I love lemons - a little tart yet a little sweet, super refreshing and its puckering quality gives desserts an amazing zing. I like using lemons as the main attraction (yes, I said attraction because I always tend to have some magnetic attraction to desserts). I've made a couple different things with lemons that I'd like to share.
First up, lemon souffle. They're creamy, egg-y, light and in this case, lemony! Souffles are one of those desserts that's a little fancy but quite easy to make at home. So this is a great recipe to impress guests or your special someone but unfortunately, it's not foolproof. A good trick is to separate the eggs when they're cold and have the whites at room temperature before the beating and whipping. This is because egg whites incorporate more air when at that temp. Another trick is to butter the souffles and keep them chilled until you're ready to fill and bake them. This helps the souffle rise straight upways. I've actually tried making chocolate souffles because my husband loves chocolate, but for some reason it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so no recipe for chocolate souffle here.. yet.. I'll have to try that one again.. and post it when perfected, stay tuned!
Another yummy recipe I found is Giada's Nonna's Lemon Ricotta Biscuits. They're more like muffins, but I can see why Giada calls them biscuits. Theyre a little drier, not as moist as maybe a banana nut muffin, but nonetheless, these are super delicious. I'd never thought of putting ricotta cheese in a muffin but the combination of the lemon, almonds and ricotta work. Like most muffins, serve warm with a cup of coffee. Btw Giada has some great Italian recipes that are so easy and delicious, which is great when thinking of date nights at home or just easy entertaining.
And finally, my most recent mixings, Thomas Keller's tarte au citron. It's a delicious tart lemon sabayon or if you like, zabaglione over a pine nut crust. Sabayon is a French version of the Italian zabaglione. It's a very light custard that's whisked to incorporate lots of air, making the filling creamy, airy and silky smooth. I think the juices of the 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed juice) brings the perfect amount of zing and tartness and the 3/4 cups of sugar makes just the perfect amount of sweet. Think perfect hot summer day and refreshing lemonade in a tart. The pine nut crust itself is melt-in-your-mouth, buttery and a little nutty and so I was super excited when I found the recipe, eventhough I was hesitant because of how much pine nuts cost! but... lemons are lemons and if you love dessert as much as I do and/or making them, it doesnt matter how much they cost. It's about getting my husband to buy in on the idea of how wonderful it will taste and he did love them, all 2 tarts I made (and shared). Btw you can get these tarte au citrons at Bouchon bakery and other Thomas Keller restaurants, of course depending on what the chef has in mind for the tasting menu. At the French Laundry the tart is accompanied by a honey mascarpone cream, which next time I'll have to try when serving this tart. I'm definitely going to make this again!
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