter when layering the phyllo sheets. These changes are reflected in the recipe below.

This baklava was such a sticky, wonderful treat. I chose to use exclusively walnuts in the filling, since I had a huge bag of fresh walnuts from my CSA. To complement the walnuts, I also substituted pure maple syrup for the honey in this recipe. This made the baklava a bit less sweet, and definitely more enjoyable. The recipe is long and daunting, but I can assure you that it’s well worth the effort. Since the workout makes up for all the calories, what do you have to lose?

Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Bakers June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava.

Phyllo Dough
From Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague
Yield: enough dough for a 9″ x 9″ baklava

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine the water, oil, and vinegar. With the mixer on low speed, add the water mixture to the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until well combined. If the dough does not come together, add more water, one tablespoon at a time. The dough should be soft and should form a ball.

Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough will be incredibly smooth and silky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for another couple of minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down onto the counter a few times during the process. It’s fun.

Shape the dough into a ball, lightly oil it, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Allow it to rest for at least 30-120 minutes (2 hours is ideal).

When the dough has almost finished resting, make the filling for the baklava.

Spiced Walnut Filling

1 cinnamon stick, broken into 2 or 3 pieces, or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
16 whole allspice berries, or a few pinches of ground allspice
1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor, chop all ingredients as finely as possible and combine in a bowl. Set aside.

To assemble the baklava:
You will need 1/2 cup melted clarified butter. I used 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter to make 1/2 cup clarified butter. For a good tutorial on making clarified butter, head to Allrecipes.com.

The dough is not as tricky to roll out as it sounds. Make sure to remove any jewelry or rings that may snag the phyllo sheets. The best tool to use is probably a wooden dowel as shown in this video, though I managed to get the dough very thin with my regular rolling pin.

Dust your work area, rolling pin or wooden dowel, and hands with flour. Unwrap the dough and break off a golf ball sized chunk. Rewrap the dough with plastic wrap, so that it won’t dry out while you are rolling each sheet of dough.

Start by flattening the dough and rolling it into a circle. I found it to be a little tough and elastic at first, but as I kept rolling it softened up and flattened out. Continue to work the dough in a circle, rotating and adding flour generously as needed. Don’t worry if there are small rips in the dough, you can press it together or just leave it. The baklava will have many layers so it’s not a big deal.

When you have rolled the dough as thinly as possible with your rolling pin, pick it up and gently stretch it over the backs of your hands as you would pizza dough. This should get it a bit thinner. The dough is ready when it is transparent and will fit inside a 9″ square pan. Set the dough aside on a well floured surface. Follow the same steps to roll out the rest of the dough, making sure to flour well between each sheet as you stack them. You should end up with 16-18 sheets.

Note: I stacked the dough as described, but would not do it this way again. I would recommend that if you do stack the dough, the sheets should be sliced individually as you assemble the baklava. Alternatively, you could roll each sheet out, trim, and place in the pan immediately. This would prevent the edges from sticking together if you were to trim the entire stack at the same time.

Preheat the oven to 390°. Trim your phyllo sheets to fit a 9″ square pan. If you are using a dark-colored pan you may want to line the pan with foil to prevent the edges of the baklava from burning.

Brush the bottom of the pan with clarified butter, and place a phyllo sheet into the pan. Brush this phyllo sheet with butter and layer another phyllo sheet on top. Repeat until you have 4 or 5 layers of phyllo (depending on how many sheets you rolled out).

Spread 1/3 of the walnut filling over the phyllo. Repeat the entire process again, layering 4 or 5 phyllo sheets and another 1/3 of the walnut filling. Repeat one more time. On top of the nuts, layer 4 or 5 more phyllo sheets, alternating with the clarified butter as before. When you have the final phyllo layer on top, tuck in the edges so that the top looks neat.

With a sharp knife, cut your baklava into slices – but only cut 2/3 of the way through! Brush the top of the baklava with one more layer of clarified butter.

Bake the baklava at 390° for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 210° and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn the oven back up to 390° and allow the baklava to bake until the top has browned, about 10 minutes.

