Goodbye, Stella

Stella was a beauty with raven black hair and piercing golden green eyes.  She loved to joke and would often hide, wait and jump out of nowhere to startle you.  Her smiles were almost imperceptible but we knew when she was happy and we definitely knew when she was not.

We cannot know when life turns a corner and everything that was good and right turns ugly.  We are never ready to hear the words that tell you the worse is coming because you have to make decisions you never want to make.  Your baby is dying.  There is nothing left to do.  Your heart is pulled straight out of your chest, thrown on the ground and smashed to pieces.  Surely, it's a mistake.  Another test?  A misread x-ray?  Why can't you do something?!!  But nothing can be done.  You know you are saying goodbye to the one who gave you such joy and laughter.  You cannot imagine life without her.

The tears come hard as you stop hearing what the doctor tells you.  The world stops as you hold her in your arms one last time.  Her breath comes hard and then stops and a part of you leaves and it will never be the same again.

Tomorrow or the next days or weeks or months, your heart hurts a little less and you realize you aren't seeing her or hearing her when she isn't there.  Tomorrow or a hundred days from now, you will remember her and smile and the tears will stop.

 May you find peace in fields of flowers kissed with sunshine, Stella.

Carolina Tomato Pie (why the South lost the Civil War)

   

Lahzee!  There were so many battles in the Civil War (some even came all the way out to Oklahoma) that I can't even begin to name them.  But one thing I know for sure, y'all is the South didn't wave a white flag and kiss any Yankee butts boots. No siree! They were way too busy eating Tomato Pie and drinking Sweet Tea, swigging Kentucky bourbon or sipping on Mint Juleps and just completely forgot about what they were supposed to be doing. The North swooped in and kicked our hineys while we were sitting at the supper table.  Plain and simple. Ask any history teacher and they'll tell you a bunch of made-up stuff about being outnumbered or outsmarted by the wiley ways of the Northern Army but it really just came down to good, old Southern Comfort FOOD.  Why, if NYC had Tomato Pie and Sweet Tea instead of hot dogs and beer, things would have turned out a whole lot different, no doubt. The Mets might have been the Rangers, the Capital might have ended up in Atlanta, Georgia and everybody would talk real sweet and never say 'You's' when 'Y'all' is so much nicer sounding.

On my recent visit with The Best Husband in the World to see My Best Friend in the World (and travel buddy extraordinnaire) in North Carolina, certain things were made very clear to us from the gitgo. You eat a lot of good food often and you come home undoing your belt a couple of notches. You pretty much stay as full as a tick.  If you head out on a road trip, you start the day with Bojangles Iced Blueberry Biscuits, then a little later, you stop for a little snack and something to wash it down with--most likely a 'Coke' and that could be anything from an Orange Crush to a Dr. Pepper, or maybe coffee with cream and 'sugah', hon. After a light lunch of Carolina BBQ (slaw-topped), sweet potato fries generously cooked with sugar and cinnamon and a quick stop at the Reynolda Village chocolate store, Cassanova's Confections, for a pound or two of gourmet chocolates, you continue on your day trip to shop for antiques, go to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville or visit Costco (we don't have them here) or World Market or Trader Joes (we don't have them either). For dinner, you might have crab cakes or pulled pork or meatloaf and loaded mashed potatoes with homemade bread, butter and jam and a slice of cherry or peach pie for dessert and don't you dare forget to top it with some old-fashioned vanilla ice cream or you might as well not eat it.  Don't go lookin' for any Sushi cause that stuff's bait for the fishin' hole in these parts.


On our first day in nearby Winston-Salem, we went to a wonderful store in a little house chock full of garden doodads, antiques, jewelry and an old-fashioned-looking glass case holding the treats-of-the-day: Strawberry Cake and Tomato Pie (with wine and/or beer on the side). You can shop and sip and then step outside into the nursery that undoubtedly could fill the White House gardens with so many plants to choose from. After wandering around touching this and smelling that, we headed back into the Briar Patch house and decided we Must Have the Tomato Pie and with much restraint, we did Not buy the strawberry layered cake. We headed home and studied that Tomato Pie. The creator of said pie was kind enough to list most of the ingredients on her label and I snatched it right away and promptly forgot about it.  I can only say we wasted no time heating and eating the Tomato Pie and it was good...REAL GOOD.  The kind of good that makes you close your eyes and purr like a kitten in a sunny window.  We were so pleased you'd think we had good sense.  I knew as soon as I survived getting home through the tornadoes, I would need to make a Tomato Pie and share it with all y'all--each and every one of you.

