Meyer lemon cranberry scones

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post...I've been cooking a lot but haven't really been inspired to blog about any of it. But I was recently reminded of how nice it is to share recipes and food stories with others and it made me want to get back here and post something. And between the snowy weather this weekend and the fact that I've been down with a cold, I've been spending a lot of time on the couch paging through cookbooks and bookmarking recipes. I've got quite a list of things I want to try in the next couple weeks, and hopefully some of the recipes will be good enough to share!

I don't know about you, but snowy days make me want to bake. The apartment just seems extra warm and inviting when it is filled with the scent of baked goods. I came across this recipe when I was looking for something to bake using the Meyer lemons that I recently bought. If you haven't tried them, Meyer lemons are sweeter and more aromatic than regular lemons. They're only in season for a few months, so I try to grab them when I see them. The Meyer lemons work beautifully with the cranberries in these scones. The scones are fragrant and light, and have just the right amount of sweetness to offset the tart fruit. They're perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

Orzo with shrimp, red peppers, and mushrooms

I feel like I've been seeing orzo recipes everywhere lately. On the blogs, there was this one and this one, and my cousin served an orzo dish when I was at her place last week. So I decided to join the club and cook an orzo recipe for dinner last night. Mediterranean flavors work so well with orzo, so I went in that direction - why mess with something good, right? When I cook pasta, I usually bulk it up with lots of vegetables, and this time I used red peppers and mushrooms. With shrimp, olives, basil, feta cheese, and a generous amount of lemon juice, this recipe is healthy and packed with flavor. I'm so glad we had a lot of leftovers - I can't wait to eat this for lunch tomorrow!

Za'atar breadsticks with Middle Eastern tomato sauce

Okay, so it seems like I am the last food blogger in the world to join Pinterest. I think I'm more of a verbal than visual person, so I prefer browsing recipes in cookbooks or recipe sites rather than looking at pictures alone. But I finally joined Pinterest and made my first boards last week, and although I'm not totally obsessed, it sure is fun! I've especially enjoyed collecting pictures of pretty desserts, which lets me imagine that I might become a master of cookie/cake decorating in the future (considering how rarely I make anything with frosting, this is highly unlikely). Of course, I've also been pinning pictures of regular meals, and one of these inspired this recipe. While I was browsing pizza pictures, I came across one of za'atar pizza, which I thought was a cool idea. Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that is often mixed with olive oil as a dip for bread. I decided to take this idea and make za'atar-dusted breadsticks, with a jazzed up tomato sauce for dipping. Making the tomato sauce also gave me an opportunity to use another traditional Middle Eastern ingredient that I just bought for the first time - pomegranate molasses. I'm not going to make any claims as to whether the tomato sauce I made is anything like an authentic Middle Eastern recipe. I'll just say that it's tasty, a little sweeter, spicier, and more tart than the tomato sauce you may be used to, with a fruity undertone from the pomegranate molasses. The sauce works well with the spices on the breadsticks, and this dish makes a fun appetizer. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some more pictures to pin!

Have you ever used za'atar or pomegranate molasses?

Roasted red pepper and eggplant dip

Earlier this week, Elina hosted a fun get-together for some of her blogger friends. She asked everyone to bring an appetizer to share, and since it was a midweek event, I knew that I wanted to make something that wasn't too complicated, would be easy to transport, and didn't need to be cooked or heated immediately before serving. I also wanted to make something vegetarian, preferably vegan, and gluten-free, so that everyone would be able to try it. And finally, I wanted to make something featuring seasonal vegetables because I thought it would be nice for my dish to really reflect the theme of my blog. Well, that long list of requirements pretty much ruled out the apps I've made for my own parties in the past, so I started looking at new recipes. When I found this roasted red pepper and eggplant dip recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook, I knew it was perfect. The best part was that it is supposed to sit in the fridge for at least a day before serving so that the flavors can blend, which meant that I could make it over the weekend!

I loved the balanced blend of flavors in this dip - it has sweetness from the roasted veggies, tanginess from the lemon, and a bit of a kick from the garlic and chile pepper. It's great with pitas or crackers, but it also makes a nice addition to pasta sauce and pairs really well with eggs. Although I was initially nervous about what dish to bring for a group of foodies, I think I chose wisely and I was glad to see that everyone else seemed to enjoy the dip as much as I did. I'm definitely going to think of this one next time I need a simple but interesting appetizer for a party!

Do you have a favorite dish to bring to potluck gatherings? 

Za'atar roasted cauliflower with almonds, olives, and parsley

*A quick note before I start the actual post: I finally joined the modern age (although I still have a dumbphone) and got a twitter account. Follow me @4SeasonsOfFood for blog updates and other food-related thoughts.*

On Sunday evening, I went to a Boston Food Bloggers meetup event in Inman Square. I was a bit nervous about it (I'm shy), and I was really tired after a weekend in New Hampshire with Andrew's company, but I'm really glad I went! It was a lot of fun, and I met some cool people. The meetup started up at Christina's Spice and Specialty Foods, which I haven't been to in a while. While I was there, I picked up some za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend that I have been curious about for a while. I believe the main ingredients are thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. After tasting a bit - it's delicious! - I decided to use it to spice up some cauliflower that we had in the fridge. I tossed the cauliflower in oil and za'atar, roasted it, then sprinkled on some more za'atar to amp up the flavor, as well as lemon juice, chopped olives, toasted almonds, and parsley. The final dish was fantastic - cauliflower can be a bland and boring vegetable, but here it was packed with flavor. I can't wait to experiment more with za'atar, as well as with the harissa that I bought - let me know if you have any ideas!

