Work and People

[e_moon60]

Although I had two very sticky days with the book this week, I made my words goal with some spare change--just over 12,000.

And I must remember that some nice email/comments showed up.  On the other hand...so did some not-nice ones.

Naturally, it's easier to talk about the latter than the former, in part because telling the audience that I got a

Comments

[gotica]

Mmm I now have a desire to do some baking even though I did have pie this week. I will share one I prepared earlier (well last year) its eye candy for the stomach.

[e_moon60]

OMG! And photographed from above, so it's easy to imagine falling right into it, mouth open. You do FANCY. You do FANCY amazingly well. (I do rustic and home-cooked.)

Mouth is watering. Must. Go. Bake. SOMEthing!

[gotica]

Thank you, its the benefit of growing up in a household/family of chef and pseudo-chef-cake decorator-jack of all trades types. Though what was cooked in the house was more so traditional Italian meals (large and overly rich) in addition to the numerous cakes, biscotti and home made pasta, sauces, pickles and so forth.

The side on shot of it shows lots of lovely chocolate meringue and the cream to meringue ratio to be about 50/50.

[baobrien]

Yum! If you want another recipe for lemons, I made a family favorite lemon pie this weekend for Mom's 80th birthday that Grandma called lemon chiffon pie. She made it up from 3 other recipes in a 1930s church cookbook. Conceptually very simple, but egg whites are involved so it's tricky in excution. It's extremely light and smooth and tasty - a perfect summer dessert. Much better than lemon meringue in our family's opinions.

Zest & juice of one lemon
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 Tablespoons hot water
One pie crust

Pre-bake pie crust 15-20 minutes, leave oven at 375.
Mix beaten egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest and 1/2 cup sugar. Cook on low heat in double boiler, stirring frequently, until it starts to thicken. Add hot water, will become paler yellow, cook until about the consistency of pudding. Remove from stove and cool completely. Must be cool.
Beat egg whites until stiff, then add 1/2 cup sugar.
Gently fold the completely cooled lemon mixture into the egg whites. Fill the piecrust heaping full, then bake at 375 until piecrust and top of pie are golden brown. The pie will lose height as it cools.

Grandma made it perfectly each time, success for the rest of us varies.

[e_moon60]

Oh, my, that sounds lovely!

[gotica]

Sounds deliciously light and fluffy and I'm going to have to try that recipe. What would be the diameter and depth of the pie pan you use for this mix?

One of my dislikes about the lemon for the meringue pie is that it comes out too thick and gelatinous like.

Hmm with the Beat egg whites until stiff, then add 1/2 cup sugar. stage are you mixing the sugar in gradually? Meringue will flop if you don't gradually add the sugar and make sure that its all dissolved into the egg white.

Also when they say stiff they mean so stiff that when you take the bowl turn it upside down and shake it they don't move or drop out.

Meringue based deserts are one of my forte's :)

[baobrien]

It is, and I hope it works well for you - it is delicious and avoids that jello-y lemon stuff in the meringue pies.

The pie pan is just the ordinary 9" or 10" pie pan with the fluff just going higher in the smaller pan. I've even sometimes used a storebought piecrust when I'm in a hurry. I've never tried to turn the bowl upside down! I just beat them until there are peaks that are stable when I lift the mixer.

Your point about dissolving sugar might be one of the missing steps Grandma didn't write down that made the pie more reliable for her. I'll try it next time I make it (and think "Thank you!" if it gives it that extra edge).

Enjoy!

[baobrien]

and I do use a deeper pie pan, not the shallow ones. When it's baking it looks like it will spill over the top if it's too shallow.

[blueeowyn]

Oh, that sounds interesting. It reminds me of the recipe my grandmother used for key-limes. It involves making a boiled custard with the lime juice, beating whipping cream until stiff, then folding them together (don't have it handy at the moment). If done properly you end up with pie filling that is lighter/airier than most key-lime pies (and the eggs are cooked). I have yet to get it right but will try again at some point.