As y'all know by now, I can never, ever leave anything alone much less not tell you about it.  I figure that way it might encourage you to be adventurous in your cooking and your family will forever be grateful for not having to eat the same old thing.  Although my Tomato Pie was not as pretty as the original because I was very short on heirloom tomatoes and a homemade crust, it turned out as good or better in my opinion than the original. Naturally, this recipe was an experiment as I had no idea what Tomato Pie was made of except tomatoes, cheese and a crust. I like to think by adding some eggs, garlic and a variety of cheese to the mystery dish, it made it even more yummy than the one I had in NC. Another great thing about it  is you can really change this up.  You could add ham or sausage, you could leave off the crust and have a low-carb frittata. You could add other veggies and change the types of cheese(s).  You could ask someone else to make it for you and I'd bet my dog, there'd be someone sweet enough to do it...if you live in the South.   

North Carolina Tomato Pie

1 prepared pastry crust (or make your own--see previous recipes for Peach Cobbler or Lemon Lust Tart)
5 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 TBSP fresh chopped basil
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c half-and-half
5 eggs
1/2 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c shredded Provolone cheese
1/4 c shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tsp salt

Pam your pie plate or dish, press dough in place and make edge with fork or fingers, prick all over with fork and place in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from oven, turn heat down to 350 degrees and cool pastry shell.

While shell is cooling, place sliced tomatoes in colander, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes to pull moisture from tomatoes.  Before placing tomatoes in pre-cooked pastry shell, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.   Place first layer in bottom of dish. Sprinkle with combined cheeses (except Pecorino Romano) and continue with another layer of tomatoes and cheese. Continue layering and when top layer of tomatoes is reached, spread mayonnaise on top.

Blend half-and-half with eggs, add basil and garlic and pour over tomato-cheese and top with Pecorino Romano and any leftover remaining cheddar cheese.  Place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.

Be prepared to hear complements in Southern accents like, 'I do declare! I think that is the best-tastin' dish I've ever eaten in my life, hon!'   Your husband might be too busy eating to say much but he will love it, nonetheless.

So, raise the Rebel flag and here's to Southern Belles, slow evenings on the porch, swimming in the creek and the sweet smell of Lilacs.

Bon appétit

Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

My Mama's Rustic Peach Cobbler

When I had a Huge Milestone Birthday last week, my 86-year old Mother said she wanted to bring me my favorite thing she makes in this world, Peach Cobbler.  After thinking about it, I suggested she come to my kitchen and we would bake it together.  You have never tasted a cobbler as good as Mom's cobbler. It oozes sweet, peachy yumminess with a crisp, thick crust that begs to be topped with vanilla ice cream.  I've watched Mom make this dozens of times without a recipe and she really couldn't give me a recipe when I asked how she makes it.  But, what was I thinking?  She marched right in with all the ingredients and began to tell Me what She was going to do.  Julia Child reincarnate.  I swear.  We had a wee bit of a problem when she started dumping things in the big bowl and I asked, "Sooo...how much flour was that?"  Mom, "Oh, I don't know.  I just know."  "Well, Mom, I can't just tell my readers to 'guess' and 'hope' it turns out OK because some of my readers need all the help they can get a recipe!" So, we started over and measured.

Now, to give you just a little background on this woman I love to call 'Ma Mere', she is a source to be reckoned with.  No one tells her what to do or that she can't do something because she darned sure will show you how the cow ate the cabbage.  She is a retired nurse and still volunteers in the surgery waiting area of a local hospital.  She has a wicked sense of humor and a heart bigger than Dallas.  She can grow anything and everything.  Hubby says she could grow peanut butter and he just might be right. She's a daredevil and will try anything.  When she turned 80, my daughter surprised her by taking her (and me) white water rafting in Colorado. Three generations of wild women and a first for the rafting company.

