Summer is almost here y’all and that means time break out the grill! My family is just a little obsessed with grilling. When Friday rolls around the grill is fired up, music is whaling, the cooler is full, and our patio is packed with friends and family. In my opinion any weekend with a grill lit is an amazing one!
It’s spring and all I can think about is cooking with lemons. I’m addicted and when I ran out of the traditional recipes to use with lemons, I started making excuses to bake with them. Like this amazing, creamy, decedent, must go to the gym afterwards lemon roulade or lemon roll if you aren’t wearing your fancy pants.
Lemon Roulade with Honey Mascarpone Buttercream is tangy and bright and absolutely impressive. It was gone in seconds as it was shared with everyone in our neighborhood. They must read my facebook feed as there were suddenly knocks on the door when I posted a sneak peak.
Is it the easiest cake to make?
uh…ehh…ahh…
Well I’ll say this, it’s simple to make but a little nerve racking to assemble. Might want to drink a glass of wine while the cake is cooling to calm the nerves. Cheers!
Lemon Roulade with Honey Mascarpone Buttercream
makes 8 to 10 servings
for the cake
for the filling
you will need: parchment paper, jelly roll pan, and cooking oil spray
Notes: To make in advance, prepare the cake but do not dust it with the confectioner’s sugar. Wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, dust with the confectioner’s sugar and slice. Can be made 3 days in advance and can also be frozen for longer storage. If frozen, set out at room temperature to thaw.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 15″X10″ jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper that is sprayed with cooking oil spray and dusted with flour. This will help you get the cake out of the pan with out tearing. Don’t forget to take your anxiety pills or a little glass of wine and certainly don’t be talking on the phone to your friend, burn your hand, and squish the cake when you flip it out after baking. uh yeah, I did no such thing.
In a medium bowl, mix to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda,and salt. Set aside until needed.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine eggs and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until light yellow and thickened. Next, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the four. Mix until just combined.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake until the edges turn golden and the top springs back when touched, about 10 to 12 minutes.
On a board or heat-resistant table lay down a clean tea towel or parchment paper and sift a good layer of confectioner’s sugar on top. When the cake is finished baking, carefully flip the cake over onto the sugar coated towel or paper. The sugar will keep it from sticking. Carefully, pull the parchment paper off of the cake. This is where the wine comes in handy. You know just to calm the nerves a bit.
Now, you may notice in the photo that I’m using a cooling rack. I did this as I new technique I read about but honestly it was much more trouble than the sugar coated towel or parchment technique. I don’t recommend cooling your cake on a cooling rack as it will stick horribly!
Cover immediately with a damp cool towel. This will keep the cake moist while your’re making the buttercream and letting the cake cool.
While the cake is cooling, combine mascarpone cheese, confectioner’s sugar, honey, cream, and salt into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for about 1 minute until combined and fluffy. Once the cake has cooled completely, remove the damp towel and spread the buttercream evenly on the cake with a spatula. It’s very important to spread the buttercream evenly. You’re in no rush so take it slow, ace. If prettiness doesn’t matter to you than go right ahead and slop it on. Warning this might be affected by the amount of wine you had in the previous step.
Starting at one end, roll the cake up as evenly as possible until the entire cake is a roll. With a large bread knife, trim the ends to make a neat edge.
Place additional confectioner’s sugar in a sifter and cover the entire cake with sugar. Go for it haus, pretend it’s Christmas!
Slice and serve. All sorts of happiness is rolled up in there. Enjoy!
Lemon Roulade with Honey Mascarpone Buttercream
makes 8 to 10 servings
for the cake
for the filling
you will need: parchment paper, jelly roll pan, and cooking oil spray
Notes: To make in advance, prepare the cake but do not dust it with the confectioner’s sugar. Wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, dust with the confectioner’s sugar and slice. Can be made 3 days in advance and can also be frozen for longer storage. If frozen, set out at room temperature to thaw.
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a 15″X10″ jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper that is sprayed with cooking oil spray and dusted with flour. This will help you get the cake out of the pan with out tearing.
2. In a medium bowl, mix to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda,and salt. Set aside until needed.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine eggs and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until light yellow and thickened. Next, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the four. Mix until just combined.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake until the edges turn golden and the top springs back when touched, about 10 to 12 minutes.
5. On a board or heat-resistant table lay down a clean tea towel or parchment paper and sift a good layer of confectioner’s sugar on top. When the cake is finished baking, carefully flip the cake over onto the sugar coated towel or paper. The sugar will keep it from sticking. Carefully, pull the parchment paper off of the cake. Cover immediately with a damp cool towel. This will keep the cake moist while your’re making the buttercream and letting the cake cool.
