red, white, and blue(berry tart).

Hi there! I hope that you had a fun and relaxing holiday weekend. I spent mine in New Jersey with good friends, mostly in the pool, always in a state of food-satisfaction. In addition to making a 4th of July feast, we also made a surprise pre-wedding cake for M. and J. (Now married! Love.)

This will become my go-to special-occasion white cake and frosting, I think. (Modified from smittenkitchen: cake and frosting.) The Swiss buttercream frosting had egg whites folded in, so it was light and shiny; because we filled the cake with raspberry jam, we tinted the leftover frosting yellow and piped it on. Such fun!

And that was just the warm-up act! Our dinner feast was beautiful to look at - so many different colors and textures (captured imperfectly with my camera, which doesn't do very well in limited light).

A's festive baked brie with fig preserves.

M.'s guacamole and beet-chevre spread. So pretty!

Fixings for Moscow Mules by M., the cocktail master. (Or mistress?)

C. and J. made incredible salads. This one: wild rice, cherries, chevre, and basil.

Golden beet and carrot slaw.

Non-mayonnaise potato salad.

Tangy butterbeans and red peppers.

About to be devoured, along with J.'s most excellent burger.

My contribution was dessert: a blueberry lemon chiffon tart from the Tartine cookbook. I love this book - it's gorgeous and inventive, and everything I've made has turned out wonderfully. I made only a few tweaks: I subbed in the Orangette tart crust (so reliable that it's basically the only crust I'll use!) and simplified a few steps. It's not a flashy dessert, but it's light and rich at the same time, not too sweet, and a great way to showcase fresh berries. The tart doesn't use all of the lemon cream; like lemon curd, it would be delicious on baked goods, I think.

Blueberry Lemon Chiffon Tart
adapted from Tartine

Baked and cooled 9" tart shell [see here]
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2/3 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 c. unsalted butter, cool
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 pints blueberries, washed and dried

Lemon cream:
1. In a double-boiler, combine lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt; whisk constantly for 10-12 mins., until the mixture is very thick and pale yellow. Remove top half of double boiler and let mixture cool slightly, stirring occasionally.

2. Cut butter into 1-tbsp. pieces. When the cream has cooled slightly, pour it into a blender or a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With the blender/mixer running, add the butter 1 piece at a time, blending until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Unlike lemon curd, the cream will be very pale yellow and opaque. Measure out 1 c. for the tart filling and set the rest aside.

Assemble tart:
3. Whip the 3/4 c. cream until it holds medium peaks. Fold together with 1 c. of the lemon cream.

4. Spoon the filling into the tart shell and smooth the top with a spatula. Top with blueberries - I piled them high, but you could also do a single layer.

5. Chill until filling is firm, about 2 hours. Serve cool.

lemon almond biscotti.

What better way to brighten up a rainy Sunday morning than with an enormous mug of tea and a few homemade biscotti?


My mom brought me a batch of these recently and I devoured them with shameless speed. Made with whole wheat flour and not too sweet, they're a satisfying (and satisfyingly crunchy!) treat. The original recipe is from Martha Stewart; I flipped the proportions of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, scaled back on the sugar, increased the lemon zest, and brushed them with egg whites and sugar before baking. YUM. Thanks for the recipe suggestion, Mom!


Lemon Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (December 2009)

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar + 1 tbsp. (optional: for sprinkling)
1/3 c. honey
zest of 3 lemons
3/4 tsp. sea salt
3 eggs + 1 egg white (optional: for brushing)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. almond extract
1 c. whole almonds (*I like the chewiness of raw almonds, but roasted would work just as well)

1. Combine flours and baking powder; set aside. Beat butter, sugar, honey, lemon zest, and salt on med. speed until light and fluffy (about 2 mins.). Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each one. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in flour mixture in 3-4 batches, scraping down bowl after each one. Fold in almonds with rubber spatula. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (*Note: this dough never got completely firm, like certain cookie doughs might. Not to worry.)

2. Flour a work surface. Divide dough in half and gently pat/press each one into a rectangle about 3x13". (*Martha suggests 2x15"; it seems like variation doesn't matter too much here.) Transfer these to one parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 4" apart, and refrigerate for 30 mins.

3. Preheat oven to 325F. [Optional: brush the top of each rectangle with egg white and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Makes them shiny!] Bake for 35 mins., until golden and slightly firm. Remove from oven and let cool slightly; reduce oven to 300F. When rectangles are cool enough, transfer to cutting board. Cut into slices 1/2" to 3/4" thick - I found it easier to cut slightly thicker slices because of the almonds. Return to baking sheet on their sides (I added another baking sheet at this point and used one for each batch of slices) and bake about 30 mins. more. Flip them over halfway through the baking so that they brown evenly on both sides. Let cool on sheets.

birthday brunch i.

Things that make me nervous. Frisbees. Being forced to decide my food/drink order quickly. Shopping in crowds. And bread. Not eating it - baking it. Even with the inspiration of friends who nonchalantly produce delicious and creative loaves, I'm tentative and skeptical. (The majority of my few and feeble bread attempts, until recently, fell in the "could double as a handy doorstop or free weight" category.) I've started to have some success with the much-celebrated no-knead bread, though, and no longer automatically skip past a recipe as soon as I see "add yeast" and "let rise."

So after I bookmarked this one a while ago, I'd been waiting impatiently for the perfect opportunity to [gulp] give it a try. And what better opportunity than celebrating the lovely C.'s birthday with a boozy brunch?