Mom on Pont Alexandre

Mom at Pere Lachaise Cemetiere acting creepy

For her 85th birthday last May, The Most Wonderful Husband in the World suggested I take her to Paris, France to honor the occasion.  He has a knack for making me cry with his sweet generosity (thank you for my beautiful birthday gift) but after I wiped my eyes, I got all excited about it and then I got really nervous about it.  I mean I haven't spent 10 hours on a plane with my Mom EVER or walked all over my favorite city with anyone older than me or dealt with all those 'Senior' things of which I increasingly made into a bigger deal than it was going to be.  So, what's a daughter to do?  I want to go.  I want her to go.  I called my best (travel) friend (Italy 2007, Mary-O-Andretti-O) to please go with us--sort of backup in case I turned into some psycho daughter and lose my Mother in Paris or she wanders off and ends up on the wrong plane, in the wrong city without her cell phone turned on.  Well, mais oui, Ms. Debby agreed almost faster than I could start planning and the rest is history.

Don't touch her baguettes!

Once in Paris, my Mom kept us going and going and going and she just thought she was hot stuff there because she was, actually.  Europeans that I've been around have a huge respect for their elders (take a lesson America) and the French Men adored her.  My friend and I promptly took the 'end of the tour' spot when Ma Mere was present.  She was escorted ahead of us at the Moulin Rouge (yes, we took her and yes, she loved it and she got to 'use the toilette' reserved only for special guests...looked like something Marie Antoinette would have decorated but nonetheless, she was happy as a bird on a june bug to be promenaded to the front of the long lines and taken into the Red Room!)  She was the guest of honor on the Seine River dinner cruise and she allowed herself to enjoy just how lovely she really is with all the oohing and aahing, "Madame, blah blah, s'il vous plait."   She never slowed down even after a full day of Notre Dame Cathedral, shopping on Rue de Rivoli or trudging all over Pere Lachaise Cemetiere, not finding a taxi and walking miles back to the taxi hub near our apartment.  She loved her baguettes and everything Paris.  She wanted to live in our apartment, not come home and could be found in the middle of the night watching life in the street.  People of every description eating, drinking, laughing and loving on the rues du Marais.  I just wish we could do it again and maybe we shall.

Apt rue du Marais

We decided the only way to get her through the airports was of course in a wheelchair.  If you haven't had the experience of traveling with an elderly Madame, here's a tip--just carry lots of $10's and $20's and you'll get through every security line and fast track before you can think twice.  We schemed that it would be a great idea to start-up a 'Rent-a-Senior' business so everyone can speed through their flight/airport experiences.  Nice people those porters.  Couldn't have done it without them and I think they wrote down our names and numbers just in case we ever do it again because we're a pretty crazy funny hysterical entertaining trio of ladies especially when about to miss a flight-- but that's another story.

OK, let's get some things straight before we begin.  Mom said, 'You must use Gold Medal All Purpose Flour.  Don't use anything else or it won't taste right.  You have to use Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening.  Don't use anything else or it won't taste right."  So don't go substituting regular shortening or King Arthur or Shawnee Flour or any other stuff.  Do what she says or you'll be grounded.

I must admit I was surprised to see two 29-ounce cans of peaches in heavy syrup instead of frozen peaches but she explained these are the easiest and if you want to use frozen peaches, you can.  You just have to adjust the sugar to your liking.  After tasting this cobbler made from canned peaches, you won't miss the fact it didn't fall off the peach tree into your pan.  This is also one of those wonderful, large cobblers just perfect for Mother's Day dinners or any family get together or pot luck dessert.

My Mama's Rustic Peach Cobbler
(rustic because we piece together the crusts--more like a tarte tatin)

Prepare the crust  and allow it to cool before starting the peach mixture.

 3 c Gold Medal All Purpose Flour and extra for dusting when you roll out the dough
1.5 sticks Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening
1 tsp salt
Blend together with pastry blender or fork until pea-sized crumbles form. 
   Don't over work the dough--Ever!
Whisk together:
1 egg, 1/3 c water and 1 tsp lemon juice
sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

Add to flour mixture and lightly mix together--add more water a tsp at a time if you need it.  Shape into ball and divide in half.  Flour your work surface. Set one-half aside while you roll the other half dough into a thin layer that fits with about a 1.5" overlap of extra dough when you lay it in your baking dish. Rollup and wrap in plastic wrap.  Repeat for other dough.  Place in refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.  While cooling, prepare peach filling.  When dough is cooled,  work one half  dough into dish and pinch off extra dough to repair tears or thin spots. Trim edges even with top of baking dish.  Sprinkle dough liberally with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes until just starting to brown.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Prepare the filling.  

