Lemon Forsythia Pie

From backyard cookouts, to picnics at the lake, to bridal showers and other events, summer time  provides countless opportunities for trying out new desserts.  My mom shared with me a recipe a few weeks ago that was given to her over 30 years ago, and I've been waiting for an opportunity to try it out.  This past weekend we attended a dinner for some missionaries who were visiting our church, and my assignment was dessert.  I love it when I get to do dessert!  It's much more interesting than making a salad or bringing condiments for burgers.

One of the things that I like to try to do when I make dessert for a small crowd is to make two different kinds {this isn't a hard and fast rule, but it's my desire}, one of a chocolate sort and one that is not.  A lot of people love chocolate, but some people don't, so it's nice to offer something for both groups.  The two desserts that I made were great because one called for egg yolks, the other for egg whites; both required heavy cream.  This made it more economical when purchasing my ingredients and helped me to not waste anything.  {Just a little tip for you as you plan out dessert menus!}  I had some lemons leftover from making this lemonade, so I decided to make this Lemon Pie.  The second dessert I made can be found here--it's basically a chocolate truffle in tart form.

Lemon Forsythia Pie was delightfully light, not too sweet, and not too lemony.  It's perfect for summer and very easy to make.  Enjoy!

Lemon Forsythia Pie


Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a pastry blender, mix flour, butter, sugar and salt until crumbly.  Place 1/3 cup of this mixture into a greased baking dish.  Press the remaining mixture into a greased and floured 9-inch pie plate.  Bake both in 375F oven for 12-15 minutes.  Cool.

Filling:
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Combine egg whites, sugar, lemon peel and lemon juice in a medium sized bowl.  Beat until stiff, a long time {close to 10 minutes}.  Whip cream* and fold into lemon mixture.  Place into baked pie crust and top with the crumbs that were baked in the baking dish.  Chill.  Can be frozen.


*Before whipping the cream, place either a glass or stainless steel bowl in the fridge.  Whipping cream in a cold bowl will help the cream to whip more quickly.  


This pie would also be delicious served with Blueberry Compote.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Ice Cream has always been one of my favorite desserts.  In fact, I remember as a young girl laying in bed, hearing the clanking of metal spoons on glass bowls, getting angry that my parents were enjoying a nice bowl of Breyer's without me!  We registered for an ice cream maker when we got married, and we've thoroughly enjoyed it through the years.  With summer quickly approaching {maybe not for all of you, but here in GA, it's been in the high 80's!}, I thought it only appropriate to try out a new ice cream flavor.  Key Lime Pie is one of my favorite pie flavors, so this recipe sounded perfect to me.  It is quite tart, so I recommend eating it with some graham crackers, shortbread, or a piece of bitter chocolate.  The texture is really creamy and overall it's delightful.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk {a little more than 1 can}
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup lime juice {I used key lime juice}

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate until cold.  Pour into ice cream maker and mix for 12-15 minutes.  {Mine was still quite runny at this point, but it froze well, so don't be alarmed if yours does the same}.  Transfer to another container, cover, and freeze for several hours.  


source:  slightly adapted from Food Network

Lime Granita with Pistachio Shortbread

If you're looking for a refreshing dessert that doesn't require an ice cream maker, this is the one for you!  The tartness of the lime paired with a buttery shortbread is a great combination.  Or just make the shortbread to savor with a cup of coffee.  We had company this weekend so I broke out the china for our  meal.  Instead of using ice cream dishes (which I don't have), I decided to serve the granita with a cup and saucer.  It worked out well because when the granita has melted, you can easily drink the remaining juice instead of trying to lap it up with a spoon.   Enjoy this light dessert!

Recipe for Granita:

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)

Bring 2 cups water and 1 cup sugar to boil in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes.  Cool syrup; stir in lime juice.  Transfer lime syrup to 11x7x2-inch baking dish.  Cover and place in freezer.  Stir every 45 minutes until frozen, about 3 hours.  Can be made 2 days ahead.  Cover and keep frozen. 

Pistachio Shortbread:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

1 large egg yolk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix flour, powdered sugar, and salt in processor.  Add butter, pistachios, egg yolk and vanilla.  Using on/off turns, mix until moist ball forms.  Transfer dough to work surface.  Divide dough in half.  Form each dough half into 8x1 1/4-inch log (if dough is too soft to form, chill for 30 minutes and then shape).  Wrap logs in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.  Can be made 5 days ahead; keep chilled. 

Preheat oven to 325F.  Slice logs into 1/4-inch thick rounds.  Place rounds on ungreased baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.  Bake shortbread until barely golden, about 18 minutes.  Cool shortbread on baking sheets.  Can be made 4 days ahead.  Store shortbread in airtight container at room temperature. 

Source: Bon Appetit, August 2007