A couple of months ago, I came up with this Lemon Tart recipe, and served it for dessert at a small dinner party we hosted. I’ve made lots of other lemon desserts before, but wanted to try a tart this time since I had never made one. After experimenting with several fillings and crusts, I came up with this one. It looked beautiful, and turned out to be a perfect finish to my pasta dinner. It was light and lemony, and all we needed to satisfy our sweet tooth.

My favorite part about this recipe is that it’s so easy to put together. You certainly don’t have to be an accomplished cook to turn out a tasty tart. You may have noticed that most of my favorite recipes are also the easiest ones.

LEMON TART

For the Crust:

1 ¾ C flour
½ C sugar
1 ½ sticks butter, room temperature

½ t vanilla extract

Pinch of salt (only if using unsalted butter)

Preheat oven to 400 °

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor or mixer to blend. Add the butter and vanilla and pulse just until the dough comes together. Press the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan, and press a little up the sides to form a shallow bed for the filling. A tart is not as deep as a pie. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Cool to room temperature while you make the filling.

Filling:

½ C sugar

2 T cornstarch

½ C cold water

2 t grated lemon peel

Cook and stir over low heat until thick and clear. Meanwhile combine:

1 egg yolk, beaten

3 T fresh lemon juice

1 T butter

Very slowly stir the sugar mixture into the hot pan. Adding it too quickly will “cook” the egg and ruin your filling. Stirring constantly, cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and cover the pan to prevent a skin from forming on top. Cool a little.

When you’re ready to assemble the tart, stir the filling and pour it over the crust, spreading it out to the edges evenly with a knife. Place it in a closed cake holder, or cover it completely with clear plastic wrap to prevent the filling from drying out. Refrigerate until ready to use. Before serving, sprinkle with some powdered sugar. I served it plain; however, you can dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream and a mint sprig, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

If you’re pressed for time and don’t want to bother making the crust, you can use either a refrigerated or frozen store-bought piecrust. If using a prepared piecrust, remember to fold the edges down about half way before you bake it so when you add the filling it will be smooth and even on top.

Enjoy!

© Pauline Boren 2008

I’m dedicating this article and recipe to my friend, Gene, whom I believe is a fan of my roasted red pears. I prepared some for him and his wife for breakfast one day when they visited us, and they were a big hit. Gene, I hope you like this recipe. I think I finally perfected it. I’ve made them often, but have never written down the exact measurements, etc. You’ve inspired me so this time I did. I hope you like it.

We have always enjoyed some fruit for breakfast, and were getting bored with the same choices available. Several years ago, I was reading through some of my cookbooks and found some articles on roasting fruits. One article especially impressed me. It described how the roasting process caramelizes the natural sugars in the fruit, and the flavor becomes more intense. I have baked apples, apricots, figs, peaches, plums and even pineapple. While they were all delicious, I found that one of the easiest—and by far—the quickest to roast and serve was the pear. Any variety works well. I’ve tried several and while they are all good, the red ones retain their deep maroon color and look prettier on a serving plate. They are delicious either for breakfast or as a light dessert.

If you plan to serve them at breakfast, they can be ready and on the table in about 15 minutes. In fact, if you start them first, they can be baking while you’re making the coffee, pouring the juice or preparing whatever else you plan to serve along side.

 Roasted Red Pears

4 red Anjou pears

1 T melted butter

1 T sugar

½ t cinnamon

1 shake of salt

Preheat oven to 425º

Wash and dry the pears, and remove the stems. Core halfway down with either an apple corer, or a small paring knife. You don’t have to be exact; the purpose is just to make a small hole on the top to hold the cinnamon mixture. Place the pears on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Melt the butter in a small dish in the microwave. Rub the pears gently all over with the butter. Next, combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt. With a small spoon, carefully distribute the mixture over the top of the pears.

Place the pan in the middle rack of your oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You can tell when the pears are ready when you can easily insert a toothpick or skewer. That’s it. Your 15 minutes of preparation time is over. Ready to serve. (Note: the baking time will vary with the size of the pears and the number you choose to roast at a time.)

For a dessert course, they can be baked ahead of time, allowed to cool a little, and topped with a dollop of sweetened or plain sour cream, a little whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or even simply a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a sprig of mint. You could also arrange them on a flat plate sitting on small pool vanilla sauce, or in a pretty glass dish with a splash of liqueur and a topping of cream. They provide a beautiful, light and sweet finish to a meal.

Enjoy!

Well, it’s tax time again, and the time of year when we tighten the belts and stretch the food budget—at least until next month. Especially if you have a large family, you know what I’m talking about. However, we can still have a great meal on a budget. Being the conservative cook, you knew I’d come up with a low-cost, low-cal and still highly nourishing meal.

