Moroccan Preserved Lemons

• Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush and dry them off.
• Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there's a hard little piece of the stem attached. From the other end of the lemon, make a large cut by slicing lengthwise downward, stopping about 1-inch (3 cm) from the bottom, then making another downward slice, so you've incised the lemon with an X shape.
• Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don't be skimpy with the salt: use about 1 tablespoon per lemon.
• Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf, a dried chili, and a cinnamon stick if you want. (Or a combination of any of them.)
• Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Cover and let stand overnight.
• The next day do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to release more juice as they start to soften. Repeat for a 2-3 days until the lemons are completely covered with liquid. If your lemons aren't too juicy, add more freshly-squeezed lemon juice until their submerged, as I generally have to do.
• After one month, when the preserved lemons are soft, they're ready to use. Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they'll keep for at least 6 months. Rinse before using to remove excess salt.

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Meyer Lemons and Green Olives

Gourmet  | December 1999

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• 2 medium onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 pieces preserved Meyer lemon
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 16 pitted green olives, halved
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

preparation

Pat chicken dry, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm, covered.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and reduce heat to moderate. Cook onions and garlic, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add turmeric and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Scrape pulp from preserved lemon, reserving for another use. Cut rind into thin strips and add to onions with broth, wine, and olives.

Return chicken, with any juices accumulated on plate, to skillet. Braise, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

• Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush and dry them off.
  
• Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there's a hard little piece of the stem attached. From the other end of the lemon, make a large cut by slicing lengthwise downward, stopping about 1-inch (3 cm) from the bottom, then making another downward slice, so you've incised the lemon with an X shape.
  
• Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don't be skimpy with the salt: use about 1 tablespoon per lemon.
  
• Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf, a dried chili, and a cinnamon stick if you want. (Or a combination of any of them.)
  
• Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Cover and let stand overnight.
  
• The next day do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to release more juice as they start to soften. Repeat for a 2-3 days until the lemons are completely covered with liquid. If your lemons aren't too juicy, add more freshly-squeezed lemon juice until their submerged, as I generally have to do.
  
• After one month, when the preserved lemons are soft, they're ready to use. Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they'll keep for at least 6 months. Rinse before using to remove excess salt.

Caramel Frosting

1 c. butter

2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. whipping cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 3/4 c. powdered sugar

About 1 c. toasted, chopped pecans

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Carefully stir in the whipping cream and vanilla (be careful of splatters because they'll be HOT!) and then bring this mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 1/2 hour. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until creamy and fluffy. Spread the icing over the cake and sprinkle with toasted chopped pecans.

OREO COOKIE CRUST

Crush 1 package of Oreo cookies in blender.  Add cookies to blender gradually to avoid blender jam up!  Blend in 1/4 cup melted butter.  The best.

Lynda’s 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Wheat berries need to be measured exactly to 1 lb on a digital kitchen scale, then ground it in a wheat grinder, otherwise the amounts will be off.  

1 2/3 c. warm water   }             

¼ c. sugar                  }  Soften these 3 ingredients for 5 minutes till yeast foams.

2 t. yeast                    }

2 T. olive oil

2 T. gluten flour

1 t.  lecithin granules 

3 ¾ c. whole wheat flour (1 lb of wheat berries or 2 ¼ c. berries)

1 t. salt   

Add remaining ingredients to yeast mixture.  Knead 30 minutes.  Let rest for 1 hour.  Oil counter and shape into loaf.   Let rise double in warm oven or area for 45 - 60 minutes.   Bake @ 350 F. for 40 minutes in oven.  Yield:  1 loaf.   Calories:  2070 

Tips:  The dough will be a little sticky tacky.  I knead the dough either in a Bosch or Bread Maker  then take it out and shape and rise it accordingly.  You will need LARGE bread pans.  

You can find lecithin granules and gluten flour at Nutter’s or possibly Community Health Foods, please do not omit these. 

