Recipe 28: Lemontart

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons (10-1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
1 fully-baked 9-inch tart shell

DIRECTIONS :
1. Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

2. Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off heat, rub the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the lemon juice.

3. Set the bowl over the pan, and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. You want to cook the cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk -- and you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling -- you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as the cream is getting closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Heads up at this point -- the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. Don’t stop whisking and don’t stop checking the temperature. And have patience -- depending on how much water you’ve got under the cream and how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

4. As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of a blender (or food processor); discard the zest. Let the cream rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

5. Turn the blender to high (or turn on the food processor) and, with the machine going, add about 5 pieces of butter at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed while you’re incorporating the butter. Once the butter is in, keep the machine going -- to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to beat the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.

6. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and chill the cream for at least 4 hours or overnight. When you are ready to construct the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.

Serving:The tart should be served cold, because it is a particular pleasure to have the cold cream melt in your mouth. Fruit coulis is nice with the tart, but not necessary, ditto a little crème fraiche. I know it sounds odd to offer something as rich as crème fraiche with something as rich as this tart, but it works -- because the lemon cream is so light and so intensely citric, it doesn’t taste or feel rich, a situation that is potentially dangerous and positively delightful.

Storing:While you can make the lemon cream ahead (it will keep in the frige for 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months), once the tart is constructed, it’s best to eat it the day it is made.

Recipe 27: Mini Greek Pizza Muffins

All the flavors of a Greek pizza make these savory muffins bite-size treats for adults and kids alike.
Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Serve at room temperature or reheat at 350°F.
Equipment: Mini-muffin pan with 24 (2-tablespoon) muffin cups.

INGREDIENTS:

For Mini Greek Pizza Muffins :

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

2/3 cup finely chopped red bellpepper

1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup low-fat milk

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 large egg, well beaten

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray. 3. Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, oregano, sugar, garlic powder and salt in a medium bowl. 4. Stir milk, feta, egg, tomato paste and olives into the onion mixture. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups two-thirds full. 5. Bake the muffins until lightly browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe 26: Hearty Twice Baked Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

8 large baking potatoes

1/2 pound bulk pork sausage

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups diced fully cooked ham

6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Scrub and pierce potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-60 minutes or microwave, uncovered, on high for 12-14 minutes or until tender. 2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

3. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell. In a large mixing bowl, mash the pulp with butter. Stir in the sausage, cheese, ham, bacon, sour cream, salad dressing, salt and pepper.

4. Spoon into potato shells. Place on two ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe 25: Strawberry Shortcake

For the dose 1 tray measured the diameter 18 cm

INGREDIENTS:
2 items egg
60 gr granulated sugar
60 gr soft flour 15 gr butter non salt

To decoration
Adequate Strawberry
200 cc fresh cream
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut piece of the paper of the tray and the contents of the side part and the underside brass. Weighed and prepared all materials. Diluted butter in the oven approximately 1-2 minutes. Arranged the oven with the temperature 160 degree for 25 minutes.
2. Put the egg into the bowl, shook until was destroyed and put granulated sugar. Continued shook until joined.
3. Put warm water temperature around 30 degree Celsius in the big bowl, and beat batter no.2 above with warm water by using the machine mixer. When beating batter shook turned until his batter congealed and joined.
4. Put fine flour into batter, stirred slow and put butter that has been diluted afterwards stirred again.
5. Put batter that has been inside brass. Dropped the tray in a second manner the hands slowly to issue air that still was inside then put in the roaster oven.
6. Stick the cake with the toothpick and if already not there are those that clung, meant to have been ripe. If being ripe, issued batter from inside the tray and cool down.
7. Put granulated sugar into fresh cream, shook with used mixer on ice water.
8. Clean the strawberry, release the leaf then slice. Cut cake become 2 shares, arrange in layers part of surface of cutting with fresh cream agitation, then put down the strawberry which have been sliced above him. Above strawberry resurfaced with cream agitation, smooth down then put down cake cutting which half again of him.
9. Arrange all in layers surface of cake with cream agitation, last decorate its tabletop with and cream of strawberry.

Recipe 24: Chocolate Macaroon

INGREDIENTS:
70 gr butter non-salt
50 gr almond (almond which been sliced soft and dried.
4 teaspoons cocoa butter (non-sugar)
50 gr soft flour
3 teaspoons granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Let butter in the warm room . Mixed in the cup stirred until joined became cream.
2. Mixed that all the materials with turned, then put in the middle of and stirred flatten. Continued stirred until hardened.
3. The very round form until formed the measuring ball 3 cm. Firstly took the material with one hand, then the fist and turned-turned in a second manner the hands.
4. The cake that has been covered was placed above roaster. In order to not cling mutually during compiled arranged with the distance 3-4 cm in a hot manner 180 degree for 15 minutes
5. If being ripe, adopted and hushed until cold.