Twice Baked Olive Cookie With Lemon Custard Food

LEMON CURD THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F(177°C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• Mix the flour, ginger and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
• Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium speed for almost 2 minutes until creamy with a hand-held mixer or with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer. Add the egg and mix well. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula during these steps when needed to be sure they are all mixed.
• Add the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Don't overmix the dough.
• Take 25 gram pieces ( almost 1 tablespoon) of the dough and roll them into balls. Alternatively, you can divide the dough equally into 22 pieces and roll them into balls as this recipe makes 22 cookies. Using the back of a 1 teaspoon-sized rounded measuring spoon or your finger, press into the center of the dough to make an indentation.****
• Bake for almost 11-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Don't overbake so the cookies will stay soft. When the edges are golden brown but the middle is still soft, remove from the oven. If needed, you can press the middle of the cookie again with a clean measuring spoon. Then immediately fill the cookies with almost ½ and ¼ teaspoon lemon curd. The filling will set while the cookies are cooling on the baking sheet.
• Lightly sift powdered sugar over the cooled cookies.

LEMON CUSTARD WITH PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• To make the profiteroles, heat the water with the butter, salt, and vanilla bean. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove vanilla bean and incorporate the flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook the mixture over low heat, continuously beating. Cook until ingredients are combined and batter cleanly comes off the sides of the pan. Transfer mixture to a bowl, let cool slightly, and add egg yolks one at a time beating well between each egg added. Transfer batter to a pastry bag and pipe small rounds onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Lemon infused pastry cream: Beat egg yolks with half the sugar, then add the yogurt, mixing well. Bring the milk, heavy cream, and remaining sugar to a boil. Slowly add the hot cream and milk to the beaten eggs. This step is called tempering. Add the grated zest, transfer to a mold, and bake for 45 minutes. Allow cream to cool and refrigerate.
• Lemon fritters: Place flour in a bowl and add the beer and water in a stream, whisking continuously. Add the sugar and incorporate the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks. Dip the lemon slices in the batter, and fry in olive oil. Drain on a paper towel.
• Lemon sauce: Cut the tops off of 4 lemons and hollow them out, reserving the pulp. Squeeze the pulp and filter the juice. Transfer to a saucepan and add 1/3 cup of sugar, and cook over low heat until a syrup consistency is achieved. To finish the sauce, add the milk and grated lemon peel to half of the infused pastry cream.
• To assemble: Fill the lemon shell with the lemon cream, and place one in the center of each plate. Fill the profiteroles with the remaining lemon infused pastry cream, and place next to filled lemon shells. Add a lemon fritter, candied lemon peel, and lemon leaves for decoration.

PETITE LEMON CURD COOKIES

Steps:

• Prepare cookie dough:
• Follow recipe for basic butter cookies, forming dough into 2 balls (instead of a log) and flattening each into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make lemon curd:
• Simmer lemon juice, zest, sugar, butter, cornstarch, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Lightly beat yolks in a small bowl, then add 1/4 cup lemon mixture, whisking. Add yolk mixture to remaining lemon mixture, then reduce heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, then cover surface with plastic wrap and chill while rolling out dough.
• Roll out dough:
• While oven preheats, roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining dough chilled) into a 9-inch round (slightly less than 1/4 inch thick) on a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, chill on a baking sheet until firm.) Cut out as many cookies as possible with cutter.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Dredge warm cookies in confectioners sugar until coated and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Make more cookies in same manner.
• Transfer lemon curd to pastry bag or plastic bag (snip an 1/8-inch opening in a corner of plastic bag). Put 1 cookie upside down on work surface and pipe about 1/2 teaspoon lemon curd onto cookie, then top with another cookie, right side up, to form a sandwich. Make more sandwiches in same manner.
• Just before serving, sift some remaining confectioners sugar over tops of sandwiched cookies.

MARGARET ATWOOD'S BAKED LEMON CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter six 3/4-cup custard cups or ramekins. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and lemon peel in large bowl to blend. Beat in egg yolks. Stir in flour in three additions alternately with buttermilk in two additions. Stir in lemon juice. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture. Divide batter among prepared cups. Place ramekins in roasting pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups.
• Bake until cakes are set in center and beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath. Serve hot or cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate.)

TWICE BAKED COOKIES (BISCOTTI)

Steps:

• mix sugar butter anise and vanilla.
• beat in eggs.
• mix flour with baking powder.
• stir into sugar/butter/anise/vanilla and almonds.
• blend together.
• preheat oven 350.
• chill 2-3 hours.
• shape into 4 loaves(half inch high, 4 inches wide, lenth of pan).
• bake 20 mins 350.
• cut into 3/4 inch thick slices.
• place back on pan on sides for another 15 minutes.

TWICE-BAKED ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Butter and flour 13 x 9 x 2-inch metal baking pan. Sift flour and salt into medium bowl. Whisk sugar, eggs, honey and orange flower water in large bowl to blend well. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Stir in almonds. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Using back of spoon, spread batter evenly to smooth top.
• Bake until dough puffs and is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Turn pastry out onto rack; cool completely. Maintain oven temperature. Cut pastry crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip diagonally into 3 pieces. Arrange cookies, cut side down, on 2 baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden, about 14 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)