While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup.

Maple Baklava Syrup
1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup (the good stuff)
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 of a fresh lemon
a few cloves or a pinch of ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the syrup from the heat and strain out the lemon half, cinnamon, and cloves (if using whole cloves). Allow the syrup to sit at room temperature until the baklava is done baking.

When the baklava has finished baking, remove it from the oven and place the entire pan on a cooling rack. Pour the syrup (it will still be slightly warm) over the baklava, making sure to cover the entire top and get it in between the slices as well.

The baklava will be swimming in syrup! But don’t panic, it will soak in overnight. Allow the baklava to cool to room temperature, cover, and let sit overnight. My baklava didn’t quite soak up all the syrup, but it was still plenty saturated.

The next morning, slice the baklava and serve! Store the leftovers, if there are any, in an airtight container at room temperature.

How to develop a recipe featuring New Belgium beer:

1. Buy two six-packs of beer to inspire recipe creation (I decided on Mighty Arrow and organic Mothership Wit).

2. Drink most of the beers, making sure to save a few for the recipe.

3. Spend all morning in the kitchen, creating a recipe [...]]]>

How to develop a recipe featuring New Belgium beer:

1. Buy two six-packs of beer to inspire recipe creation (I decided on Mighty Arrow and organic Mothership Wit).

2. Drink most of the beers, making sure to save a few for the recipe.

3. Spend all morning in the kitchen, creating a recipe that ultimately fails. Drink the remaining beers.

4. Buy another six-pack of organic Mothership Wit, because it will pair perfectly with the organic Meyer lemons from the CSA.

5. Bake cupcakes (make sure to add some beer!), and enjoy the remaining beers.

These cupcakes are light and springy. The beer adds quite a bit of volume to the batter while the Meyer lemons bring out a touch of tartness. The subtle flavors of coriander and orange peel, brewed into Mothership Wit, add an extra hint of spice to the cake. Swirl some tangy-sweet Meyer lemon buttercream on top, and you’ve got a winning combination!

Here’s the deal: Simple Math Bakery received a stipend through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program to create this recipe. As a general rule, Simple Math Bakery refuses to accept offers of free product in exchange for publicity. However, in the case of free organic beer, all bets are off. You may be assured, though, that the opinions in this post are accurate and have not been influenced by cash or volume of beer consumed.

Meyer Lemon Mothership Cupcakes
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 24 cupcakes

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest and juice of one Meyer lemon (about 1/4 cup juice)
1 1/4 cups Mothership Wit beer
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake tins with wrappers and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine the beer and lemon juice in a large measuring cup.

In yet another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until the eggs are incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest, beating just to combine.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/egg batter, and beat on low speed just until combined. Pour in 1/2 of the beer mixture, mixing until combined. Follow with another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the rest of the beer mixture, then the last of the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary during this process. Beat on second speed for a few seconds until the batter is well combined and smooth.

Divide the batter between the cupcake tins. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for about 5 minutes, then place them directly on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Meyer Lemon Buttercream
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Frosts approximately 24 cupcakes

16 tablespoons (1 cup) salted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
4 cups (about 1 pound) powdered sugar, sifted

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix on low speed until the butter is softened and the ingredients are combined, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, in 2 or 3 batches, mixing slowly at first. Increase the speed of the mixer as the sugar is incorporated. Beat until frosting is smooth.

Use a decorating bag and tip, or a knife, to frost the cupcakes. Garnish as desired.

With all the fancy, technological ways to communicate with people in our modern world, there’s still something special about receiving a handwritten letter on pretty stationary in the mailbox. When I received the latest letter from my pen pal of 13 years last week it brought a smile to my face. And strengthened [...]]]>

With all the fancy, technological ways to communicate with people in our modern world, there’s still something special about receiving a handwritten letter on pretty stationary in the mailbox. When I received the latest letter from my pen pal of 13 years last week it brought a smile to my face. And strengthened my resolve to participate in Digital Detox Week this year. My pen pal lives 2,300 miles away and we’ve never met in person or communicated by any digital means. Sometimes we don’t write for months, but it never fails that one day I open the mailbox and find a small envelope with that familiar friendly handwriting in brightly colored ink.