6. While the cake is cooling, combine mascarpone cheese, confectioner’s sugar, honey, cream, and salt into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium for about 1 minute until combined and fluffy. Once the cake has cooled completely, remove the damp towel and spread the buttercream evenly on the cake with a spatula. It’s very important to spread the buttercream evenly. You’re in no rush so take it slow, ace.
7. Starting at one end, roll the cake up as evenly as possible until the entire cake is a roll. With a large bread knife, trim the ends to make a neat edge. Place additional confectioner’s sugar in a sifter and cover the entire cake with sugar. Slice and serve
©2013 Meredith Steele | insockmonkeyslippers.com
Roasting the strawberries in this parfait recipe brings out their natural amazing flavor and creates a luxurious syrup while still maintaining a firm texture. This is a natural snack at it’s best — perfect for young and old alike.
This recipe was gone in litteraly seconds. I had kids and adults with yogurt covered faces and big eyes saying, “more!” Quick, simple, and beyond good.
This recipe was written for Disney’s Spoonful.com.
View more of my recipes and articles for Disney here.
Made with ground green tea leaves called matcha and fresh strawberries, these cookies are a delicious sweet treat! The actual ground tea leaves have much more antioxidants than a cup of green tea and it’s said to boost metabolism! Besides the calories from the butter and sugar, these cookies may actually be good for you! ;)
This recipe was written for Disney’s Spoonful.com. See all of my recipes here.
Stop. Before we go any further, I have to say these are irresistibly delicious and I’m actually a little mad that my husband took them with him on his 3 day trail running race this weekend.
It’s spring break. I have taken on a few extra clients this month and doubled my work load just in time to have Mia at home all day every day for a week. Makes complete sense, right? No one ever said I was smart. Monday, I thought I was going to get through. With deadlines looming I just took my computer wherever Mia and I went. I worked – she played. I worked – she tried to erase my phone while I wasn’t looking. I worked – she did erase my phone. I worked – and she was kidnapped by her loving grandmother. Tuesday went about the same. So by Wednesday, I brought Mia into the kitchen and she became my sous chef. Keeping her busy is easy as long as she can do something with her hands. This is her recipe as she came up with the idea all on her own.
The kid’s got talent. They are fabulous (and outstanding with brie)! Chocolaty with the surprise bite of sweet cherries and salty sunflower seeds these slightly chewy crackers are terrific snacks on their own or an elegant addition to a cheese tray. Cheers!
Chocolate Cherry Sunflower Crackers makes 30 crackers
* I use 1/2 cup white flour and 1/2 cup wheat flour just because I want to cut down on my white flour intake. This recipe will work with 1 cup of white all-purpose flour if omitting the wheat flour.
In a food processor, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Pulse to combine.
**Note: This can be done in a large mixing bowl by hand. When it comes time to add the butter, cut it in with a fork (as you would do when making a pie crust).
Place the cubed butter in the food processor and give it a few pulses until the mixture resembles wet sand. The colder your butter is the flakier your cracker will be. I freeze mine 10 minutes prior to making this recipe. Add milk and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. You don’t want an overly wet dough but you want it to be sticky.
Next, add the cherries and sunflower seeds. Pulse just a few times until everything is incorporated.
Pour the dough out onto a work surface. Gather and squeeze it into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough is firming up in the freezer.
On a well floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter (or cut into squares with a knife). Place crackers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather the leftover dough and repeat. Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until firm.
Once baked, place the crackers on a cooling rack. Cool and watch them disappear fast!
Chocolate Cherry Sunflower Crackers makes 30 crackers
* I use 1/2 cup white flour and 1/2 cup wheat flour just because I want to cut down on my white flour intake. This recipe will work with 1 cup of white all-purpose flour if omitting the wheat flour.
1. In a food processor, add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Note: This can be done in a large mixing bowl by hand. When it comes time to add the butter, cut it in with a fork (as you would do when making a pie crust).
2. Place the cubed butter in the food processor and give it a few pulses until the mixture resembles wet sand. The colder your butter is the flakier your cracker will be. I freeze mine 10 minutes prior to making this recipe. Add milk and pulse until the mixture just starts to come together. You don’t want an overly wet dough but you want it to be sticky. Next, add the cherries and sunflower seeds. Pulse just a few times until everything is incorporated.
3. Pour the dough out onto a work surface. Gather and squeeze it into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough is firming up in the freezer.
