Tag: lemon

Lemon Curd “Lite” Not Light

I’m calling this lemon curd “lite” because it does have less
fat than most traditional recipes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a “light” recipe.
Calling this recipe “lite” is kind of like calling thin-crust pizza,
“low-carb.” It’s all relative.

Speaking of relative, as I mention in the video,
this would make a great holiday gift, so even if you’re not a big fan of lemon,
pay attention nonetheless.

Above and beyond the nominally fewer calories, I really like
the appearance and texture of this style lemon curd better anyway. Recipes that
contain all yolks instead of whole eggs, and up to twice as much butter, are
just too rich and heavy for my taste.

Since this is typically served as a sauce for things like
gingerbread and scones, or as a filling for cakes, I don’t see the advantages
of an overly heavy concoction. The one exception for me would be pies and
tarts, where you probably do want the more hardcore variations.

I know a lot of you get nervous when whisking eggs over heat
is involved, but as you’ll see, this is really simple to do. Besides, if
tragedy does strike, and you get a few pieces of overcooked eggs in the
mixture, simply put it through a strainer before adding the zest and butter. No
one will ever know! With the holidays right around the corner, I hope you give
this easy, old-fashioned lemon curd I try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 1/2 cups Lemon Curd:

3 whole large eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, cut in 3 or 4 pieces

Bake with Anneliese

Mum Anneliese Giggins learnt how to bake by baking her way through Mary Berry’s Baking Bible on the wonderful blog Rising to the Berry. Keen to continue her love of baking, Anneliese will be sharing a delicious new baking recipe with us each month – bake along and share all your tips, advice and of course pics!

November 2012: Mini key lime and ginger pies

I came up with this recipe quite by accident. I’d planned to make my husband, Neil, a large key lime pie for his birthday. The pie in question had a ginger pastry, was filled with a luscious lime filling and topped with extravagant Italian meringue. It was obvious that the recipe would take some time and patience to complete; it was hard to ignore my sense of dread! I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered the filling contained raw eggs. As I am pregnant, I would be unable to eat it and Neil doubted that he could eat the whole thing by himself!

I was left with lots of limes and couldn’t bear to waste them. I decided to make my own quick and easy key lime pie and stick with a ginger theme. Instead of a pastry base which would require chilling and rolling out, I opted for a simple gingernut biscuit base. For the filling, instead of raw eggs, I used just three ingredients; limes, condensed milk and double cream. I decided against decorating with meringue or extra cream – simple is my motto in life!! I think baked goodies always look appealing in miniature form and these mini pies are no exception. It is crucial to use paper cases unless your tin has removable bases – it is very upsetting when you can’t extract your beautiful little pies from the confines of the tin!

Get Anneliese’s mini key lime and ginger pies recipe

This recipe is super quick to whip up, but you must allow at least two hours for the topping to set in the fridge before serving. Although these mini pies may look almost identical to cheesecake in appearance, they will not set as firmly and will remain on the soft side; this is perfectly normal!! They should just hold their shape once the paper case is removed.

I really hope you enjoy these mini key lime and ginger pies. They are perfect to serve to family and friends for dessert. Everyone will assume you spent ages slaving over them. There is no need to correct them!!

Anneliese’s top baking tip

If you bake fairly regularly it is worth paying a little more for your bakeware. Cheap tins can bow in the oven, providing an uneven bake. Investing in a few stronger and heavier tins will make such a difference to your cakes and bakes and they can last you a lifetime.

****

October 2012: Lemon drizzle cake

After spending 18 months baking my way through the wonderful recipes from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, I have opened my mind to other possibilities and ideas. Nothing too crazy, you understand! I wanted to begin this blog with a nice, simple, but most importantly, tasty cake. I think most of us start baking with a classic sandwich cake, so I hope this is a good place to take a first step. I’m not sure I know of anyone who doesn’t enjoy a slice of lemon drizzle, so why not make it even more tempting by filling it with a luscious lemon curd and mascarpone filling?!

Get Anneliese’s lemon drizzle cake recipe

For me, a sandwich cake summons up an array of childhood memories. I must have made such a cake for almost every family occasion. It was either a vanilla sponge filled with strawberry jam or a chocolate version filled with a generous helping of rich chocolate butter cream. I never imagined I could venture into different flavour combinations; I stayed well within my comfort zone!

I really hope you enjoy this recipe and that you feel the urge to give it a try. Good luck!

Anneliese’s top baking tip

My top tip this month is to read through the whole recipe before making a start. It is so frustrating to get halfway through a recipe only to find that you don’t have all the ingredients in stock or that the dried fruit needs to soak in a brandy bath overnight. I know this from experience!!

Where to next?

Gordon’s Lemon Treacle Slice Recipe Gordon Ramsay made…

Gordon’s Lemon Treacle Slice Recipe

Gordon Ramsay made this sticky, sweet treat for Caffé Nero with the help of some prisoners in Gordon Behind Bars.

Makes 8-10 bars
Ingredients

For the base

300g digestive biscuits
150g butter

For the topping

675g golden syrup
90g butter
100ml double cream
225g white breadcrumbs
5 egg yolks
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp Lemon curd

For the glaze

50g icing sugar
juice of 1 lemon juice

Method

To make the base, pre-heat the oven to 160oC, fan 140oC, gas mark 3.

Place the biscuits in a food processor and blend until you have a smooth crumb.

Melt the butter, then stir into the biscuits. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the base of a 20cm square tin which has been lined with baking parchment. Allow to chill for at least half an hour.

To make the topping, put the golden syrup into a saucepan along with the butter and allow to melt gently without boiling.

Once the butter has melted take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream, breadcrumbs, egg yolks, lemon zest and juice. Stir well.

Once the base has cooled, spread the lemon curd onto the base. Pour over the breadcrumb filling and then place into the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into rectangular slices.

To glaze the slices, mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick paste. Place it into a piping bag and pipe onto the top of your bars, or drizzle the glaze over with a spoon.