Chocolate Peanut Sweeties

- Joy (RDL Secretary) (Legends of Africa Drama Performance and Building Hope fundraiser)

1 c regular peanut butter (not generic, not reduced fat)
1/2 c butter (no substitutes), softened
3 c icing sugar

5 dozen mini pretzel twists (about 3 cups

beat peanut butter and butter till smooth, beat in icing sugar
shape into 1" balls, press on on each pretzel, and place on lined baking sheets
refrigerate about 1 hour

1 1/2 c milk chocolate chips
1 T veg oil

melt together chocolate and oil
dip the peanut butter ball into chocolate
return to baking sheet, pretzel side down
refrigerate 30 minutes before serving
store in the refrigerator

Lemon Meringue Cake

 - Kelly

This recipe originally came from Martha Stewart in the mid-90's, but you can't find this exact one on her website any more (what up, Martha?), so I'm just going to put it here in it's entirety.  I still have the print out from the 90's, and so I'm happy to have it in a more permanent form.  

Make the lemon curd first. 

Lemon Curd Filling

(Makes 1 1/2 cups)

4 large egg yolks

2 large whole eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (this is roughly 2 large lemons)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

Zest of 2 lemons (how handy!)

1.  In a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice.  Place over low heat (medium, maybe depending on your stove), and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.  (You will know -- all of the sudden it's just thick.)  Remove pan from heat, and stir to cool slightly.

2.  Strain curd through a sieve set over a small bowl.  (Do not skip this step, or you will have bits of cooked egg in your lemon curd.  Unseemly.)  Add butter, a piece at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition.  Stir in lemon zest, and let cool completely. 

Lemon Meringue Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, room temperature, plus a bit more to butter the cake pans.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus a bit more to dust your cake pans.

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest of 2 lemons

Lemon Curd Filling (recipe above)

Swiss Meringue (recipe below)

1.  Heat oven to 350•.  Butter two round 8-by-2 inch cake pans.  Line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Dust bottoms and sides of pans with flour, making sure to coat pans evenly.  Tap to remove any excess.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually add sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes (don't skimp).  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until batter is no longer slick, about 5 minutes; scrape down sides.

3.  Reduce mixer speed to low.  Slowly add sifted flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk a little at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Beat in vanilla and lemon zest.

4.  Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.  Remove cakes from pans, and return to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.  (if you have the time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to put them in the freezer before the next step -- it will make cutting them easier!)

5.  To assemble, turn cakes upside-down onto cardboard cake rounds and remove parchment paper.  Using a serrated knife, slice each cake in half horizontally.  You will have four layers.  (Martha is a bit overly explanatory, no?)

6.  Spread 1/3 of the lemon curd filling over the bottom layer.  Top with the second cake layer, and spread with 1/3 more of the filling.  Remove the cake round from second cake.  Top with third cake layer.  Spread with remaining filling.  Top with fourth cake layer.  Chill assembled cake until set, at least one hour, or overnight is fine, too.

7.  Heat oven to 400•.  Using an offset spatula, spread the Swiss Meringue all over the cake, making decorative swirls.  Place cake, still on cake round, on a Silpat lined baking sheet (you could also use Parchment paper, Martha, please.)  Transfer to oven.  Bake, watching carefully, until meringue has browned around edges and begins to brown elsewhere, 3 to 5 minutes.  (You could also use a blow torch if you have one.)  Transfer cake, on round, to a serving plate.  (This is tricky!)  When slicing cake, run a knife under hot water, then wipe dry, and cut.  Repeat with hot water between slices.

Swiss Meringue

6 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Combine the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer.  Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.

2.  Transfer the bowl ot the electric mixer.  Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes.  Use immediately.

The cake turned out so pretty. Jaclyn thinks it could be inspiration for a wedding cake, though she would do chocolate underneath the meringue - the lemon cake tasted too much like my lemon bread recipe (not special enough).


I really, really loved the Swiss Meringue. Heating the ingredients before whipping changed the texture significantly. I'll never do *regular* meringue again.