Lemon Poppyseed Truffles

Am I the only one still on the lemon bandwagon? A couple of weeks ago Pinterest was packed with lemon-based recipes. Now my feed seems to have been taken over by salad and camping recipes. Not that I’m complaining! My Official Treat Taster and I go camping a lot so I love trying out new recipes. The food is the only reason I go camping, really. If I was stuck on a desert island (although a dessert island would be much more fun) and had to BBQ all my food, I would be one happy stranded person who would probably feel a pang of sadness when the rescue boat appears over the horizon.

I always seem to have a problem getting round things – such as these truffles – looking the way they should be. Pizza dough, bagels, scones… You name it, if it’s meant to be round, mine will be all over the place rustic. Hopefully you’ll have more luck shaping your truffles than I did.

The weather is terrible here today – I had to stand outside surrounded by low, gray clouds in the drizzle this morning waiting for someone to let me into the office whilst wearing a short denim skirt, a bright, flowery, summery top and flip flops. (I really should have looked out of the window before I got dressed.) This never happens in Tenerife in June. If someone asks me what the weather will be like tomorrow at any point during the year, I can usually say “warm and sunny” and 98% of the time, I’ll be right.

Do you know what makes the weather suddenly change from dark and rainy to bright and sunny? Lemon Poppyseed Truffles. The smooth and creamy citrus flavor should bring a smile to your face and if nothing else, your kitchen will smell lemony fresh!

Lemon Poppyseed Truffles

Recipe inspired by Food + Words

Makes 12 large truffles

Ingredients

¼ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

200g white chocolate

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

powdered sugar

Recipe

1.       Chop the white chocolate into small chunks and place in a bowl. Leave to one side.

2.       Mix together the cream, butter, lemon zest and juice in a saucepan over a medium heat until it begins to bubble. Remove immediately from the heat and pour over the white chocolate.

3.       Leave for 5 minutes before whisking until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the poppy seeds. Scoop the mixture into a bowl and place in the fridge for at least two hours.

4.       When ready to shape your truffles, remove the mixture from the fridge and scoop out small measures (somewhere around 1 tablespoon is good) and roll into balls.

5.       Place the balls into a large bowl and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Shake the bowl until the truffles are fully coated.

Transfer to an air-tight container and store in the fridge. 



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Blueberry Scones with Lemon Sugar Topping

I have created the best scone recipe ever. Or at least the best scones I’ve ever made before. This blueberry scone recipe creates fluffy, buttery scones which are so light they practically float into your mouth (in large numbers). The lemon sugar topping might be a bit much for people who prefer their scones leaning towards the savoury side (I don’t know if these people genuinely exist, I’ve just heard rumours), but I think it complements the scones perfectly.

You can devour one for breakfast, nibble on one for a snack, gobble a couple for lunch, chomp one for another snack, gorge on a few for dinner and pick at one for dessert and you wouldn’t get sick of them, they really are that good.

I baked the scones individually because we like fluffy and soft insides with crisp and crunchy edges around here. If you’re more into soft insides and outsides, roll all the dough into a large ball on your baking tray, flatten it slightly and score enough straight lines to make eight separate triangular-shaped scones. Bake as usual – maybe a touch longer than 20 minutes – and you’ll get soft, fluffy outsides as well as insides.

Fortunately this recipe only makes eight scones, but if you’re feeling indulgent you could easily double it... or triple it... or quadruple it... or – okay, I’m getting carried away now. Just get into the kitchen and make some! (And maybe drop some off at my house because I’m all out of blueberries.)

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Sugar Topping

Ingredients

2 cups flour

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Zest of ½ lemon

½ cup cold butter chopped into small cubes

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup milk

½ cup blueberries fresh, frozen or dried

Topping

Zest of ½ lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C and mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.

2. Rub the butter in with your fingertips until you have a mixture of small and medium-sized balls of butter. Having medium-sized balls of butter in your dough is what will make the scones flaky – very important!

3. Pour the milk, egg and blueberries into the bowl and mix until just combined, we don’t want to destroy the balls of butter.

4. Separate your dough into 8 pieces and roll each one into a ball. Place each ball onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and slightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Make sure your scones are well spread-out – they will bake outwards.

5. For the sugar topping, rub together the lemon zest, juice and sugar. Brush a little milk over the tops of the scones then sprinkle on the sugar topping. Press it down with your finger tips to make sure it sticks.

6. Bake for around 20 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. Leave to cool slightly on a wire rack and serve whilst warm.

Try not to pass out from the overwhelming happy sensation in your tummy.



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Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulee Bars

Do you ever procrastinate and end up getting a whole lot more done whilst procrastinating than if you’d just sat down and done what you were meant to? On Friday night I had a 3,600-word article that I really needed to get done. I had made a reasonable dent in it, but it wasn’t even half finished. My Official Treat Taster and his mom even left the house so I’d have the required peace and quiet to finish my work before the deadline passed.

What did I end up doing? I wrote a paragraph or two then cleaned the house, cooked dinner, organized my Google timetable, made ice cream, baked bread, watched ‘The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2006’ because it had Russell Brand and Noel Fielding in it and went for a walk along the beach. Oh, and I made these Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulee Bars, too. Can’t forget about those. I just don’t understand myself sometimes – it would have been a lot easier if I had just sat down on the comfy sofa with a cup of coffee and finished my article. But instead I went on a cleaning and baking rampage whilst watching TV, then topped it off with a leisurely beach stroll.