In a medium saucepan, dump the two 29-oz cans of peaches in heavy syrup but keep out about 1/4 c syrup to blend spices and cornstarch. Heat on medium heat until just starting to bubble around the edges.  In a small bowl, mix reserved syrup, 3 TBSP corn starch, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp cinnamon and another 1/4 c sugar.  Slowly add to peaches and stir until slightly thickened.  Turn off heat.  The peaches will continue to thicken as they cool.

Pour thickened peaches onto dough and roll out second piece of dough to top cobbler.   (If you want a richer flavor, cut up 2-3 TBSP butter and dot peaches with butter before topping with dough.)  Fold dough in half after rolling and place on top of peaches.  Unfold and piece together any tears or holes.  Cut off edges and slightly push down into corners.  Pinch edges together. 

Beat one egg white and gently brush dough.  Sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes until top is golden brown.  Remove and immediately serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream or fresh sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche.  You have now entered a little bit of my Mama's heaven. 

Thank you, Mom for being the most wonderful Mother anyone could ever hope to have.  My biggest compliments come when someone says I remind them of you.  When I grow up, I hope I'm as full of life as you are.  Happy Mother's Day!

River Seine dinner cruise

Bon Ma Mère!!!

The Almost 100 Calorie-I'm Not Kidding-Diet Cookie Part I

After eating half a dozen  Chocolate Chip Addiction  Cookies this past weekend, I was trying my darndest to figure out how could I possibly drop ten pounds in the next couple of weeks months so I don't have to wrap myself in an Army blanket or kimono when I squeeze myself into that tankini.  It's gonna get mighty hot sweating like a hooker in the church choir this summer if some inches don't get off my hips and I continue to wear my jeans, sweater tunics and Spanx--how many of those 'shaper' undergarments can a grown woman wear? I wonder.  I also wonder if someone slapped me on the butt while wearing under armour, if their hand would sting and sound like a gun going off...maybe that's why they call them Spanx.  Is there summer Spanx?  Does it matter the older we get or are we just fooling ourselves into thinking we can keep it all tucked in?  I'm thinking Nancy Reagan had something going in those waste-to-toe beach coverups when she and President Hubby frolicked on the beach.  Of course, it wasn't 117 degrees in sunny California like it is out here on the High Plains Hell when all you want to do is skinny dip or lay on the a/c vents in the house until November.

OK, enough Spanx speculation.  Since I have a serious sweet tooth--the Nouveau medical diet gurus would call it a 'Carb Addiction'--I decided that rather than eat lettuce for a week and then find the cookies I hid, I would look into this new 'Cookie Diet' I've seen at various stores.  The b.s. reviews, of course, talk about how easy-peasy this is.  Just eat 5-6 cookies during the day and a 500 calorie dinner at night and watch the pounds fly off.  Googling away from the marketing/sales websites was a different story.  'These aren't Grandma's cookies," said one.  'Kind of tasted like nothing', said another.  Maybe those success stories were paid to say they lost 20 lbs.  Ya' think?  Maybe I'm an idiot to think this could work.  I say, I'm gonna see what I can come up with.

There appear to be several low-calorie, low-carb, no gluten, no nothing recipes out there.  I'm giving this a shot to see if it's even possible.  These will not be Paleo, Vegan or organic and if they are, it's just how the cookie crumbled.  Sorry.  They will have Splenda, Splenda Brown Sugar Blend 'natural' chemicals in them but since I've been pouring Sweet 'n Lo in my coffee since it replaced the saccharin my Grandma always had around, I should have something weird by now growing someplace besides my hips.  So here's my idea of  yummy 'diet' cookies/snacks--and instead of eating 5-6/day I'm going to keep these down to 2-3 MAX.  If my ass hips start looking like Britney's, I'll package and sell 'em.  If I do really lose 10 lbs in some reasonable amount of time, I'll let you know.  If I don't, I'll lie about it--just kidding. Oh, throw in at least 30 minutes on the treadmill, elliptical or dog walk once a week every day you can.  It's good for the dog, your heart and gets the dust and ironing off the gym equipment.

