Lemon Meringue Pie

I've been excited about making this recipe since I found it in the box when I searched through it for the first time-- this is the oldest dated recipe I've found in the box so far, and it's from April/May 1941-- 75 years ago exactly! I love that Eleanor chose to save this recipe-- it's from an ad for The Brooklyn Union Gas Company, promoting gas-powered refrigerators and stoves, and it's just adorably retro, with info on how to measure the heat on your new gas-powered stove, as well as how functional and useful your new gas refrigerator will be (as a sidenote, I've never even fathomed that a refrigerator COULD BE gas-powered, so maybe that's an innovation we've already moved past?).

What I love most about it, though, is the glimpse into pre-World War II 1940s America that it affords-- the ad seems to be pushing the notion that everything in the US is ok almost frantically, reminding the reader that 'approximately 2,000,000 loaves of bread, plus an even larger quantity of rolls, muffins, cakes, and cookies' are eaten by New Yorkers every day, and hyping the affordability and usefulness of the gas ranges, ovens, and refrigerators available to purchase for only '$5 down!' It feels a bit like protesting too much, which makes sense as it was released at a time when the rest of the world was already involved in a generation-altering war and the US was stubbornly trying to pretend like all was well, despite the persistent economic depression and the rest of the world collapsing around their ears.

Eleanor would only have been 20 when she came across the ad, probably having just moved out on her own for the first time, and I love that it somehow stuck in her recipe box for 51 years, through countless moves, a marriage, two kids, and literally thousands of meals. To me, it speaks of aspiration, hope to grow up and have a kitchen of her own where she could take advantage of her regular paychecks to buy herself a cutting-edge gas-powered refrigerator and make whatever desserts she wanted, and maybe even hope for a time after the war ended, when rations would be gone and she'd have access to all the eggs, fruit, flour and butter she wanted. It's still spotless, though some of the creases have started to tear, which leaves me wondering how often she actually made the fish pie or this lemon meringue pie on the recipe card, but the fish pie was incredible and the lemon meringue pie, though not the easiest recipe I've ever made, was the perfect cool, tart-but-still-slightly-sweet dessert for this time of year.

I always assumed that Eleanor would have made tons of lemon-based desserts once she moved to Florida, where citrus grows wild and she had a giant grapefruit tree in her own backyard, but then I remembered what happens to meringue in Florida, and it's not a pretty sight. Picture 80% humidity, no air conditioner, and a dessert that needs to stay perfectly dry in order to be crisp. It's no wonder I had never tried meringue until I was 28 years old and moved to Scotland. So maybe this wasn't Eleanor's go-to dessert after moving to Florida in the late 1950s, but she had already been carrying this recipe around for nearly 20 years by then, so who knows-- maybe this was her favourite dessert to make on hot New York summer nights when she was a single girl younger than I am now. I may never know the answers to that, but I do know that this pie is delicious and you should totally make it for your next barbecue shindig.

 

The verdict:

3 spoons out of five. The pie itself deserves more, but the crust was a bit tougher than I wanted it to be, and making a meringue really stresses me out, even though in this instance it came out just perfectly.

One year ago: Perfect, Crustless cheesecake

the recipe:

Lemon Meringue Pie

the directions:
crust:

Preheat oven to 225C/450F.
Sift together flour and salt.
Cut in 1/3 c shortening until mixture is the consistency of coarse cornmeal.
Cut in remaining shortening until particles are pea-sized.
Sprinkle water over dough, 1 tbsp at a time.
Work lightly and quickly with a fork until mixture forms a mass that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.
Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Divide in half, roll on lightly floured board, place gently in pie pan, line with parchment and weigh down with beans or pie weights, and bake 10-15 minutes until golden and cooked through.
(Freeze remaining dough for another occasion).

Filling:

Mix sugar, 1 ½ c water, and salt in a double boiler or over very low heat.
Cook until mixture boils.
Whisk cornstarch with remaining water until smooth, then add to syrup and cook for 20 minutes.
Beat egg yolks in a separate mixing bowl.
Pour sugar mixture slowly over egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid eggs cooking.
Return mixture to double boiler and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add butter and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
Add fruit juice and zest.
Pour into baked shell, place in refrigerator, and prepare the meringue.