With each letter I receive, I reflect upon the collective loss of patience that we all seem more and more susceptible to as we are bombarded by ever increasing amounts of information, blogs, and ways to connect. It feels as though each and every one of us is being pressured to digest a whole heap of digital information, useful or not. There are hundreds of emails to read and thousands of blogs to skim through in my inbox each week. Reading blogs and emails is like triage. If I don’t prioritize, I’ll be staring at the screen all day.

So what’s a stressed out blogger to do? Turn off the computer, grab a couple of cookies, and settle down to get lost in a book. Or perhaps write a letter to someone who lives far away. Play music, draw a picture, dance, bake cookies, take photographs with a film camera…anything analog goes!

Does this sound like the making of a rejuvenating week? If it does, I’d love to have you join me for Digital Detox Week from April 18th-24th. Or perhaps you’ll join me for just a day or two? I’m signing off the internet and my personal email for the entire week. I cut TV out of my life long ago, but I’ll be leaving my new Netflix movie in its envelope for the coming week.

Even if you’re not ready for a digital detox, I recommend that you make these cookies. Fresh rosemary and ever-so-slightly tangy Meyer lemon will transport you to a place far away from your computer screen!

Meyer Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion
Yield: approximately 32 cookies (depending on size)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

With an electric mixer, cream the butter, salt, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and rosemary. Stir until the mixture comes together.

Roll the dough into a long cylinder with a 1 1/2″ to 2″ diameter. Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 300°. Unwrap the roll of dough and slice the cookies 1/4″ thick. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and prick each cookie with a fork 2 or 3 times.

Bake for about 20 minutes, watching carefully to ensure that the cookies don’t burn. When done, the cookies will be a light sand color on the bottom and the edges will be just beginning to brown.

Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack immediately. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container. These cookies actually get better with age!

For us bakers, it’s never difficult to figure out how to celebrate Pi Day! The most important component of any halfway decent Pi Day celebration is pie. Pie is the obvious choice, not only because it shares a name with the popular number, but because of its traditional circular shape. There are infinite [...]]]>

For us bakers, it’s never difficult to figure out how to celebrate Pi Day! The most important component of any halfway decent Pi Day celebration is pie. Pie is the obvious choice, not only because it shares a name with the popular number, but because of its traditional circular shape. There are infinite (like pi!) ways to create a pi-themed pie. I’ve decided to forgo any circular pie references in favor of creating a custom shaped pi filled with tangy sweet blood orange curd.

Do you know how to calculate the area of this blood orange? Hint: you’ll have to use pi. But luckily, no complicated math is necessary to create your own custom pi pie bowls. You’ll just need a bit of patience, some aluminum foil, and a lot of pie dough.

First, shape two small cylinders out of aluminum foil. Then create a third cylinder with a wavy shape to complete the top. To join these three parts, cover them with a large sheet of foil and press it tightly around the form.

It wasn’t until I finished baking the crust that I realized my pi was backwards! You may want to make your mold in a mirror image so that when you flip the finished crust off the mold it will look just as you planned.

For more pi day deliciousness, make sure to check out the 2011 Pi Day baking contest. There are all kinds of pies that will inspire you to revisit your old math textbooks and brush up on your mathematical formulas! OK, so maybe you won’t go that far. But I’m sure you’ll be craving your very own pi(e)!

Blood Orange Curd Pi
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 2 pi-shaped pies (4-6 servings)

Blood Orange Curd
Adapted from Country Living
Yield: 4 cups (Lots more than you will need for the pie!)

5 eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup blood orange juice (from about 4 blood oranges)
zest of 1 blood orange
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used the juice of 1 lemon)
1 cup (16 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, blood orange juice, zest, and lemon juice. Place the bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water. This will allow the egg mixture to heat without cooking the eggs.

Heat the mixture, whisking every 3 or 4 minutes, until the temperature reaches 180 degrees (approximately 30 minutes). The curd will be thickened. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter pieces. Stir until the butter has melted and the curd is smooth.

