Lemon meringue pie is known for it’s tart filling and it’s light, fluffy meringue topping that contrasts so well with the tart lemon below. Meyer lemons don’t have that same level of tartness, although the still have a strong lemon flavor to them. When you use them in a recipe like this one, you end up with a pie that is much mellower and sweeter than a traditional lemon meringue. I like it for a change of pace, and as a way to use up some of my meyer lemons!
In a regular lemon meringue pie, I don’t often add other flavors into the pie custard because I want the tartness of the lemon lemon to come through clearly. With this pie, I add in some vanilla extract and put both lemon zest and vanilla into the meringue. This gives the pie a lovely lemon flavor overall, but plays up the mellowness of the meyer lemons with the introduction of vanilla. Since the same flavors are in the meringue and the custard, you get still more flavor but with a a big contrast in textures between the fluffy meringue and dense lemon custard.
This pie recipe makes a very thick lemon custard for the base of the pie. This means that it will slice easily and hold its shape without oozing all over the plate. The pie still has a very tender texture to it, despite its firmness, so it doesn’t feel like you’re eating a pie that has been stabilized with gelatin, either. The meringue for this pie is cooked by streaming hot sugar syrup into beaten egg whites. This method of making meringue results in one that is very stable and won’t deflate or “sweat” easily. I browned mine by putting it under the broiler for a few minutes, but a kitchen torch will work just as well.
+Continue Reading
I somtimes pair bright, tart, fresh cranberries with something sweet to offset their tartness, like fresh cherries, but I usually pair cranberries with an equally bright citrus flavor, like orange. Orange juice and zest has that brightness that is usually associated with citrus, but it is sweet and provides a great balance to the natural tartness of the cranberries. Lemons can work, but there is a chance that your dessert might turn out to be a bit too tart if you have particularly zesty lemons. Meyer lemons, on the other hand, are a fantastic alternative to either orange or lemon when it comes to cranberries.
Meyer lemons have a great lemon flavor, but they are slightly sweeter and much less acidic than regular lemons. You don’t need to add additional sugar to a recipe, for instance, to counteract that acidity. With cranberries, this lack of acidity means that they’ll provide a complimentary flavor without turning the dessert into something that will make your mouth pucker! In other words, they are what make this Meyer Lemon Cranberry Upside Down Cake so delicious.
The cake has a dense, moist texture that is almost like that of a pound cake. It has a nice buttery, lemony flavor to it and provides a nice backdrop to the berries, both in terms of flavor and stability. I mention stability because this cake has to be flipped out onto a cooling rack after it has baked – cranberries and brown sugar are cooked together at the bottom of the pan to make the delicious, colorful topping – to prevent the cranberries from adhering to the bottom of the baking pan! The cake is a great any time cake and would be a perfect addition to just about any fall or winter meal – Thanksgiving and Christmas, included – and I am sure it would be well received at a holiday brunch, as well.
You should be able to find meyer lemons are many farmers markets and even many grocery stores, as they are continuing to grown in popularity and become more common. If you can’t find them, you can use regular lemon juice in this recipe, but consider using a blend of orange and lemon juice if you don’t like things too tart!
+Continue Reading
I bought a few peaches this week and they hit their peak today, filling the kitchen that sweet, floral aroma of ripe peaches. I ate one, then wanted to use the rest in a dessert where they would shine. Peaches go well in many dishes, but I decided on a Peach Clafoutis. It’s hard to beat a clafoutis for a one-dish fruit dessert because they are easy to make and really showcase the fruit they use, letting the fruit stand out in flavor and in appearance.
I have lots of Meyer lemons around my kitchen and decided to give this clafoutis a little more dimension by including some of the zest. Meyer lemons are not as acidic as regular lemons, and their zest lends a lemon flavor that is mellow and sweet. Meyer lemons are at the peak of their season during the late winter, but many trees – including mine – produce fruit all year round. You can substitute regular lemon zest for Meyer lemon zest, or use a mix of orange and lemon, if you don’t have any Meyer lemons on hand.
The clafoutis batter is somewhere between a pancake and a custard. It has lots of egg and milk in it, and it has just enough flour to hold everything together and puff up nicely during baking. Semi-firm fruits, like peaches and pears, work beautifully in clafoutis because they are in the oven just long enough to become fork-tender without losing their shape. This clafoutis tastes like peaches and cream, with juicy bursts of sweet peach and a smooth vanilla custard flavor in the background. The Meyer lemon is subtle and gives the clafoutis just the right bit of brightness. It can be served warm, straight from the oven or refrigerated and served chilled.
+Continue Reading