Meringue:

Preheat oven to 160C/325F.
Place egg whites in bowl of electric mixer and add salt.
Beat until stiff, but not too dry.
Add sugar slowly, one tbsp at a time, beating at high speed constantly until mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks.
Spread on pie and bake about 15 minutes, until meringue is crisp to the touch and slightly brown at the edges.

the ingredients:
the crust*:

2 c flour
½ tsp salt
2/3 c shortening, divided
2 tbsp water, very cold, approximately

 

 

 

 

the filling:

1 c sugar
1 ¾ c water, divided
1/8 tsp salt
5 tbsp cornstarch
2 egg yolks, beaten well
1 tbsp butter
5 tbsp lemon juice
Grated zest of 2 lemons

 

 

the meringue:

2 egg whites
Very small pinch of salt
4 tbsp sugar

*Crust makes enough for one double- or two single-crust pies.

One-Egg Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting

So I dropped the ball in April—and then have continued to leave the ball on the ground and stare at it dejectedly for the 23 days since April ended.

How, you ask? I’m supposed to be making a chocolate cake every month—remember?

But April was busy—I was doing a lot of job interviews (more about that soon!), I got sick, we had company almost every weekend, and although all of that stuff (except getting sick) was awesome, it also meant that my time/patience for cooking was at an all-time low and I pretty much retreated into my bed and never wanted to come out. Plus, the longer I went without cooking, baking, and posting a recipe meant that it was even harder to convince myself to do it, because the guilt was so bad I just couldn’t face it. But then I used my sick day to redo the index over here, and suddenly I was excited again.

Butter mixture  should be light and fluffy after creaming in the sugar.

Anyway, I made this one last night and it came out great-- the perfect thing to get me back into the baking spirit! The cake recipe comes from the same wee card that produced such gems as this cornbread and these biscuits, so I figured it would be ok, but I was totally wrong about a few things here. First of all, I assumed that because this cake batter was sifted (and sifted and sifted) and calls for cake flour (which I never have, so I just swapped out a few tablespoons of flour for cornstarch per this shortcut), that the end result would be fluffy, spongy and light, but I was most decidedly wrong. Instead, the cake came out with a dense and heavy crumb-- not at all unpleasant, just different from what I expected. Had the layers been any thicker, the density would have been problematic, but with such thin layers, the heaviness was just fine. Additionally, the cake is just the right side of 'dry,' so it pairs perfectly with a moist icing or would do just as well being filled with jam, custard, or fruit curd instead of frosting in between the layers.

the frosting gets weird before it gets normal-- don't fret! 

The cake recipe called for 'butter frosting,' so I searched out a chocolate frosting recipe that... involved butter (?) and settled on this Creamy Chocolate Frosting recipe from a Baker's Dot Chocolate recipe card from the 1950s. The frosting came out really tasty, but was super temperamental-- once I figured out how to work with it, though, it was great. If you have a double-boiler, this is the perfect time to bust it out so your frosting stays soft and pliable as you use it. If you don't have one, then work quickly and plan to reheat your frosting once or twice during the process. The problem comes because the warm melted chocolate gets mixed with cold butter, which makes the whole thing thicken up to the point that it becomes pretty unmanageable. If you start with soft (room temperature) butter, that helps, but if the frosting thickens to the point where you can't spread it, just zap it in the microwave for 3-5 seconds and it'll soften up just enough to work with again.

But don't let that deter you-- this recipe is totally worth it. The frosting sets nice and firm without getting the crust that buttercream usually forms on the edges, and the measurements listed here make exactly enough frosting to frost between the layers and on top of your cake without any pesky leftovers (always a pain when you're making frosting!).

This is a simple cake, perfect for a weeknight treat when you've had a particularly good (or bad!) day at the office, and pretty enough to share with friends but quick enough that you won't mind keeping it all to yourself, either.

The verdict:

3 spoons out of five. It's super tasty, and while I'll definitely make the frosting again, the 'sift-three-times' thing was just a little much for me when it comes to a regular white cake.

one year ago: Brioche!