Allow the curd to cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled.

To assemble the pie:
1 recipe pie dough
Custom pie crust molds (see instructions above)

Place the aluminum foil pie molds on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Roll out your pie dough until it is 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick. The thinner you roll it, the more difficult it will be to drape it over the mold without breaking. Cut the dough into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the size of your molds. Carefully drape the pie dough over the molds and gently press the dough against the mold to ensure that it fits snugly into all the crevices. Trim the edges of the dough around the molds. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place the entire baking sheet in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is just starting to brown. Flip the crust over and gently remove the foil from the inside of the mold. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the crust is sturdy enough to hold its shape.

I tried two different variations of pi mold. The one with connected legs held up better than the one with disconnected legs. Keep stability in mind as you design your pie mold!

For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup blood orange curd

Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Gently fold in the blood orange curd with a large spoon or spatula.

Isn’t it a pretty color? Spoon the filling into the pie crust and garnish with fresh fruit. Enjoy while working on your memorization of pi digits!

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406…

I just can’t stay away from these Meyer lemons. They were destined to become another pitcher of lemonade when I had a breakthrough moment. I’d been waiting and waiting to buy poppy seeds so I could use them in bread. When we received another batch of Meyer lemons from the farm I mentioned [...]]]>

I just can’t stay away from these Meyer lemons. They were destined to become another pitcher of lemonade when I had a breakthrough moment. I’d been waiting and waiting to buy poppy seeds so I could use them in bread. When we received another batch of Meyer lemons from the farm I mentioned to The Boyfriend that I could make Meyer lemon poppyseed muffins if only we could find poppy seeds at the store. My very astute boyfriend said, “You’ve got a jar of poppy seeds on your spice rack”. Well, surely he must be confusing poppy seeds with something else, right?

I rushed to the kitchen, spun the spice rack around, and there it was. The jar of poppy seeds. So, Meyer lemon poppy seed muffins it was. Right away.

I’ve been experimenting with a new sweetener. Brown sugar has been my favorite sweetener to use in muffins and other baked goods, since it seems to be more wholesome than white sugar. But I found a sweetener that goes one step further: sucanat.

Sucanat gets its name from the three words that describe it: sugar cane natural. It’s simply granulated sugar cane. Sucanat has a flavor similar to brown sugar, but it’s a more wholesome sweetener. It claims to contain more of the trace elements that aren’t found in processed sugars, although I still wouldn’t call it healthy.

As I transition to more whole, unprocessed foods I have begun to research and question my customary pantry items. In researching brown sugar I found that oftentimes it is just white sugar sprayed with molasses. So it’s been processed just like white sugar, and then the molasses that was removed during processing has been sprayed back on. It’s more convenient and cost-efficient for manufacturers to produce brown sugar in this manner. In light of this discovery, I decided to give sucanat a try.

I do like the subtle molasses flavor that it adds to baked goods. I’ve used it in a few batches of muffins so far and I can definitely recommend it as an alternative to processed sugar. Sucanat is used as a 1:1 replacement for white or brown sugar, so if you’re not ready to give it a try you can use your preferred variety of sugar in this recipe.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Created by Simple Math Bakery
Yield: 12 muffins

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup sucanat (or granulated sugar)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used rice milk)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease muffin tins, or line with paper cups.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter, applesauce, and sucanat. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the milk, lemon juice, zest, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. Bake for 14-18 minutes, or until the muffins test done. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan to cool directly on the cooling rack.

We were lucky enough to get some Meyer lemons in our CSA share this week. Since I’ve never used them before, I was incredibly excited! I’ve seen this variety of lemons featured on many of my favorite blogs, and people are always raving about them. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon [...]]]>

We were lucky enough to get some Meyer lemons in our CSA share this week. Since I’ve never used them before, I was incredibly excited! I’ve seen this variety of lemons featured on many of my favorite blogs, and people are always raving about them. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and an orange, so they have a slightly sweet taste and an orangish hue.

