Lemon Truffle Pie

baked 9” pie shell

2 c. water

½ c. sugar

3 eggs

5 T. cornstarch

¼ c. sugar

zest of 1 lemon

¾ c. lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

2 T. butter

1 c. vanilla chips

4 oz. cream cheese

1 c. whipping cream

2 T. toasted almond slices

Put water and ½ c. sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, cornstarch, ¼ c. sugar and zest of lemon together. Slowly add hot sugar water to egg mixture in bowl; then pour entire mixture back into pan. Heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Add lemon juice, butter, vanilla chips, and cream cheese one at a time. Stir until each are melted then remove from heat. (If necessary, use a hand blender to make the mixture smooth.) Spread lemon mixture in a 9” baked pie shell. Chill for two hours. Whip the whipping cream and sweeten it. Spread whipping cream on top of the lemon mixture and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Shauna Sabey

Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

2 tsps. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs, cut into 8 pieces (or 3-4 lbs. of chicken just thighs and legs, the darker meat is more flavorful)
salt
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
Peel from 1 preserved lemon, washed in cold water, pulp discarded, cut into thin strips
1 cup green olives, pitted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine all the spices in a bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and place them in the bowl, coat well with the spicy mixture. Let the chicken stand for one hour in the mixture.
2. In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt (go easy on the salt, the olives and lemons are salty). Brown for five minutes. Lower the heat to medium -low, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.
3. Turn chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives and raisins, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender.
4. Mix in cilantro and parsley right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serves 4-6. Serve with rice or cous cous.

Preserved Lemons
8-10 Meyer lemons*, scrubbed very clean
1/2 cup kosher salt, more if needed
Extra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed
Sterilized quart canning jar
*You don't need to use Meyer lemons, regular lemons will do, it's just that the milder Meyer lemons work very well for preserving in this way

1. Place 2 tbsp. salt in the bottom of the jar.
2. Prepare each of the lemons in the following manner: Cut off any protruding stems from the lemon and cut 1/4 inch off the tip of each lemon. Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half lengthwise, starting from the tip but do not cut all the way through. Keep the lemon attached at the base. Make another cut in the same way so that the lemon is quartered.
3. Pry the lemons open and generously sprinkle salt on the inside and outside of the lemon.
4. Pack the lemons in the jar, squishing them down so that the juice is extracted and the lemon juice rises to the top of the jar. Fill up the jar with lemons, make sure the top is covered with lemon juice. Add more fresh squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Top with a couple of Tbsp. of salt.
5. Seal the jar and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of days. Turn the jar upside down occasionally. Put in refrigerator and let sit, for at least 3 weeks until the rind softens.
6. To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse thoroughly in water to remove salt. Discard seeds before using. Discard the pulp before using, if desired.
7. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Note: You can add spices to the lemons for preserving--cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaf

Salad De Masion

2 heads Romain
1 C shredded Swiss
1 C shredded Parmesan
Bacon Pieces

dressing:
3/4 C Vegi Oil
Juice from 2 lemons
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Tear Lettuce and top with cheese and bacon. Combine dressing ingredients and top on salad right before serving. You can add tomato' and croutons as well.

Scallions with Lemon Parsley Butter

5 bunches scallions
2 tbsps butter, softened
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest (or more)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 freshly ground pepper

Trim roots from scallions, leaving ends in tact, and remove any bruised outer leaves. Trim greens, leaving scallions 9 inches long.
Cook scallions in a deep 12-inch skillet of boiling well salted water until just tender, 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together butter, parsley, zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl until well blended.
With tongs, transfer scallions to a colander to drain. Arrange in a shallow serving dish and brush with lemon parsley butter.
* Scallions can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Reheat in microwave.

Lemon Pudding

Sorry that it has taken me almost a week to post this recipe, but it looks like I'm not the last.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Whisk the sugar and the cornstarch together in a medium saucepan. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolks, zest, and salt and cook, stirring frequently at first and constantly towards the end, over medium heat until thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter. Pour through a strainer into a large serving bowl or 4 individual serving dishes.

Let cool to room temperature. Chill, loosely covered, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days, or until set and thoroughly chilled. Serve chilled.

Morrocan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chicken, 3-4 lbs, cut into 8 pieces (or 3-4 lbs of just chicken thighs and legs, the dark meat is more flavorful)
Salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
The peel from 1 preserved lemon, rinsed in cold water, pulp discarded, peel cut into thin strips
1 cup green olives, pitted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Combine all the spices in a large bowl. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put in the bowl, coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken stand for one hour in the spices.
2 In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt (go easy on the salt, the olives and lemons are salty), and brown, skin side down for five minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and onions. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes.
3 Turn chicken pieces over. Add the lemon slices, olives, raisins, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, then lower the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and quite tender.
4 Mix in fresh parsley and cilantro right before serving. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serves 4 to 6. Serve with couscous or rice.

Preserved Lemons

8-10 Meyer lemons*, scrubbed very clean
1/2 cup kosher salt, more if needed
Extra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed
Sterilized quart canning jar
* You don't need to use Meyer lemons, regular lemons will do, it's just that the milder Meyer lemons work very well for preserving in this way.

1 Place 2 Tbsp salt in the bottom of a sterilized jar.
2 One by one, prepare the lemons in the following way. Cut off any protruding stems from the lemons, and cut 1/4 inch off the tip of each lemon. Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half lengthwize, starting from the tip, but do not cut all the way. Keep the lemon attached at the base. Make another cut in a similar manner, so now the lemon is quartered, but again, attached at the base.
3 Pry the lemons open and generously sprinkle salt all over the insides and outsides of the lemons.
4 Pack the lemons in the jar, squishing them down so that juice is extracted and the lemon juice rises to the top of the jar. Fill up the jar with lemons, make sure the top is covered with lemon juice. Add more fresh squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Top with a couple tablespoons of salt.
5 Seal the jar and let sit at room temperature for a couple days. Turn the jar upside down ocassionally. Put in refrigerator and let sit, again turning upside down ocassionally, for at least 3 weeks, until lemon rinds soften.
6 To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse thoroughly in water to remove salt. Discard seeds before using. Discard the pulp before using, if desired.
7 Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Note:
You can add spices to the lemons for preserving - cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaf.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients

Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.