The recipe:

One-Egg Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting

the directions:
Cake:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F.
Grease 2 8-inch layer pans and set aside.
Sift flour once, measure.
Add baking powder and salt and sift together 3 more times, then set aside.
Cream butter thoroughly, then add sugar gradually and beat together well.
Add egg and beat thoroughly.
Add flour mixture, alternating with milk, very small amounts at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.
Add vanilla and mix until smooth.
Pour into prepared pans and bake 15-20 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Frosting:

Melt chocolate over low heat, then pour into a mixing bowl.
Add sugar, salt, and water and beat until smooth.
Add one egg yolk at a time, beating after each addition.
Add butter in small amounts, gradually, beating well after each addition.
Frost layers while still slightly warm.
If frosting becomes too stiff to spread, warm it over a double boiler or in the microwave for a few seconds, just until soft.

the ingredients:
the cake:

2 c cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 tbsp butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
¾ c milk
1 tsp vanilla

 

 

 

the frosting:

5 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 c powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
2 ½ tbsp water, very hot
3 egg yolks
1/3 c butter, room temperature

Lemon Pecan Bars

You know how I love all things citrus, but have we discussed my deep an abiding love for lemon bars? Oh, we have? Well, then add this to the pool of knowledge about my dessert preferences: when I was a teenager, any time I needed a boost or deserved a special treat for acing a test, getting into college, or just making it through a week of Stats class, my mom would buy me a lemon square from my favourite bakery (ok, ok, it was a Fresh Market. The choices were limited). To this day, there's not a lot of desserts that take me back to middle school and high school the way that lemon squares take me back, other than my mom's Pound Cake, which we've also discussed.

Anyway, as with key lime pie or pretty much any other citrus-based dessert you can think of, my passion for lemon bars runs deep. Shortcrust base, thick sour-sweet layer of fresh lemon curd infused with lemon peel for just a hint of bitterness, all dusted in powdered sugar sure to leave your hands a mess but perfectly offsetting the robust layer of flavour-packed curd... yeah, there's not a lot I like better.

So I was automatically wary of the cream cheese and oatmeal base of these lemon bars. I mean, you can't just cut a lemon dessert into squares and call it lemon bars. Our standards over here at The Recipe Box Project are higher than that. Plus, after the Cheesecake Saga, I'm pretty meh on all things cheesecake-like or cheesecake-related. But I do love an oatmeal crust, so I powered through and made this traybake with high hopes, and it didn't disappoint.

Curd-based bars these are not, but the lemon flavour works really well with the cream cheese filling, and the oat base and crumbly topping make the whole thing seem just a trifle less decadent than their counterparts I love so much without being any less delicious. Plus, the finished product is thin and crispy, perfect for the start of summer when a heavy dessert is probably not what you want to take to cookouts or picnics... although the friends we shared these with loved them so much we all ended up eating more than one. They're just too tasty to pass up!

Make these for your next event where you don't know the host's tastes and need something easy to serve, easy to eat, and that will appeal to all palates. Part cheesecake, part lemon bar, part fruit crumble, these have something in them that everyone will love, and they're easy as pie to boot!

The verdict:

4 spoons out of five. Delicious, versatile, and easy, these are perfect for springtime outdoor parties, picnics, or poolside snacking!

one year ago: Magic Bars

The recipe:

Lemon Pecan Bars

the directions:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F and grease a 13x9 inch pan.
Combine flour, brown sugar, and sugar.
Cut in butter until mixture is coarse crumbs.
Stir in oats and nuts, then set aside 1 cup of mixture.
Press remaining mixture into prepared pan, then bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.
While crust is cooking, mix cream cheese and egg until well-blended.
Add juice and zest, stirring until combined.
Leaving the oven on, pour cream cheese mixture over par-baked crust, then sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
Bake again at 175C/350F for 20 minutes or until golden and toasty.
Allow to cool completely, then cut into bars and enjoy!

the ingredients:

1 1/3 c flour
½ c brown sugar, packed
¼ c sugar
¾ c butter
1 c oats, uncooked
½ c pecans or almonds, chopped
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, finely chopped