I’ve been wanting to make lemon bars for a while now, and this was my opportunity! I brought these to work today and they disappeared before lunchtime. Usually, some of the goodies stick around until late afternoon when people need a sugar rush. These lemon bars were so good that they had to be eaten right away. Although I may have seen a few people squirreling them away for afternoon snack.

Since it was our first time with Meyer lemons and we had nine of them to experiment with, we sampled more than one treat. My boyfriend baked me the best damn Meyer lemon cake for my birthday. Since we don’t have lemon extract he substituted Meyer lemon zest, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. He’s a very talented baker, and I’m still hoping that he’ll write a blog post here someday!

I highly recommend both the cake and the lemon bars. The bars are so easy to make. The crust comes together quickly. I had a slight moment of panic when it appeared that the volume of crust and area of the pan would not match, but I pressed and pressed to fill the pan with crust. It ended up being the perfect thickness.

While the crust bakes, the filling is a cinch to whisk together. The most difficult part comes after you pour the filling into the crust. It looks like it will overflow, but in reality it fills the crust just perfectly so that it is nearly impossible to transfer the pan back into the oven. I watched as the filling dangerously sloshed over the edge of the crust only to be stopped by the slightest lip on the edge of the pan.

When the bars come out of the oven, it’s challenging to let them cool completely before digging in. I waited patiently, only because I wanted to dust them with powdered sugar before sampling one.

Meyer Lemon Squares
From The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion
Yield: 24 bars

For the crust:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs

For the filling:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (I used the juice of 3 lemons)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To make the crust:
In a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter until it is fluffy. This should take two or three minutes. Stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Add the flour and eggs, and mix well. The dough will be very stiff.

Grease a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan with butter. Transfer the dough to the pan and press until the dough covers the entire pan. Make sure to press the dough up the sides of the pan as well, so it will hold the filling. Use a fork to prick the dough all over. Bake for 8 minutes. It won’t necessarily brown, but it will look dry and set.

To make the filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, eggs, and lemon juice.

When the crust comes out of the oven, carefully pour the filling in. Return it to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The top and edges should be slightly brown. Place the pan on a cooling rack, and cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Tiramisù translates from Italian to mean [...]]]> The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

Tiramisù translates from Italian to mean “pull me up” or “pick me up”. And it is certainly true to its name! Layers of spongy savoiardi (ladyfingers) dipped in sweetened espresso, separated by layers of rich custard. Definitely a heavenly dessert!

Just like the tiramisù itself, this challenge was multi-layered. Everything was made from scratch over a span of 2 days. Savoiardi, mascarpone, zabaglione, pastry cream, whipped cream, and finally tiramisù! It’s really not as much work as it sounds, and it all culminates in a wonderful and well-deserved treat!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisù as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Le Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

I do love the classic coffee-chocolate tiramisù and I always like to try out the original recipe first, just to make sure I can replicate it. Then I let my imagination run wild! Since blood oranges are currently in season, I decided to make a blood orange variation.

The blood orange tiramisù shown above was chilled in the fridge overnight. It’s more custard-like in texture than the traditional flavored tiramisù below, which I chilled in the freezer overnight.

The first part of the challenge was to make our own mascarpone cheese, one of the ingredients in the final tiramisù. It took a long time for the cream to reach the desired temperature on the stove, so I was nervous about the results. When I placed the cream in the fridge to drain overnight, it became rock hard and only a few drops of liquid had drained. But after sitting at room temperature for a little while, it was soft enough to stir.

Mascarpone Cheese
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

1 pint organic whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a small pot. Reduce the heat to medium so that the water is simmering. Place the cream in a metal bowl and place the bowl over the pot of simmering water. Heat the cream, gently stirring, until it reaches at least 180°. If you don’t have a thermometer, look for small bubbles pushing their way to the surface.

Add the lemon juice and continue to stir gently until the mixture curdles. The cream will become thick and you will see streaks of clear whey where the spoon moves through the cream. Remove the bowl from the water and let it cool for 20 minutes.

