Tag: recipes

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

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Peppermint Meringues

Light and airy peppermint swirls. ‘Tis the season for all things peppermint, shopping and big wooly mittens, cookies and hot cocoa, and of course, cookie exchanges.

And what can be more symbolic this time of year than peppermint flavored cookies.

The taste of these meringues is somewhere between a cookie and a candy cane. I found out by accident that dissolving one into my morning coffee with a little whipped cream instantly makes me feel like I’m drinking a Starbucks Peppermint Latte. I bet it would be yummy in hot cocoa too!

Meringues are made with egg whites and sugar, so they are naturally low-fat and gluten-free. They can be flavored with different extracts to get different results, and baking them in different temperatures will yield different textures. Some of my favorites varieties include the Chocolate Chip Clouds^[1], Black and White Clouds^[2], and To Die For Coconut Cookies^[3].

These beautiful candy cane gems are colored with a paint brush and a little gel paste food coloring (available at Michaels) just before piping to give you the peppermint stripe. Completely optional of course, but it really makes the cookie. Always use metal bowls and beaters and be sure they are squeaky clean before making meringues to guarantee good results.

For more skinny cookie recipes^[4] to add to your cookie exchange this holiday season, click here^[5].

Thank you GLAD for bringing us this post. Learn more about Glad’s Mom Made Cookie Exchange program here^[6].

Peppermint Meringues
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 30 • Size: 3 cookies • Old Points: 0 pts • Points+: 1
Calories: 21 • Fat: 0 g • Carb: 5 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 0.5 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 6 mg

Ingredients:

    • 3 large egg whites
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1 drop peppermint concentrate or 1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract
    • Red gel-paste food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Wilton M1). Set aside.

Place egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint concentrate.

Using a new small paintbrush, paint 2 or 3 stripes of red food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch-high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time.

Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Shut the oven off and leave in the oven for 30 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks then place in a sealed container.

Makes 90 – 100 small cookies.

Adapted from Martha Stewart^[7]

References

^{^} Chocolate Chip Clouds (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Black and White Clouds (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} To Die For Coconut Cookies (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} skinny cookie recipes (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} click here (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Glad’s Mom Made Cookie Exchange program here (r1.fmpub.net)
^{^} Martha Stewart (www.marthastewart.com)

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Pumpkin Scones with Toasted Pine Nuts & Maple Glaze – A Recipe for the Other 10 Months

I have no intention of giving up the best job in the world
anytime soon, but if I do, I’d try and get a job in the marketing department of
a pumpkin puree company.

I’m guessing that like 97% of the canned pumpkin in
this country is used during the time from Halloween until Thanksgiving. So if I
could figure out a way to get people to use this in recipes all year round, I’d
be a total superstar in pumpkin puree marketing circles.

Imagine that. It would be…awesome? Anyway, maybe I should rethink
this whole post-Foodwishes career path, but in the meantime, here’s just one
example of how I would convince the public that pumpkin is great for anytime of
the year. Ironically, I did this because I had leftover pumpkin from
Thanksgiving, but still.

I may have covered this in the last scones post, but I’ve
never been a huge fan of the scone. I’ve always considered it some sort of
effeminate biscuit, but I’m starting to come around in my old age. There’s
nothing like a freshly baked scone with a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee,
especially one tricked out with pumpkin, toasted pine nuts, and maple glaze. I
hope you give this a try soon…or anytime! Enjoy.

Ingredients for 12 Pumpkin Scones:

8 ounces by weight all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)

1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup buttermilk

additional flour as needed
1 egg beaten with a few drops of milk or water to brush scones before baking.

*Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes, or until golden
brown