Some information you might not give a darn about find useful if you want to try these.  Almond flour (which you can buy at a ridiculously increased price above regular flour) is available at most grocery stores (and Amazon.com) albeit in the ethnic or gourmet (why?) sections of your grocery store; Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour, for example.  Almond flour is nutty (no kidding) and slightly sweet so you can use less sugar/Splenda in the recipes.  It makes great bread, too.  Almond flour is a low-carb, great-tasting replacement for regular flour--it reduces carbs by 75%!  That's a really big deal when you want to stuff your face with bread and cookies and know better when trying to get over the menopudge.  It has Vitamin E, Calcium, Magnesium and trace Copper so there's added good stuff in it and the other ingredients.  A 1/4 cup almond flour does have 160 calories but since we will not be sitting down with a spoon and eating it out of the bag, I'm counting on Splenda, eggs, a tiny bit of old-fashioned oats to fill out the filling and keep it thin so to speak.  I'm going to be experimenting with several ideas over the coming days/weeks. These low-carb treats are certainly diabetic friendly as long as you don't eat the whole batch.  Believe me, these don't even begin to taste Atkinsy and icky.  They are really, really good.

Almost 100 Calorie Low-Carb Cookies
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 TBSP Peanut Butter (crunch or creamy--it doesn't matter, same calories)
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 c almond flour/meal
1/4 c old fashioned oats
1/4 c pecans

Blend  first five ingredients in medium sized bowl.  Add sugar blend, almond flour and oats.  Stir until mixed and add pecans.  The pecans are optional but they do add a nice crunch and flavor if you're not allergic or a pecanaphobic.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop by: a) tablespoon/cookie scoop for 115 calorie/4 carb cookies or, b) teaspoon sized for less than 100 calorie and 1 less carb.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until edges brown.  Remove from oven, cool on racks and have yourself a nice glass of milk and a couple of cookies.  These are so healthy I can hardly stand it.  Of course, moderation in all things...right? Nah...will power, baby.

Bon bon!

Chocolate Chip Addiction or Julia Must be in My Kitchen

When I was looking for something to take to the Spring Shiloh Shepherd dog show this past weekend something wonderfully sinful, easy to transport and one of those 'OMG, who made these?' cookies, I came across this decadent recipe. 

Yes, I have expensive dogs--aren't they all?--ISSR Shiloh Shepherds -- but learned after the dog investment I am too old lazy to show said dog(s) much less breed them so we spend enormous amounts of cash on high-end dog food for said high-end dog(s), vet bills and various other stupid human things we think our dog(s) must have but not one has ever been in the dog show.  Go figure.

 

Apparently, there is a master pastry chef who must be French, I'm thinkin', (nicknamed 'Mr. Chocolate') and low-and-behold with a little Wiki-web-walking discovered this chef grew up in the South of France, bien sur.  He now owns seven shops in NYC so obviously, he knows what he's doing and who would challenge a chocolate man named Jacques' recipe who's up to his elbows in cookie dough?  That's like throwing away the winning lottery ticket because who wants more money?  It's just stupid and wrong and painfully regretful.

 

Now, you could just go out and buy those little chocolate chips in a bag and probably no one would be the wiser, and you could save yourself a LOT of time but I do love to make things just a bit more complicated, don't I?  So, you should buy a block of the very best chocolate you can buy at your grocery store, chocolate shop or import grocer.  You are going to 'chop' the chocolate into chunks so when you bite into that gooey, thick cookie your eyes will roll back in your head, you will make a little moan and then when you realize everyone is staring at you like you grew a third ear or are indulging yourself in something illicit, you will smile and say, 'I declare, doesn't everyone?'

 

Well, as things don't always go as planned and I'm sure you have visions that I have the perfect kitchen, cook with ease and every little thing is in it's place, you couldn't be more wrong on this day.  The first big piss me off moment problem started with Big Julia, my Kitchenaid mixer. Big J just didn't like the paddle attachment. I fiddled, yanked, caressed and cursed at her to no avail. So thinking something must be wrong with the attachment, I switched it for the wire thingy attachment. Nada, nothing, zilch. I now pull out my hand mixer knowing darned good and well it would not be adequate for this monster recipe but again, when I plugged it in, nothing. I reset buttons, moved to another switch on the wall, but no happy whirring sounds. I moved Big J and the hand mixer to another side of the kitchen balancing them precariously on the edge of the chopping board, plugged her in and whamo! Purred like a kitten. As I began to add the flour, things got a bit out of hand because Big J's bowl was having a devil of a time holding all that butter, sugar and 6 cups of flour. Flour went flying, and all the counters, stove, floor and the Short Dog, Agnies of Pissisi,  were part of the Pillsbury Bleached and Enriched Flour Family. 