4. On a well floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter (or cut into squares with a knife). Place crackers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather the leftover dough and repeat. Place in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until firm. Once baked, place the crackers on a cooling rack.
© 2013 Meredith Steele | insockmonkeyslippers.com
With the end of winter and the beginning of spring brings my favorite time of citrus season. Especially because the meyer lemons are at their best and I’m a huge meyer lemon fan. Being a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange, these lemons are tart but not as bitter as a regular lemon. So, when season hits I buy as many as I can, squeeze the juice and freeze it for use through out the year.
The perfect pairing of the floral lavender with the smooth citrus of the meyer lemon makes these lemon bars far from ordinary and certainly one that will not be forgotten. These aren’t your grandma’s lemon bars, or at least not mine. Their sweet bold flavor will have will have you craving more after every bite. Warning they’re seriously addictive. Shut and lock the front door because these are irresistible.
Meyer Lemon Bars with Lavender Shortbread Crust
Lavender Short Bread Crust
Meyer Lemon Filling
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking pan (metal preferably) with parchment paper with the paper slightly folding over the sides. If you do not have parchment paper heavily grease the pan.
In a food processor or a stand mixer, add butter, flour, sugar, lavender, and salt. Pulse or mix until the dough starts to come together. Slowly add the water one tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough is moist and crumbly.
Pour the dough into the prepared pan and with your fingers press the dough into the pan forming a crust. Place it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until slightly golden.
While the crust is baking start on the filling. Zest and juice the meyer lemons.
With a mixer or simply by hand in a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks.
To the eggs, add sugar and flour and mix until smooth.
Next, add lemon juice and zest and gently stir until combined.
Pour the filling onto the crust and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before cutting.
Use the parchment paper to gently lift the soon to be bars out of the pan and place on a flat surface. With a sifter, dust with powdered sugar. Cut into 12 large squares or 24 small squares. Can be made in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
Shut. The. Front. Door.
Seriously good and totally just made my afternoon.
Meyer Lemon Bars with Lavender Shortbread Crust
Lavender Short Bread Crust
Meyer Lemon Filling
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking pan (metal preferably) with parchment paper with the paper slightly folding over the sides. If you do not have parchment paper heavily grease the pan.
2. In a food processor or a stand mixer, add butter, flour, sugar, lavender, and salt. Pulse or mix until the dough starts to come together. Slowly add the water one tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough is moist and crumbly.
3. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and with your fingers press the dough into the pan forming a crust. Place it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until slightly golden.
4. While the crust is baking start on the filling. Zest and juice the meyer lemons. With a mixer or simply by hand in a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks. To the eggs, add sugar and flour and mix until smooth. Next, add lemon juice and zest and gently stir until combined.
5. Pour the filling onto the crust and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours before cutting.
6. Use the parchment paper to gently lift the soon to be bars out of the pan and place on a flat surface. With a sifter, dust with powdered sugar. Cut into 12 large squares or 24 small squares. Can be made in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
Martyred saints, chubby cherubs, hearts and lace… it’s Valentine’s Day and what better way to celebrate with a rich dark chocolate cake and a beautifully tangy blood orange sauce. This cake is a chocolate lovers dream as the absence of flour lends its way to a moist velvety texture with a crisp crust that pairs perfectly with a uniquely tart red blood orange sauce.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Sauce serves 8 to 12
Brown Butter Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats. Six words never sounded so good together. And from the five test batches I made this week my family can assure you they taste just as good as they sound. This is a great Halloween treat to make with the kiddos. Mine was in Rice Krispie Treat heaven this week.
Made in the traditional Rice Krispie Treat square or these spooky pumpkins, these Brown Butter Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats will be one of the most decedent Rice Krispie treats you have ever had and perfect for that Halloween party.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats makes 12 treats
A little while ago, a pretty little white box arrived at my doorstep filled with Donsuemor Madeleines and no, it wasn’t a dream. I was so excited because the only place you can find a madeleine in this town short of making them yourself is at the local chain coffee shop and trust me that comes no where close to a traditional one. Of course I ripped the box open, with dignity and grace mind you, and tasted my first Donsuemor Madeleine. It was perfectly moist, slightly sweet, and just the right amount of crispness to bite into. Just like the ones I remember having growing up (my best friends mother was a French teacher and always gave us madeleines and other treats).
Unfortunately, I had to reseal the box for a little while because my objective was not to see how many I could eat in one sitting but to create a unique recipe using Donsuemor Madeleines for their “Desert A Day” campaign beginning in October. Make sure to stay tuned to the Donsuemor’s Facebook Page for more details in October. I can only imagine what amazing goodies we will find there.