I proofed my yeast, gave myself a stern pep talk, and got to work. The outcome? Bread that was not just edible but pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. Triumph! Even better: getting to share it with good friends on a shady porch, enjoying a perfect summer day and brunch bounty [documented by C. herself] that included coffee, quiche [more on that shortly], chocolate raspberry cookies, watermelon/feta/basil salad, blueberry muffins, and mimosas. Mmm. I have very talented friends. Happy birthday, C.!


I will, without any doubt, be making this bread again, and I'm already looking forward to trying different filling combinations. The dough is like a brioche, so you really couldn't go wrong. Plain old cinnamon and sugar? Dark chocolate? Cream cheese and strawberry jam? Walnuts and apples? Yes.

So proud!

Braided Lemon Bread
from smittenkitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Sponge:
6 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast (*I used active dry and it worked just fine.)
1/4 c. flour

Dough:
Sponge (above)
6 tbsp. sour cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs (1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 tsp. water for egg wash later)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
Pearl sugar for sprinkling (*I didn't have any - though apparently Ikea sells it and I may look the next time I'm there - so I did without and it was fine. It would be nice, though.)

Filling:
1/3 c. (2 1/2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. sugar (*I only used a scant 1 tbsp. and might in fact leave it out entirely next time.)
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. flour (*I used 1.)
1/4 c. lemon curd (*Cheating with store-bought was a handy shortcut. If you have time, though, smittenkitchen includes a recipe.)

1. Make sponge:
In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10-15 mins.

2. Make dough: (*The KitchenAid mixer did, as usual, an awesome job on this. Directions for kneading the dough by hand can be found over on smittenkitchen.)
Combine sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5-6 mins. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 60-90 mins., until puffy and nearly doubled.

3. Make filling:
Combine all ingredients except for lemon curd in a small bowl and stir until smooth and lump-free. Set aside until ready to use.

4. Prepare bread:
Gently deflate dough and roll on well-floured counter (*using my mom's trick, I wet the counter and overlap two sheets of parchment paper - the water makes it stick well - then flour those, so clean-up is easier) to form a 10x15" rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a (new) sheet of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, gently press two lines down the length of the rectangle, dividing it into 3 equal columns. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle, leaving the top and bottom 2 inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd on top of the cream cheese.


5. Braid bread:
Cut 1" strips crosswise down the length of each outer column, being careful not to cut the parchment paper. (*I held a ruler above the dough widthwise and gently marked the cuts with a knife so that the strips would be even on both sides. Compulsive? Yes. Pleasingly symmetrical? Yes.) Start by folding down the top and bottom flaps. (*If the dough seems too soft at this point, pop it into the fridge, as I had to, for about 10 mins. to let the strips firm up a bit.) Lift top strip of dough and bring diagonally across filling; repeat, alternating sides, until you're out. (*I was careful to make the strips touch each other so that no filling showed. Personal preference.)

6. Transfer braid (on parchment paper) to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45-50 mins., until puffy. Brush the braid with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (*optional).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 mins., until golden brown.


To make ahead: After covering the whole thing with plastic, stick in the refrigerator overnight, and let it sit out for a few hours the next morning to complete its rise. (*I did this and it worked beautifully, particularly since there wouldn't have been time to make this start-to-finish in one morning in time for brunch.) Then bake as directed.

lemon crepe cake.

I saw this cake recently while browsing through my mom's Martha Stewart Living and immediately declared out loud, "I must make this." Sophie, my parents' pug, looked at me skeptically, but I was determined. The classy jello party provided the perfect occasion - this has gelatin in it, after all!

Martha recommends Meyer lemons, and I was willing to give them a try. However, my produce place had run out and so I used regular lemons instead. I actually liked their tartness and think it helped to cut the richness of this cake.

I will certainly make this again, though not for a little while. (Because of all the "do-this-and-then-refrigerate-for-an-hour" parts of this recipe, it did take the whole day to make. Which can be very satisfying, but not in the headlong final rush of the semester. I also find making crepes somewhat stressfully unpredictable.) I might try playing with the recipe to make it a bit lighter; I think it would also be lovely topped with fresh berries.



Lemon Crepe Cake
from Martha Stewart Living (April 2010)

Lemon curd mousse:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp. cold water
4 eggs plus 6 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
Zest of 2 lemons plus juice from 6 lemons
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 c. heavy cream, whipped

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl; let stand 5 min.

2. Whisk together eggs and yolks in a small saucepan. Whisk in sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat for 8-10 min., until thickened.

3. Remove pan from heat. Add gelatin, stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is cooled slightly. Add butter a few pieces at a time and stir after each addition until smooth.

4. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl (*this was important to get out eggy bits), pressing with a rubber spatula to get as much through as possible. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto curd to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Stir the curd and then fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate 1 hour. Stir before using.

Crepes:
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. whole milk, room temp.
3 eggs, room temp.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. heavy cream, whipped (for topping)

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually pour milk mixture into dry ingredients, whisking until smooth. Whisk in butter. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. (*Martha recommends using butter. I didn't, mostly to make the process somewhat less harrowing, and my nonstick skillet worked fine.) Pour about 3 tbsp. (*I used a 1/3 c. measure, filled about halfway, for easy scooping) of batter into pan - off the heat - and swirl to coat evenly. Cook about 30 sec. on each side, until brown on the edges and dry in the middle. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the finished crepes on a plate and let cool. You should get about 14-17 crepes, depending on how thick you're making them.

Assemble cake:
1. Place one crepe on a flat plate or serving dish. Spread about 1/4 c. lemon curd mousse onto it and top with another crepe. Continue layering crepes and mousse. Use 15 crepes, ending with 1 on top. (*I used 16 and spread a thin layer of mousse on top. I'm a rebel, Martha.) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.


2. Top cake with the whipped cream. You could also make the Candied Meyer Lemons, though I simply used lemon zest.