I was so glad The Most Wonderful Husband in the World was off buying more mulch while I redesigned our kitchen's color scheme. I don't think he fully appreciates my great efforts to follow in Julia's steps (even though I've nicknamed him 'Paul')--launching rubber spatulas, hacking, slinging and wiping where no one before her dared to go.  Well, all's well. The dogs got sugar-coated and helped clean up the floor, the counters are clean once again and Julia was smiling in the corner.

 
So, fear not!  'You can DO what you must DO!' You can even mix up the dough and refrigerate it for several days or just start right in.

 

Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe  (it's not a secret obviously since it was published in the NY Times and I'm blabbing about it right here)

Makes approx 25 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies--holy cow that's a lot of little cookies, isn't it?  I'm sure dividing the recipe in half is acceptable but who doesn't want dozens of chocolate chip cookies?

Ingredients:

1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour*
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt (I used coarse sea salt and it gave a wonderfully salty flavor to the sweetness)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
some milk...add a little as needed to keep mixer from exploding
2 pounds bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped--use a large chef's knife and don't give up or you can give up and buy chocolate bits...Julia loved them.

Pounds-o-chocolate

Directions - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats--do not grease pans; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or if you don't have one, just work those triceps, baby), cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Reduce speed to low (which by now is exactly how you'll be wishing you'd asked for that KitchenAid appliance for your anniversary) and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.  Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies (or two tablespoons for large cookies or two teaspoons for little ones), scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 15 minutes for larger cookies.  Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack.
 
*If you don't have pastry flour which I could not find anywhere,  use cake flour (mine was boxed) and bread flour.

Keep cookies away from dog(s), husbands and small children--take cookies in purse to car or reorganize your closet with a stash of cookies hidden in the laundry basket and eat until you feel really guilty.  See?  Now you can start that diet (juicing ?) you've been meaning to do just in time for those Daisy Dukes and string bikinis...well, maybe.  Doesn't everyone? ;)

Bon chocolat'

Lemon Lust Tart

When the days grow longer (because we can't seem to make up our minds about Spring) and the air is heavy with the dampness of rain, budding trees and teasing us daily with blushes of color as the ground wakens, I long lust for something light, fresh and French. What could be better than a tart au citron? Nothing, sil vous plait. This recipe will have you reaching for your flip flops and a bikini beach towel. The dough is completely unorthodox but simple because you don't even use a rolling pin.  It bakes into the flakiest, butteriest dough you have ever tasted.  The lemon curd filling is tart and uses very little sugar. If there are fresh strawberries to top it off, all the better.

Don't wait another minute. GO MAKE THIS! You will feel like a lemon tree just exploded in your mouth...in a really, good way.

LEMON LUST TART (adapted from David Lebovitz' Tarte au Citron)

Crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees

For one 9" tart shell
3 oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 TBSP vegetable oil
3 TBSP water
1/8 tsp salt
1 slightly rounded cup all purpose flour

Put everything but flour in a medium-sized oven-proof bowl (I told you this was unconventional cooking), place in oven for 15 minutes until butter is bubbly and browning at the edges.
Be very careful and with oven mitts remove bowl from oven and again being careful, dump flour into bowl, stir quickly until ball forms and it pulls away from sides of bowl.

Put dough in tart pan and lightly spread in bottom of pan with spatula (see, you don't even have to roll this out--how easy is that?). When cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes), pat into pan with heel of your hand and with your fingers, smoosh into sides of tart pan.

Prick the dough with a fork all over then bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.
Turn off oven to cool down to 350 degrees if preparing filling below.  Let dough cool before filling.

Lemon Curd Filling
350 degree oven

1/2 c freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
grated zest of one lemon (about 1 TBSP)
1/2 c sugar
6 TBSP butter, cut into bits
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

In medium-sized saucepan, heat everything except eggs. Beat eggs in small bowl. When butter mixture has melted, whisk a small portion of it into the eggs, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed eggs back into the butter/lemon mixture and over low heat, stir until it thickens and just begins to bubble around the edges.

 






 
Pour the lemon curd through a strainer pushing through with rubber spatula into the cooled tart shell. Smooth the top, put into oven for 5 minutes to set filling. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

This dessert is full of Spring.


Bon printemps!