Line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth. Transfer the mixture into the sieve. Do not press or squeeze the mixture through the cheesecloth, just let it set there until completely cool. Then cover the entire thing with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. The next day it will be wonderfully creamy!

The next part of the challenge was to make the savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits. These biscuits get soaked in sweetened coffee or fruit juice to create a cake-like layer in the tiramisù.

Savoiardi/Ladyfinger biscuits
Yield: about 25 biscuits (depending on size)

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the granulated sugar, gradually, continuing to beat until the egg whites become stiff, glossy, and smooth.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork. Then gently fold them into the whipped egg whites, using a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the flour (and corn starch, if using) over this mixture, and fold it in gently, just until combined. If the batter is folded too much, it will deflate. Try to avoid this!

Using a plain circular pastry tip, or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, pipe the batter into strips 5″ long and 3/4″ wide. Leave about 1″ in between the strips on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the confectioner’s sugar over the piped batter and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining sugar, then carefully tap the excess sugar off of the baking sheet. No need to get it all off, in my experience it doesn’t burn in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and still soft. Place the baking sheets on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet and cool directly on the rack.

If making the biscuits ahead, store them in an airtight container until ready to use.

And now, the main event!

Tiramisù
Yield: 8 servings

Zabaglione:
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

Whipped cream:
1 cup chilled organic whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisù:
2 cups brewed espresso, warmed (I used double strength instant coffee)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits (depending on size and shape of your dish)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

To make the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler, or place a few inches of water in a pot to boil. Make sure you will be able to place a metal mixing bowl over the water without it touching the surface.

In a large metal bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, marsala, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Beat until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water, or pour the mixture into a double boiler. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit while it cooks.

Cool the mixture to room temperature and transfer it to a small bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

To make the pastry cream:
Combine the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the egg yolk and half the milk, whisk until smooth.

Place the pan on the stove and cook on low heat, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Pour in the rest of the milk, a little bit at a time, still stirring constantly. Continue to cook the mixture until it becomes thick and begins to bubble, about 12 minutes. Ideally, it will have no lumps, but if it does you can just put it through a strainer.

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.

To make the whipped cream:
Place your empty mixer bowl and beater into the fridge for about 30 minutes before whipping the cream. Add the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat with a mixer until it holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

Now you’ve got all the pieces, and you’re ready to put it together!

To assemble the tiramisù:
In a small bowl, whisk together the warm coffee and sugar. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon until smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, stirring just until combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream and set this mixture aside.

Get your serving dish ready. An 8″ square dish will work, but feel free to use any other size or shape you’d like.

Dip the ladyfingers into the coffee mixture for about 1 second per side. They will be moist but not soggy. Immediately place the lady finger into the serving dish. Repeat this process, placing the ladyfingers as close to each other as possible, until the bottom of the dish is covered by a single layer of ladyfingers. If necessary, break the ladyfingers to ensure that the dish is completely covered.

Spoon half of the cream mixture (or 1/3 of the mixture if you want three layers) on top of the ladyfingers. Carefully spread the cream over the ladyfingers and all the way to the edges of the dish. Dip another layer of ladyfingers, line them up, then cover with a layer of cream. Repeat this process for as many layers as you desire (or until you run out of ingredients!).

Cover the tiramisù with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The tiramisu will be more flavorful if it sits in the fridge for two or three days. It can also be frozen, which will facilitate neater slices.

Just before serving, garnish your tiramisu with cocoa powder sifted through a fine mesh strainer, or any other garnish of your choice.

For the blood orange variation:

Whisk together 1 cup warmed blood orange juice and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Set this mixture aside to cool while you prepare the cream layer. Use this mixture to dip the ladyfingers, instead of the coffee mixture.

Make the zabaglione and pastry cream as above. Make the whipped cream, and then fold in 1/4 cup blood orange syrup (see recipe below) before mixing it with the zabaglione and pastry cream.

Blood Orange Syrup
Juice of 5 blood oranges
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Combine orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until syrup has reached desired consistency.

Assemble tiramisù according to the instructions above, garnishing with extra syrup and orange slices.