The original recipe called for a sugar/butter/flour base which I tried but didn’t like at all. It tasted fantastic before I baked it, but when it came out of the oven it was hard and really sugary – almost like candy. In the recipe below I’ve substituted this base for an easy-to-make graham cracker base which will suit this recipe much better. The cheesecake filling is fantastic though – the lemon juice and zest swirl into the fluffy filling and add a much-needed spring zing.

Now I really need to get a move on with that article.

Lemon Cheesecake Crème Brulee Bars

Recipe adapted from Lauren’s Latest

Makes 16 small bars

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups graham cracker/digestive crumbs

5 tablespoons butter

250ml softened cream cheese

400ml condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan and mix in the graham cracker/digestive crumbs until all the butter has been absorbed. Press this into the bottom of your baking dish and leave to one side.

3. Beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk, vanilla extract, egg, lemon zest and juice until thick. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the base bake for around 25 minutes, or until the cheesecake if fully set. Leave to cool at room temperature then refrigerate.

Cut into 16 squares and sprinkle each one with a little sugar. Torch the sugar topping unit it melts and turns amber. If you don’t have a mini blow-torch, just place your sugar-topped cheesecakes under the broiler.

Store the cheesecakes in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.



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Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon, meringue and short-crust pastry are the three favourite dessert ingredients at our house right now. My Official Treat Taster’s mother is staying with us for a while, so I’m whirling myself into a frenzy trying to whip up as many desserts as possible which incorporate the ‘magic three’. Unfortunately, I’m lucking out a bit because I don’t like meringue, I just can’t get excited about short-crust pastry, and I can take or leave lemons.

So although I personally didn’t think much of this Lemon Meringue Pie, I have been assured that it’s fantastic. If you’re into the ‘magic three’ then this dessert is definitely for you. It’s  a wonderful spring dessert, combining a buttery, crumbly crust with a soft light meringue and swirling with citrus flavours.

When my pie came out of the oven it was a little soggy, so I have changed the recipe accordingly so it shouldn’t be as soggy for you. Also, make sure your filling is really thick so you can spread it onto your pastry base instead of pouring it on.  

Lemon Meringue Pie
Adapted from Delia Smith's recipe

Ingredients

Pastry:

110g plain flour

Pinch salt

35g sugar

25g butter

25g lard

Filling:

275ml water

Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

4 tablespoons cornflour

50g sugar

3 egg yolks

40g butter

Meringue:

3 egg whites

175g sugar

Recipe

Pastry:

Sieve the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt and sugar. Chop the butter and lard into small cubes and add to the flour. Rub in with your hands until you have coarse breadcrumbs. Add a tablespoon of cold water at a time (you should only need 1 or 2) until your pastry comes together. Pop into a plastic bag and store in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.

When fully chilled, roll the pastry out ½ inch (1cm) larger than the rim of you tin. Cut an additional ½ inch (1cm) strip from the edge of the pastry. Dampen the rim of your tin with water and fix the strip around it, pressing down well. Place the pastry circle in the bottom of the tin and press it against the pastry rim to secure it. Prick the base all over with a fork and bake on a high self for 20-25 minutes. Remove the pastry case when fully cooked and lower the temperature to 300F/150C.

Filling:

Measure 275ml cold water into a jug. Spoon the cornflour and sugar into a bowl and add enough of the cold water to mix it into a smooth paste. Pour the rest of the water into a saucepan with the lemon zest. Bring this to the boil over a medium heat then pour it onto the cornflour, mixing constantly until it is smooth.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring back to the boil, still mixing constantly. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 2 minutes, stirring all the time. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, lemon juice and butter. Pour the filling into the pastry shell and spread it out evenly.

Meringue:

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Whisk in ¼ of the sugar sugar at a time until it is all incorporated. Spread the meringue on top of the filling, making sure to cover the edges of the pastry and bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.



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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

I haven't experimented much with citrus flavours, so when I came across a lemon muffin recipe, I thought I'd give it a go. The original recipe was for plain lemon muffins and called for much more sugar. I added my own touch by reducing the sugar, including poppy seeds and drizzling over an amazing lemon icing.

Although the icing is really basic - just icing sugar and lemon juice - there is something about it that just makes me want to eat it straight out of the bowl. This recipe makes 12 muffins which are perfect for breakfast, a traditional British tea or just a refreshing, yummy snack.

Ingredients

Muffins

125g sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

260g flour

Pinch of salt

180ml sour cream

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

115g melted butter

6tbsp poppy seeds

Icing

150g icing sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line 12 muffin moulds with paper cases.

2. In a bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest with your fingertips until the mixture becomes very fragrant. To this, ass the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Separately, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter.

4. Gently fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Remember – it’s better to under-mix than over-mix, so don’t worry if there are a few lumps in the batter.

5. Stir in the poppy seeds then divide the batter equally between the muffin cases. Bake for around 20 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and leave for five minutes, before removing each muffin from its mould and returning them to the wire rack until they have cooled completely.

6. Meanwhile, make the lemon glaze. To the icing sugar, add a few drops of lemon juice at a time and mix well. Carry on adding lemon juice and mixing until you have your perfect tangy lemon taste and the ideal medium-thick consistency. If you don’t want the icing to be too tart, you can add a bit of water instead of extra lemon juice.

7. When the muffins have completely cooled, drizzle the tops with lemon glaze and leave to set.