Zucchini carpaccio salad

It is finally time for me to introduce you to my favorite summer salad! I am the kind of person that almost never repeats recipes, because I always get distracted by new ones that I "need" to try, but I like this salad so much that I make it several times each summer. For me, summer hasn't really arrived until I can get arugula and zucchini at the farmers' market and make this. I first ran into this recipe over at Smitten Kitchen. The salad is simple - arugula and paper-thin slices of zucchini, with lemon juice, olive oil, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese - but it is so, so refreshing and delicious. A mandoline slicer definitely makes it easier to cut the super thin zucchini slices, but a vegetable peeler will work in a pinch. 

Zucchini carpaccio salad

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4-6

3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound arugula, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1 oz.)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cut zucchini crosswise into paper-thin slices. Toss zucchini in a colander with 1 tsp salt and allow to drain (in the sink or over a large bowl) for 20 minutes. Rinse zucchini well and pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels.

In a large salad bowl, toss arugula with 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 tbs olive oil. Arrange zucchini slices over arugula, drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tbs olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and pepper.

Salad is best served immediately.

Broccoli rabe with garlic and lemon

 

Broccoli rabe is one of my current favorite vegetables. The stems, leaves, and florets are all edible, so you get a variety of textures. I didn't like it much the first few times I cooked it, but now I've found a method that I love. I chop it up from stems to florets and then blanch it until the stems are tender. Then I saute it really briefly - only a minute or so - with some garlic and red pepper flakes, and add some lemon zest to finish.

p.s. This is my 100th post! I'm going to give myself a little public pat on the back for that accomplishment. I suppose I could have celebrated by baking and blogging about a cake or something, but I think it is appropriate that I'm talking about a seasonal vegetable instead.

Broccoli rabe with garlic and lemon

Makes 3-4 servings

1 bunch (about 3/4 lb) broccoli rabe, cut into approximately 1-inch pieces, from stems to tops of leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or less if you are sensitive to heat)

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Olive oil

Salt

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add broccoli rabe to the pot and boil for 4 minutes, or until stem pieces are tender, then immediately drain into a colander. In a wide pan, heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 30 seconds (the wide pan makes it easier to toss the ingredients together, but you can reuse the pot that you used for boiling if you want to minimize cleanup). Add broccoli rabe and saute for about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, and salt to taste (I find that this dish does not really need added salt).

Perfect lemon meringue pie

Remember last time I made lemon meringue pie? It looked good (before slicing anyway) and it tasted good, but the custard didn't set. I was determined to try it again and get it right, so when we had some friends over for dinner last week, I took the opportunity to make lemon meringue pie for dessert. This time I used the crust and meringue recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook with the lemon filling recipe from The New Best Recipe...and the pie came out perfect! The custard was solid enough to cut out slices of pie but still had a great silky texture and bright lemon flavor. And while the old recipe used 6 egg whites and 4 yolks, the new one uses 6 of each, so there are no leftover egg yolks to deal with. Unlike the last one, this recipe is a definite keeper!

Lemon meringue pie
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook and The New Best Recipe
Serves 8

Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tbs) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs cold vegetable shortening
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tbs ice watrer

Lemon filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups cold water
6 large egg yolks
1 tbs grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbs unsalted butter

Meringue:
6 large egg whites
1/2 tbs cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar

Using a food processor, pulse together flour, butter, shortening, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-sized lumps of butter (you can also use your fingertips or a pastry blender to mix). Drizzle 3 tbs ice water over mixture and pulse or stir until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough - if it doesn't hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tbs at a time, pulsing or stirring until mixed in. Try not to overwork the dough.

Turn dough out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. Use the heel of your hand to smear each portion forward once or twice to distribute the fat. Gather all the dough together into a ball, press into a 5-inch disk, and sprinkle with flour if dough is sticky. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

After dough has chilled and is firm, roll it out into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and crimp edge decoratively. Refrigerate shell for 30 minutes.

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 deg F. Lightly prick shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake shell for 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a rack and reduce oven temperature to 350 deg F.

Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking frequently. When mixture begins to simmer and turn translucent, whisk in egg yolks two at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in zest, then lemon juice, and then butter. Bring the mixture to a good simmer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to keep it from forming a skin.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed just until whites hold soft peaks. Beat in sugar 1 tbs at a time at high speed, and continue beating until meringue holds stiff peaks.

If pie shell has cooled, place it in the oven until just warm. Pour lemon filling into warm shell. Spread meringue on top all the way to the very edge of the pastry, making sure to completely cover the filling. Use a spatula to form peaks in the meringue. Bake until meringue is golden, about 12-15 minutes.

Cool pie on a rack at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours more.

Almost perfect lemon meringue pie

I made a lemon meringue pie for the first time over the weekend. It looks nice, doesn't it? The crust was deliciously crisp and flaky, and the meringue layer was lovely. The only problem was that the lemon custard didn't set. It tasted great, but a runny custard doesn't make for a very pretty slice of pie. The recipe was from The Gourmet Cookbook - in my experience, the recipes in that book are flawless, and I followed the instructions to the letter, so I'm not sure what went wrong here.

I'm looking for some help from you. Do you have any tips for making lemon meringue pie? A foolproof lemon custard recipe? I'm not going to give the full pie recipe that I used here, but I'll summarize how I made the custard. Let me know if the proportions or cooking times don't look right to you. My plan is to try the pie again with the same crust and meringue, but use the custard recipe from The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated. Once I find the perfect recipe, I'll let you know!

*Update*
The perfect recipe can be found here.

Here's how I made the custard:

4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tbs unsalted butter
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Whisk together egg yolks. Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Add water and milk, whisk until cornstarch dissolves. Bring to a boil, whisk until mixture thickens. Slowly whisk 1 cup milk mixture into yolks, then whisk yolk mixture into milk mixture. Simmer, whisking, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour filling into warm pie shell, top with meringue, bake until meringue is golden, about 15 minutes.