Now to the good part: If you are a crème brûlée purest look away now. After much brainstorming an idea came to me that I couldn’t pass up. A sweet silky smooth desert with layers of soft madeleine cake with a crackling topping reminiscent of opening a present. It could only be a Madeleine Crème Brûlée. A unique blend of a crème brûlée and a tiramisu of sorts combining to make an elegant and delightful desert.
Madeleine Crème Brûlée serves 4
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Donsuemor. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Bring to a low boil and turn off heat. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk and 1/2 cup sugar for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar is well incorporated into the eggs and the mixture is thick.
3. Add the liqueur to the heated milk and stir to combine.
4. Slowly, add 1 cup of the milk mixture to the egg mixture and stir. Repeat until all of the milk mixture is mixed into the egg and sugar.
5. Now here’s where you have options. Creme brulee is traditionally served in shallow creme brulee dish but I’m feeling far from traditional today and for this purpose using a variety of oven proof dishes, including espresso cups, for the fun of it. This recipe will allow for 4 servings of crème that measure 1/2 cup each.
6. Laddel the crème into the ramikins and fill till about 1/2 inch from the top.
7. Place the ramekins on an oven safe dish. I line mine with a tea towel to prevent the ramekins from slipping. Pour hot water into the dish until the water reaches halfway up the ramekins. Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crème is set. It will appear a little jiggly. Remove from the oven and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. This can be done up to one day ahead of serving. Makes an easy dinner party desert!
8. Remove from the refrigerator and allow to set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Sprinkle about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar onto the top of the crème. With a kitchen torch gently caramelize the sugar until it browns and bubbles. Serve when the bubbles subside, about 1 to 2 minutes. If you don’t have a torch you can use your broiler. For broiler caramelization: preheat the broiler. Place the ramekins on a baking dish with ice. Place the dish under the broiler and stand guard. It might take minutes or seconds for the sugar to caramelize. Remove when the sugar has browned.
Serve and enjoy the crackle!
It’s hot here! Have I said that already? It’s so hot that this sorbet melted halfway into shooting it. Ok, yes I had a chicken pot pie in the oven that made the already hot kitchen 1500°F but it was well worth it. I do not own an ice cream maker. I wish I did but I would have no where to put it in this tiny kitchen. So I had to come up with a more simplified version to make an icy treat to help cool us down. It was a certain success as I turned to look at Mia and she had gobbled it up in one bite and screamed for more. Strawberry Peach Sorbet is a simple sweet refreshing treat to make with the kids to beat the summer heat. Look below for an adult version. wink wink.
Strawberry Peach Sorbet makes 4 to 6 servings (about 1 quart)
Slice strawberries in half and place in a food processor or blender. Pit and slice peaches and put them in the food processor or blender with the strawberries. I like to leave the skin in the peaches for a little extra nutrition. Get it where you can, right? Add 2 tablespoons of honey and process for 2 minutes until very smooth and it becomes liquid almost. Taste. If it’s too sour add a bit more honey and blend to mix.
Pour into 2 ice cube trays and freeze for at least 3 hours but 5 would be best. Keeping it real here. I just can’t pour like Martha Stewart. It got a little messy.
When frozen, place the frozen fruit cubes in a food processor with the peach nectar. Pulse just one to three times if using a food processor or blend for a couple of seconds if using a blender. Puree just enough to have a creamy yet still solid consistency. Note that it was 1500°F in my kitchen this day and Mia could not wait a full 5 hours to allow the cubes to frreeze thoroughly so they were a little on the mushy side.
Listen up. This is where you add a cup of very cold white wine for a nice little treat for yourself.
Scoop into a serving dish and garnish with a strawberry slice or a mint leaf. A perfectly easy cool down indulgence to beat those summer blues.
I’ll see y’all later. I’m going to go make some more. Maybe with mangoes this time.
Slice strawberries in half and place in a food processor or blender. Pit and slice peaches and put them in the food processor or blender with the strawberries. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and process for 2 minutes until very smooth and it becomes liquid almost. Taste. If it’s too sour add a bit more honey and blend to mix.
Pour into 2 ice cube trays and freeze for at least 3 hours but 5 would be best.
When frozen, place the frozen fruit cubes in a food processor with the peach nectar. Pulse just one to three times if using a food processor or blend for a couple of seconds if using a blender. Puree just enough to have a creamy yet still solid consistency.
Listen up. This is where you add a cup of very cold white wine for a nice little treat for yourself.
Serve with a strawberry slice or mint leaf for garnish.
