When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Lemon Bars

If you don't know this by now, I'll admit it. I'm not much of a baker. Baking is too precise and doesn't fit well with my ADD personality; so naturally, we don't have many home-baked goodies in our household. My son PJ used to make wonderful lemon bars, but he's moved out on his own and lives in another state. Last week at the urging of my 6 year-old niece, I decided to try my hand at them. I didn't use PJ's recipe--he used the one in our 30+ year old Betty Crocker Cookbook. First I discovered the index pages had been ripped out of the book. Then I found the pages where the lemon bar recipe might have been were permanently glued together with some kind of sugary mess! So I turned to my faithful Google and after some brief comparisons, decided on my girl Ina Garten's version. I only used one tablespoon of lemon zest and 3/4 cups of juice but these bars were still really, really tart--but delicous. And they were so easy, even I couldn't mess them up!

Lemon Bars

For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet.

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 the greased 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 lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (less if you are using the thinner topping), or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 20 squares

Dilled Crab Salad

My friend Mark Tafoya and his partner Jennifer Iannolo at the Culinary Media Network are preparing to publish the Gilded Fork Cookbook and they've asked for volunteers to test and photographs some of the recipes. One of the recipes I tested was Dilled Crab Salad on Artichoke Bottoms, part of their Summer Picnic menu. The recipe could be served as an appetizer on artichoke bottoms or on a bed of lettuce as a salad. What I loved about this recipe was the combination of fresh flavors--lemon, dill, cucumbers. The lump crab was a little pricey, but well worth the extra dollars. I also liked that the preparation was super simple and fast (about 20 minutes), but the final presentation was very impressive. After tasting the appetizer and salad, my mom and I enjoyed the remaining crab salad on water crackers with a glass of white wine from Argentina. Perfecto!

Dilled Crab Salad on Artichoke Bottoms

Serves 16 as an hors d’oeuvre; serves 4 as a salad

6 ounces jumbo lump crab meat, picked over to remove any shell bits
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced to 1/8” thickness
1 red bell pepper, 1/8” dice
2 celery stalks, strings removed and finely diced
3 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fine quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sweet cider or raspberry vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 15-ounce cans artichoke bottoms

Prepare the vegetables:
Peel the cucumber and halve it lengthwise. Using a small spoon, gently remove the seeds and slice thinly into 1/8” slices. Dice the red bell pepper to 1/8” dice, then remove the strings from the celery, cut into lengthwise strips, and dice to 1/8” dice. Finely mince the dill.

Make the salad:
Pick over the crab meat to remove any stray pieces of shell or cartilage. Leave the large lumps intact. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, olive oil and lemon juice to form an emulsion. Add the diced vegetables and dill and stir to combine. Gently fold in the crab meat, being careful not to further break up the lumps.

At this point you may add a splash or two of the vinegar and mix until the salad reaches the desired consistency. It should be neither too dry nor too wet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the crab salad in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Just prior to serving, open the can of artichoke bottoms and carefully shave off the bottom end of each so the artichoke bottoms sit flat and level.

Service:
If serving as an hors d’oeuvre, place one or two heaping tablespoons of the crab salad on each artichoke bottom and garnish with a small sprig of dill. If serving as a plated salad, line the serving plates with lettuce leaves, place the salad on top, and serve immediately with a crusty baguette.

Brazilian Shrimp

This is my new favorite shrimp recipe. Courtesy of Gourmet Magazine by way of Epicurious.com it's called "Brazilian Shrimp Stew" or "Moqueca de camarao." I suppose it is a stew, but a stew sounds very pedestrian to me, and this recipe is anything but. I used fire-roasted tomatoes and red and green bell peppers for color (also, I just happen to like red bell peppers best). I reduced the amount of cayenne pepper the original recipe called for by one-half and it was still plenty spicy. I absolutely adore coconut milk and its appearance in this recipe did not disappoint. I've never tasted dendê or palm oil, so I left it out. Maybe next time I'll try a drizzle. Of course, I would eat this with rice.

Brazilian Shrimp

1 1/4 lb large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per lb), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (14- to 15-oz) can diced tomatoes including juice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
5 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon dendê (palm) oil*

Toss shrimp with black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic, and lemon juice and marinate, covered and chilled, 20 minutes.

Purée tomatoes with juice in a blender until smooth.

Cook onion and bell pepper in olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cayenne, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and remaining teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato purée and simmer briskly, stirring, until mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and bring to a boil, then add shrimp mixture and cook, stirring, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in dendê oil and remaining 4 tablespoons cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

* Available at Brazilian and West African markets and most Whole Foods. Fiesta in Austin probably has it too.