Lemon Lime Satin Creams Food

LEMON-LIME SATIN CREAMS

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine lemon zest and juice, lime zest and juice, sugar and eggs. Whisk until smooth. Add cream, whisk again, and transfer to a large pitcher. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate from 2 hours to 2 days, the longer the better to bring out fullest flavor.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat a kettle of water until just steaming; do not boil.
• Place six 1-cup ramekins in a roasting pan and pour cream mixture into them. Pour hot water into pan to come about halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until cream is just set, 30 to 35 minutes; it will still wobble, but will firm as it cools.
• Remove ramekins from water and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve with shortbread or plain, crisp cookies.

LEMON LINGUINE

Steps:

• Fill just about the biggest pot you have with water and bring to a boil. When friends are coming for lunch, get the water heated to boiling point before they arrive, otherwise you end up nervously hanging around waiting for a watched pot to boil while your supposedly quick lunch gets later and later. Bring the water to the boil, cover and turn off burner.
• I tend to leave the addition of salt until the water comes to a boil a second time. But whichever way you do it, add quite a bit of salt. When the bubbling's encouragingly fierce, put in the pasta. I often put the lid on for a moment or so just to let the pasta get back to the boil, but don't turn your back on it, and give it a good stir with a pasta fork or whatever to avoid even the suspicion of stickiness, once you've removed the lid.
• Then get on with the sauce, making sure you've set your timer for about a minute or so less than the time specified on the package of pasta.
• In a bowl, add the yolks, cream, Parmesan, zest of the whole lemon and juice of half of it, the salt and good grind of pepper, and beat with a fork. You don't want it fluffy, just combined. Taste. If you want it more lemony, then of course add more juice.
• When the timer goes off, taste to judge how near the pasta is to being ready. I recommend that you hover by the stove so you don't miss that point. Don't be too hasty, though. Everyone is so keen to cook their pasta properly al dente that sometimes the pasta is actually not cooked enough. You want absolutely no chalkiness here. And linguine (or at least I find it so) tend not to run over into soggy overcookedness quite as quickly as other long pasta. This makes sense, of course, as the strands of "little tongues" are dense than the flat ribbon shapes.
• Anyway, as soon as the pasta looks ready, remove a cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta, and then, off the heat, toss it back in the pot or put it in an efficiently preheated bowl, throw in the butter, and stir and swirl about to make sure the butter's melted and the pasta covered by it all over. Each strand will be only mutely gleaming, as there's not much butter and quite a bit of pasta. If you want to add more, then do; good butter is the best flavoring, best texture, best mood enhancer there is.
• When you're satisfied the pasta's covered with its soft slip of butter, then stir in the egg mixture and turn the pasta well in it, adding some of the cooking liquid if it looks a bit dry (only 2 tablespoons or so - you don't want a wet mess - and only after you think the sauce is incorporated). Sprinkle over the parsley and serve now, now, now.

LEMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
• Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
• For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
• Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

LEMON-LIME SYRUP

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar has dissolved completely. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain into a clean container, cover and refrigerate. Can keep in refrigerator for two weeks.

THE WORLD'S SMOOTHEST GUACAMOLE WITH SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• Mash the avocado with a potato masher.
• Using a fork, whisk in the remaining ingredients except for the sour cream (or you can do it in the food processor for an even silkier texture.) Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
• Whisk in the sour cream, and you are ready to serve.