Love this video: Cooking as alchemy with chefs Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche from Moto in Chicago. This was a pretty interesting TED Talk video and probably one of my favorites to date (maybe because it is about food and I’m biased towards that…)
Holiday drinks
that will warm you to the tips of your toes and bring a smile to your face.
Click to get recipes for DIY Eggnog, Mulled Wine Worth Drinking, Fireside Mulled Cider, or a Mug O’ Minty Hot Chocolate.
After making my lemon tart the other day, I had a request to make another lemon type dessert. I initially decided to make a lemon meringue pie, but I decided to try something different and so I turned to my Masterchef magazine from October and tried out the ‘topsy-turvy’ Lemon Meringue Slice.
This slice is quite different to how you would normally make a slice. Hence why it’s described as ‘topsy-turvy’:
As the lemon curd is baked, it seeps between the shortbread base and the sides of the pan. The slice is then inverted so the curd sits on top. - Masterchef Magazine
The slice has a shortbread crust, so it’s similar to making a cheesecake in the way you press the mixture on the base, rather than a pastry. As shortbread is delicate and soft, this is the reason why the curd easily seeps through the base.
Lemon Meringue Slice (from Masterchef Magazine, October 2011 edition)
Ingredients
- 175g unsalted butter, softened, chopped
- 220g caster sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 250g plain flour
- 1tbs lemon juice
- 3 egg whites
Lemon Curd Layer
- 125ml lemon juice
- 2 lemons, zested
- 4 eggs
- 275g caster sugar
- 80g unsalted butter, melted, cooled
- 35g plain flour
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm slice pan and line base and sides with baking paper.
- To make shortbread base, using an electric mixer, beat butter, 55g sugar, zest and 1/2 tsp salt until pale and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour and beat until mixture starts to come together. Press mixture evenly over base of pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Reduce oven to 160C. To make lemon curd layer, process lemon juice, zest, eggs, sugar, butter and flour in a food processor until smooth. Pour over base. Bake for 30 minutes or until curd is no longer visible on top. Cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 220C. Invert slice onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. To make meringue, using an electric mixer, whisk lemon juice, egg whites and remaining 165g sugar on high speed for 8 minutes or until very stiff and sugar is dissolved.
- Spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. Pipe meringue in lines over curd to cover, then pipe small peaks on top. (Alternatively, spread meringue over curd and texture with the back of a spoon.) Bake on the top shelf of oven for 1 minute or until meringue is light golden. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Cut into 20 pieces to serve.
ENJOY! :D
It figures, the first morning I actually get up early enough to do my hair and we end up with a snow day! At least my hair looked good while I wrapped Four’s Christmas presents and made peanut butter fudge dipped Oreos.
You heard me. Peanut butter fudge dipped Oreos. The fudge covered ones were such a sensation at work, I decided to make a few different variations with the leftover cookies.
Now, I nap.
