sew and sew

Just came into a bag of fresh lemons and I'd like to bake something with them. (Definitely leaning toward lemon meringue pie but I'm open to other ideas). At the moment I can only afford purchasing ingredients for one baking project though, so a tried and true recipe that calls for accessible, reasonably affordable ingredients would be perfect.

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“It was only a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Saria

Depends. For classic:
http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2...-pie.html#more

For a slightly different meringue:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...ie-recipe.html

Lemon meringue is not a favorite for me, so I'd suggest just simple lemon tart or lemon squares or a lemon souffle tart, but since you are a fan, just make the lemon meringue pie.

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sew and sew

Thanks for the links!

What do you think about using sea salt in place of kosher salt (first recipe)?

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“It was only a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Saria

It's not a big deal. Kosher salt is usually specified because it's less salty than table salt if you're not weighing.

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sew and sew

Good to know, thanks.

I'm kind of in the mood to do something pairing lemon with chocolate now. I did some recipe searching and wasn't wooed by one. Let me know if one comes to your mind off hand.

Or anyone else!

I'll probably make a grocery store trip for whatever project I go with tomorrow (Thurs) and definitely Friday if not tomorrow.

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“It was only a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Saria

I don't really like lemon and chocolate pairings. One, because I'm just not huge on chocolate, but two because they're best left to shine on their own. That's why you get the expression about people being either lemon or chocolate when it comes to ordering dessert.
But if you must, you can do a lemon tart with a layer of chocolate. Suzanne Goin does one, though it's with sweeter Meyer lemons.
http://leitesculinaria.com/332/recip...chocolate.html
And truth be told, I didn't care for it because it just took away from the lemon tart. Yeah, I'm just not big on chocolate and lemon together.
You could also try chocolate and lemon caramels, but you'll use mostly zest, not whole lemons.
There's Pierre Herme's Riviera, but you might find it a little daunting to make all the components:
http://www.nordljus.co.uk/en/riviera
http://parispastry.blogspot.com/2009/04/riviera.html

Plus it will cost you a decent sum since chocolate is a pricey ingredient.

Here's a tart with chocolate crust from Kate Zuckerman:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/l...e-almond-crust

Well, there is chocolate-dipped candied peel. I like that okay (though I prefer orange peel), but it does involve candying and tempering chocolate, which are a bit intimidating for a lot of people.

I prefer white chocolate pairings with lemon. The lemon tempers the sweetness of the white chocolate pretty nicely. Don't know if you're interested in that.

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Saria

Well, she likes chocolate and lemon (though it's Meyer lemons which I agree are a better match due to how fragrant and sweet they are in comparison to the much sharper Eureka lemons):

http://www.cannellevanille.com/2009/...emon-love.html
http://www.cannellevanille.com/2009/...boust-and.html

Again, her stuff can be daunting if you don't do much pastry, and it's pricey, but you can at least get an idea of how to pair the two.

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Hropkey

Not necessarily baking but I did make lemon curd out of fresh lemon juice and served it with yeasty Russian-style pancakes. SO good.

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sew and sew

Hropkey, Mmmm- that does sound good.

Saria, thanks for all the info!
I didn't get to the grocery store today (well not on behalf of this project at least) so I have a little more time to debate things.

And I've since realized that I should make some simple lemonade in the meantime (there's definitely enough lemons to spare).

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“It was only a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

minniecurld84

I have been craving lemon squares and lemon shortbread. I do not care for chocolate or the idea of pairing lemon and chocolate. However, I would not use milk chocolate. Darker chocolates has citrusy background flavors that are inhanced by use with an actual citrus fruit.

Saria

Not necessarily. It depends on the chocolate, and you really don't want to go with something too bittersweet, like say, any higher than a 64-66% range. Some bittersweet chocolate will have coffee notes, tobacco, nuts, and no real citrus to it. But even then, you'll end up using mostly zest, as opposed to the whole fruit. I make a bittersweet chocolate and citrus tart infused with tea and it's just zest.

White chocolate tastes of vanilla, a bit of toffee, and often a little floral. That and its sweetness make it a good pairing for lemons.

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Gretchen

Saria, I just wanted to say how lucky we are to have you here at CurlTalk! I love reading your posts. When I grow up, I'm going to be a chef.

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Gretchen
NaturallyCurly.com co-founder
3A

You are beautiful!

Saria

Aww, thank you so much, Gretchen! I love this community and feel very lucky to "know" so many wonderful people here.

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