Lemon Desert Ideas?

I have to make a desert for this weekend and the birthday girl said 'something lemony', so I thought I'd ask the board members for ideas/recipes.

I don't make many deserts, flipped through my cookbooks and didn't see anything that caught my eye. I tend to shy away from Jello, Cool Whip, Duncan Heinz, Readi-Made crust sort of things and prefer to make from scratch if I'm going to make something.

I won't have time to drive all over town hunting exotic ingredients but I don't mind if the recipe is involved (or simple for that matter). I'll leave the rest wide open, could be simple as pudding, tricky as a layered cake. I just want it to be good. Other flavors who would like to co-star with Lemon are welcome to apply .

Thanks!

Perhaps not birthday-y enough, but I'm a sucker for lemon-poppyseed pound cake. I like it with a little homemade vanilla ice cream or, when I'm really in the lemon mood, lemon sorbet. (I did this for a client/lemon-fan a while back: the cake, the sorbet, served on plates first dusted with finely crushed lemon drops (which glistened like little jewels), the plate strewn with a few sugared blueberries. Over-the-top but she loved it.

(An alternative would be making blueberry sorbet. Whatever you decide, lemon and blueberry works well.)

Hey Shawn, I make this from time to time and enjoy it. It is definately lemony though.....


2 C Graham Crackers
1/4 cup butter

Melt the butter and add the crushed crackers, press into a c pie plate and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or so until the filling is set. You could add some sugar to this mixture (About 1/4 cup, I don't but I believe most people do).

1.5 Cups Condensed Milk
0.5 Cups Coconut Milk
4 Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 T Lemon zest

Mix zest and yolks together. Mix everything else with this mixture and place it in the cooled crust. Bake at 325 for ten to fifteen minutes until the filling is set.

Hope you like!


Clark

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

These squares need to set up in the refrigerator so allow at least 5 hours of chilling time before you serve them.

1 ¼ cup graham wafer crumbs
5 tbs. Unsalted butter, melted
1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature and cut into 1 inch pieces
¾ cup granulated sugar or fruit sugar
3 tbsp. Fresh lemon juice (1 or 2 lemons)
1 tbsp. Finely grated lemon zest (1 or 2 lemons)
2 large eggs
1 recipe lemon curd

For the crust:
Cut two 8 x 16 inch pieces of parchment. Put the strips in a 8 x 8 baking pan so that they cross each other and the excess hangs over the pan’s sides. Push the parchment into the bottom and corners of the pan. Position the rack in the centre of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 325.

Mix the crumbs and butter together and tamp into the pan. Press firmly and evenly. Set aside.

For the cheesecake:
In a food processor (don’t be tempted to use a hand beater, it doesn’t work), put the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes until the sides are puffed and the centre is dry to the touch. (took 45 minutes)

To finish:
Pour all of the curd onto the cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate at least 5 hours, or overnight. It can be refrigerated uncovered, as no detectable skin forms on the curd.

To cut, wipe the knife blade with a damp paper towel between cuts.

Makes 16 2” squares.

LEMON CURD

Make the lemon curd while the cheesecake bakes; it pours and spreads best while still warm. When cooking the curd, don’t let it come to a boil or the eggs will overcook.

½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 or 3 lemons)
½ cup granulated or fruit sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. Unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Set a fine strainer over a medium bowl. In a small pan whisk together the juice, sugar and eggs until thoroughly combined and most of the sugar has been dissolved. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the curd is steaming (not boiling) and thickened and registers about 175 on an instant-read thermometer, 3 to 7 minutes. Take the curd off the heat, add the butter, and stir until the butter has melted. Pour the curd through the strainer to get rid of any lumps. Set aside but use to top the cheesecake while still warm.

Thanks so much your ideas and recipes ... I was sort of stuck. I did lemon meringue pie for the last birthday and I've done lemon cheesecake and lemon cake for previous years, I was just looking for something different but at a loss.

Lemon tart? Lemon tart with blueberry whipped cream? Lemon crêpes - with berries and whipped cream? Lemon soufflé?

I have a recipe for lemon ice cream if that should interest you.

Elsie

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Perhaps not birthday-y enough, but I'm a sucker for lemon-poppyseed pound cake. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Love the stuff. If I find it, I buy three. I sometimes find it in muffin form too. I'm no baker, so mine are store bought, but they are good. Just don't eat too many poppy seeds before driving. You might flunk a drug test.

Clark I made your pie, it was very good and well received. What is it called?

It was a good thing I made it, I tried my own thing, a lemon crisp (rhubarb works, why not lemon?) and I went way overboard with fresh lemons and it wasn't very good. I served it with sweet blueberry sauce and ice cream. I should have made Elsie's lemon squares (recipe now in the To Try folder ) or tried one of Kevin's ideas.

Thanks again Kevin, Clark and Elsie!

I'm really glad you liked it and it went well!

I don't really have a name for the pie. I do the same idea as this when making key lime pie as well. Now you have to name it......Any ideas?

Clark