Tuna! It’s a whole meal in a can, and over the years I’ll bet many thousands of recipes have been created using this great canned fish. It’s available in so many brands and cuts, and packed in anything from plain water to vegetable oil, or as the Italians preserve it, in extra virgin olive oil. The white albacore is a favorite because it’s beautifully light in color, and firm enough to hold its shape in cooked dishes as well as salads. The “plain wrap” packed in water is a little darker in color and falls apart a little—but is just as tasty in a sandwich.

As you might have guessed, I’m partial to the Italian brand packed in olive oil and prepared cold in a salad. To me it tastes fresher, and the oil keeps the fish moist and light. I also prefer tuna in a salad as opposed to hot in a casserole recipe. After carefully draining off the excess oil, the Italian “tonno” makes a quick and nourishing meal. Also, because it’s packed in oil, less mayonnaise or salad dressing is necessary.

Tax Time Tuna Salad

1 6 oz. can tuna

2 or 3 green onions, chopped small

2 stalks celery, chopped small

2 T fresh parsley, minced

1 or 2 T chopped walnuts

1 T pickle relish (optional)

¼ C mayonnaise

1/8 t lemon zest

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Drain tuna. If using the one packed in oil, you can save the oil to use later in a salad dressing. If using white albacore, drain the water off. (Note: If you have a cat, you might serve the liquid to “kitty” for a snack. Our cats love it.)

Combine all the ingredients and chill at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors really come together better when chilled for a little while. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves with fresh tomato wedges and crackers.

Also very good in a sandwich with some whole wheat bread, tomato slices and a couple leaves of lettuce. And don’t forget the small bag of chips and a tall glass of milk.

For a variation you can also add some chopped dill pickle, red or green bell pepper or some chopped seedless cucumber.

Enjoy!

Let’s have a barbeque and we can all bring a dish.

We’ll barbecue here, and I’ll also make some coleslaw. I have several versions of this popular cabbage salad, but I think this one is the best! I hope you like it too. It’s creamy and just a little spicy, a bit sweet but not cloying. You can use low-cal mayonnaise if you wish, but there’s not that much mayo in each serving. To me it’s not worth sacrificing the flavor of the real thing for a couple of calories. If you prefer a milder dressing, you can lessen or omit the horseradish, but don’t leave out the onion. The small amount really adds flavor to the salad.

1 medium size green cabbage, shredded or sliced very thin

(Prepare the cabbage either in a food processor or using a mandolin, or if you don’t have either of these kitchen tools, slice it thinly with a large sharp knife.)

½ C mayonnaise

2 T red wine vinegar

1½ t sugar

½ t fresh ground black pepper

½ t horseradish (cream style or “full strength”)

1½ T minced onion (or ½ green onion)

Measure all dressing ingredients into a glass jar and shake well.

In a large bowl, add sliced cabbage, pour dressing over cabbage, toss well and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Chill at least thirty minutes before serving.

If you don’t plan to use and dress the whole recipe at once, refrigerate the leftover dressing in the glass jar, and the cabbage in a sealed plastic bag. Add one damp and folded paper towel to cabbage bag to retain moisture. Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days. Shake dressing well before using. Even already dressed, the cabbage can be stored in a sealed plastic container overnight. It’s still good the next day.

Serve and enjoy!

How about a wonderful egg dish that you can serve for breakfast with a slice of toast and a side of fresh fruit, or for brunch with some added meat choices? This skillet meal can do both. It’s also very healthful with all fresh vegetables, eggs and cheese. With some sausage, ham or chorizo, and a green salad, it can also be dinner.

We favor spicy, so I added a splash of Tabasco over the tomato layer, in addition to the sprinkle of red pepper flakes over the green pepper layer. If you prefer it not as spicy, you can omit the red pepper flakes, and cut down on the black pepper and Tabasco—but don’t eliminate the Tabasco completely. It adds a lot of flavor to the eggs.

Spicy Southwestern Eggs

Use a heavy 10” skillet, preferably cast iron

2 T olive oil

3 green onions, chopped

2 small potatoes, thinly sliced

3 tomatoes, diced

3 or 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 or 3 sprinkles of red pepper flakes

1 C white or yellow cheddar cheese, grated or shredded

4 eggs, slightly beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

3 T fresh parsley, minced

Topping: 2 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)

Sauté onions in oil until soft. Add the potato layer across the top. Simmer a couple of minutes. Add the tomato layer and Tabasco and simmer a couple more minutes. Add the bell pepper layer and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Cook another minute. By now the potatoes and bell pepper are tender. Pour the beaten eggs over the top. Sprinkle cheese and fresh parsley across the top. Simmer another minute until the eggs begin to set. If you choose the bacon topping, add it now.

Set broiler on high. Keeping an eye on it, place the pan under the broiler a minute or two to finish the eggs and melt the cheese. Remove from broiler and allow to stand a couple of minutes. Pour the coffee and you’re ready to eat.