Two weeks ago, the awesome admin at work (hi May!) had shoulder surgery. The recovery process has not been so much fun. Whenever I see someone sad/upset, I respond either with humor or food. Given we both love sarcasm, I have given her enough sass (and still continue to). For once, I decided to also go the food route. A few days after surgery, I asked her to send me a recipe & I would bake her something. The next day, she sent me a message "how about something with lemon curd, it's my favorite!" I had never even heard of lemon curd before, so I though "Challenge Accepted!"
Once I looked it up, I realized it sounded like something that would be really good as a pie filling (or on scones). My favorite crust by far is a graham cracker crust, so I thought this recipe would be a great way to try both at one time. My other coworker (who May affectionately calls Hoover for his healthy appetite) has requested next time I make a giant graham cracker block. I kind of agree with him. Graham Cracker crust is amazing pretty much just on its own. I am also itching to make a key lime pie with this crust.
I made a major mistake when I first attempted this recipe and I had to start from scratch. The lemon curd recipe called for you to heat the lemon curd filling until it thickened over the stove but it didn't have any images to go along with the description. I did not 1) look up a picture of what it should look like before cooking, and 2) read the reviews to learn useful tips. Both horrible, horrible mistakes I will never make again. Especially if I want to save my Sunday nights for relaxing.
My first attempt, I only cooked the lemon curd to this consistency:
When I read the reviews & realized it should be thicker, I attempted to pour the filling back into the pan and ended up with this result:
Please don't make the same mistake! Follow the recipe below & look at the pictures as a guide. Also, click the links to the original recipes & peruse the comments. There are also interesting tips for different use of the lemon curd (like on scones!).
Warning: this is a RICH pie. Small pieces are recommended. Also, the pie is addictive. So you might need more than one small piece. This was a BIG hit at work.
Alright, let's begin!
Graham Cracker Crust (adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/graham-cracker-crust-i/)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers
1/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
I used the food processor to ground up the graham crackers. Another alternative would be to put them in a plastic ziploc bag and to use a mallet or something else to pound it.
Mix the graham crackers, butter, sugar, and cinnamon together.
Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan using your fingers/a spatula. Bake for 8 minutes and then set aside. (You can also bake along with a pie filling if you are making a different pie - just chill for an hour).
Lemon Curd Filling (adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-curd-recipe/index.html)
Ingredients:
3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup lemon juice (3-4 lemons, I used the three from above & then a container of lemon juice)
1/8 tablespoon kosher salt
4 extra large eggs
Use a carrot peeler (so easy!) to zest the three lemons. Be careful not to grab the white stuff between the lemon inside & the zest (called the pithe). It's bitter! Bitter does not belong in dessert.
Combine the lemon zest & sugar in a food process and pulse to combine until the zest is broken up into tiny pieces. If you don't have a food processor, I would suggest grated the lemon zest (v. peeling) and then mixing it with the sugar. You might need to strain the lemon curd mixture when you pour it into the bowl to heat.
Cut the lemons and squeeze to get the lemon juice in a separate bowl. If you roll the lemon back and forth a bit before you cut it, you will be able to get more juice out of each lemon. Be careful to not to end up with the seeds. You can squeeze over your hands to catch the seeds - just make sure you don't have any cuts (ouch!). Otherwise take your chances & use a spoon to get any seeds out.
Cream the butter using a stand mixer or a fork.
Beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Then add eggs one at a time, followed by the lemon juice & salt.
Put a small pot on the stove and fill it halfway with water. Set on high and bring to a boil.
Once it is boiling, put a bowl over the water (make sure the bottom fits in the pot but that it doesn't touch the water). Reduce the heat to medium so that the water is still boiling but not too crazy much. Pour the lemon mixture in the bowl & begin stirring.
And keep stirring until the lemon mixture has thickened. As noted above, liquidy lemon curd = disaster! This process takes awhile. I managed to talk to both of my grandma's on the phone before it looked like this:
At this point you are probably good to go - cooking it a bit more won't hurt it.
Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust, cover, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment