Ethereal Lemon Pie Food

GRANDMA'S LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
• To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

LEMONY ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in lower third of oven. Sift flour and 1/2 cup sugar into a bowl.
• Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add lemon zest and juice, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt; continue whisking until soft peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add remaining cup sugar.
• Increase speed to medium-high; continue whisking until firm, not stiff, peaks form, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle whites with 1/3 of the flour-sugar mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine. Sprinkle remaining flour-sugar mixture over whites in 2 additions; gently fold to combine.
• Transfer batter to a 10-inch angel food cake pan with legs. Gently run a knife through the center of the batter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, and invert onto its cooling legs (if your tube pan doesn't have legs, invert it over the neck of a wine, or similarly shaped, bottle to cool); let cool, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Run a knife around the inner and outer edges of cake to remove. Invert onto a serving platter. (Use a knife to separate cake from bottom of pan.) Let cool on a wire rack. Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Make the lemon cream: Prepare an ice-water bath. Whisk lemon juice, sugar, flour, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; whisk constantly for 1 minute, until it thickens. Transfer to a heatproof bowl set in ice-water bath to cool completely, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk cream and lemon zest with a mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into juice mixture in thirds. Refrigerate lemon cream, up to overnight.
• Make the candied lemon-peel flowers: Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, peel 3 lemons to create 6 long strips (at least 5 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide). Remove pith from strips using a paring knife. Cut tops and bottoms off remaining 3 lemons; cut each in half lengthwise. Remove flesh. Cut out 6 flowers from the peels using a 2-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter and remove pith; cut indentations into petals for definition. Punch a hole in the center of each flower using a 1/4-inch plain round piping tip.
• Add lemon-peel strips and flowers to the syrup. Gently simmer until translucent and tender, about 35 minutes. Remove peels from syrup using a slotted spoon, and transfer to a wire rack set over a parchment. Let dry slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Trim strips to 5-inch lengths, and roll each to form centers of flowers; fit into flower holes and let stand on wire rack until slightly dry but still sticky, about 30 minutes.
• Frost cake with lemon cream. Garnish with candied flowers. Serve.

RICH LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium low heat.
• Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt.
• Whisk in the yolks until smooth.
• Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens and leaves a path on the back of a wooden spoon when a finger is drawn across it, do not allow the mixture to boil.
• Immediately pour lemon curd through a strainer into a bowl.
• Let cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
• Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve (Lemon curd keeps for a month in the refrigerator and for about 3 months in the freezer).

TANGERINE CHIFFON PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it has reduced to about 1 cup, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Pulse cookies, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until thoroughly combined. With processor running, add melted butter; process until combined. Press cookie mixture evenly into bottom, up sides, and onto rim of a 10-inch pie plate. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Put lemon juice into a small bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, the juice reduction, and the remaining 2 teaspoons zest in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes (do not let boil). Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture, and whisk until gelatin has dissolved completely.
• Transfer gelatin-egg yolk mixture to a large bowl. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool and thick enough to hold a ribbon on surface, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Put egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat until stiff but not dry peaks form. Fold egg-white mixture into gelatin-egg yolk mixture in 3 batches, folding until just combined after each addition. Pour into cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

LEMON PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and heavy cream together in a bowl. Strain and skim any foam.
• Pour into prebaked pie shells, and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling just sets, and center jiggles. Cool completely.