Lesson #166: Lemon Chiffon Pie

This pie is ULTRA lemony and has an AMAZINGLY silky smooth texture. We loved it so much in our house that we had to give some of it away so we didn't eat the whole pie. If you have a lemon lover in your life, this would be the perfect dessert to make for them.

The only thing that is a little tricky is giving yourself enough time to make the multiple components of this pie. You have to pre-bake a pie crust, whip up the lemon topping (which involves squeezing a bunch of lemons to get fresh juice), make a meringue to fold into the lemon filling, and top with homemade whipped cream. Trust me - it's worth all the effort!

LESSON LEARNED: Use fresh lemon juice to achieve to give this pie the lemon flavor it deserves.

Recipe for Lemon Chiffon Pie

Lesson #141: Lemon White Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries

I was looking for a dessert that was nice enough to serve at a dinner party that I could prepare ahead of time and didn't require me to turn on the oven. This is it!

You begin by making two different flavors of mousse. I made a quick lemon curd for one flavor and melted white chocolate for the other flavor. Then, you whip cream and fold in whatever you choose to flavor the dessert with and let it hang out in the refrigerator for a while. A few hours before serving, you slice fresh fruit and layer it in a pretty glass with the two types of mousse. It was super simple, yet really elegant. I'll definitely keep this in mind the next time I need to make a dinner party dessert.

LESSON LEARNED: You can easily switch up the fruit and mousse depending on when you serve this dessert. A mint and chocolate mousse layered with Oreos would be awesome during the winter!

Recipe for Lemon White Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Berries

Lesson #103: Lemon-Glazed Citrus-Yogurt Pound Cake

This pound cake reminds me of a similar lemon pound cake at Starbucks. It's tart, yet sweet, and has a refreshing lemon taste. It would be the perfect accompaniment to a glass of tea or coffee.

What really impressed me with this cake is that it held up very well over time. After a few days, it was still incredibly moist and even tasted more lemony. This is probably due to a lemon simple syrup which is brushed over the cake and a lemon powdered sugar glaze over top. The cake is light and fluffy (not dense and heavy as pound cakes tend to be) because of cake flour in the batter. You also add grapefruit juice to boost the citrus flavor and yogurt to help the cake remain moist. Overall, the recipe is definitely a winner in my book!

LESSON LEARNED: Adding grapefruit juice, in addition to lemon zest, to the batter boosts the lemon flavor without tasting like grapefruit.

Recipe for Lemon-Glazed Citrus-Yogurt Pound Cake

Lesson #79: Citrus Sponge Cake

One of the reasons why I love winter is because of the beautiful citrus fruits that are in season. It's my favorite time of year to enjoy oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. This sponge cake is ABSOLUTELY fabulous! The texture of the cake is light and fluffy. When you eat a piece of this cake it's DELIGHTFULLY buttery and tangy from the use of lemon juice/zest. 

I baked the cake in a sheet pan so I could cut round pieces of cake using a cookie cutter. This cake is wonderful on it's own or with a dab of sweetened whipped cream. Enjoy!

LESSON LEARNED: Now's the season to enjoy citrus fruits!

Recipe for Citrus Sponge Cake

Lesson #15: Adventures in Truffle Making - part 1

While my husband and I lived in Arizona, we LOVED See's Candy. These stores are mostly on the west coast - although you can find mini stores in some airports and in the mall around Christmas time - and they have fabulous candy which you can (and we do!) order online. See's carries a wide variety of chocolate truffles, so I thought I try making them.

Well, my first attempt kinda worked... First, and foremost, the flavor on these creamy lemon truffles in fantastic. They have a semi-sweet chocolate coating with a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth white chocolate ganache. The white chocolate is dotted with lemon zest which provides just enough acid to cut the sweetness of the chocolate. That's the good news!

The bad news is that my technique needs work. Unlike what I imagine a pastry chef would do, I didn't temper the chocolate. This is basically where you melt the chocolate and then bring it up to a certain temperature by adding some unmelted chocolate. From what I understand, tempering chocolate allows the chocolate to properly set and gives in a satin smooth finish. Second, my dipping technique was a little messy. There are globs of chocolate on top and they don't look very pretty at all.

But, man, these are good! I threw them in the freezer and pull one out every once in a while for a treat. I decided that I'm going to keep on working on making truffles. I'll keep you posted :)

LESSON LEARNED: Truffles are delicious, but I need some practice making them!

Recipe for Creamy Lemon Truffles