Lemon Crème Brûlée →

It has been said, and I agree, the act of cracking the golden brown crust to reach the smooth creamy custard of a crème brûlée is close to an ecstatic culinary experience. I prefer adding a hint of lemon as a high-note to balance the sweetness of the custard and crunchy caramelized sugar crust. Surprisingly easy to make, once you master a couple of simple techniques you can easily serve this classic dessert to impress your family and friends at home. The recipe is adapted from Epicurious and is the best crème brûlée I have tasted. It is a must try for anyone who enjoys rich, creamy, crunchy desserts.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream

• about 5 tablespoons turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw

• 3 large egg yolks

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Add 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest into cream in a heavy saucepan.

3. Stir in 3 ½ tablespoons turbinado sugar and a pinch of salt. Heat mixture over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until you see faint wisps of steam when you stir the mixture (almost-but-not-boiling) and the sugar is completely melted into the cream. Do not let the cream boil!

4. Lightly beat the yolks in a bowl, then, whisking constantly incorporate the yokes into the hot cream. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a quart-size glass measure and stir in vanilla and ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Divide among oven-safe ramekins.

5. Arrange the ramekins in a roasting pan with enough warm water to go halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake in the warm water bath until the custards are just set around edge but the centers wobble when the pan is gently shaken, 30 to 35 minutes.

6. Cool the custards in a cold water bath 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and chill uncovered for at least 4 hours. (Custards will set completely as they chill.)

7. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar evenly over each custard, then using a chefs blowtorch move a flame evenly back and forth close to the sugar until it is caramelized. If you don’t have a chefs blowtorch, place the ramekins on a sheet pan under the broiler monitoring closely until the sugar is melted and begins to caramelize and turn golden brown. (See *Note)

8. Let stand until caramel is hardened, 3 to 5 minutes.

*Note: as a time saver, you can put the ramekins under the broiler until the sugar begins to melt (about 2-3 minutes depending on how hot the broiler is) and then touch up the finished crust on each one to a golden brown with the chefs torch.

**Note: extra custards can be kept in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap for a few days. When you’re ready to add the caramelized sugar crust, dab the surfaces of the custards gently with a paper towel to remove any moisture before sprinkling a teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top and melting it under the broiler or with your chefs torch.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lemon-creme-brulee

Almond-Pistachio-Lemon Bars →

I love anything lemon, so when I saw @Molly O’Neill’s Pistachio-Lemon Bar recipe on New York Times Cooking, I had to make it. Pistachios and lemon...check! But, I also love almonds with lemon, so I substituted chopped, sliced almonds for pistachios in the crust. I’m no baker, but this recipe is easy even for a non-baker like myself. It takes less than an hour. Sweet and tangy lemony richness with pieces of pistachios along with a chewy, buttery almond inflected crust, all bathed in powdery white confectioners sugar! This is a lemon recipe to go nuts over!

Yield 16 servings
Ingredients:

The crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup confectioners' sugar

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• ¼ cup sliced almonds roughly chopped

The filling:

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• ⅓ cup shelled unsalted pistachios

• Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Preparation:

To make crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (if using foil, lightly butter it). (See *Note below)

2. Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add butter and process until well combined. Stir in chopped pistachios.

3. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of the lined pan using the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup (if it sticks, place a piece of parchment paper on the dough before pressing).

4. Bake until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the filling ingredients.

5. When the crust is baked, pour the filling into the pan and bake until set, about 20 minutes.

6. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with Confectioners' sugar and cut into 2-inch squares.

*Note: to use parchment paper, cut two pieces of paper 8 x 11” inches and place one at a time covering the length, and overlapping to cover the width of your 8 x 8 inch baking dish. You should have about 1 ½ inches of paper overlapping each side of the baking dish.

Adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6960-pistachio-lemon-bars