Lemon Mousse Shortbread Tart

                             

       When serving this once to a friend I asked if he would like a napkin to which he held up his hand and said, "Not now, I'm having a religious experience."  Another partaker suggested that she should go and confess to her ecclesiastical authority after eating this dessert. This dessert certainly evokes spiritual experiences apparently!  It is one of my daughter's favorites and I have to leave her alone with her serious reflections as she is eating it.

     The tart and creaminess of the mousse supported by the shortbread crust are a lovely combination of soft textures, that seem sturdy enough but once in your mouth melt away emitting overtones of just enough sweetness to temper the tartness. The raspberries on top add an extra pinch of freshness and remind us that lemons and raspberries were born to be together.

SHORTBREAD CRUST
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
      -Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

      -Cream the butter and sugar together very well,
           about 2 minutes with an electric mixer.  Add
           remaining ingredients and mix to a soft 
           dough.

      -Press into a square or round baking dish either
           8 x 8 inch, or 10 inch round.  Prick all over 
           with fork. This allows the heat to penetrate,
           and the steam to escape so the center can cook.

      -Bake for about 40 minutes or until just starting
           to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to
           cool completely.

LEMON MOUSSE
6 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tab. cornstarch
1 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
2 tab. finely grated lemon peel
14 tab. (1 3/4 sticks) well-chilled unsalted butter, 
          cut into small pieces
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
2 tab. or more sugar

Directions:
     -Whisk eggs and yolks in heavy saucepan until 
          foamy. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups sugar, mixed with 
          cornstarch, then lemon juice.  Mix in peel.  
          Stir over low heat until mixture thickens to 
          consistency of heavy custard, about 10 
          minutes. Do not boil.  Remove from heat and 
          whisk in butter until incorporated. Transfer 
          mixture to plastic or glass bowl and cool
          until very thick, stirring occasionally, about 
          50 minutes.

       -Whip cream in medium bowl to soft peaks. 
            Fold cream into lemon mixture just until 
            combined.  Spoon mousse into prepared 
            crust.  Cover and chill until set, about 2 
            hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.)
                                  

     -Coarsely mash berries in small bowl using             fork.  Mix in 2 tab. sugar.  Taste, adding          more sugar if desired. Cover and          refrigerate 1 hour to release juices.  (Can           be prepared 1 day ahead.)  Use fresh whole           berries with or without sugar if preferred.

      -Cut tart into squares or wedges then spoon
           sauce over center of mousse to serve.  
           Garnish with fresh raspberries and sliver
           of lemon peel.
                                             

 Persnickety Notes:
         **When is it done?  Directions that tell you to cook a sauce such as Anglaise or thin custards often instruct you to cook stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon or until it thickens - both very imprecise directions.  What do they mean?  Sauces with eggs in them should not be cooked to boiling as the eggs can scramble and make your finished product lumpy and grainy - thus the caution.  Constant or very frequent stirring is important to keep the mixture from coagulating on the bottom of the pan, where it will burn.  What I generally do is to cook the mixture with very frequent stirring over medium-high heat until I see the very first bubble from a boil or until it is very steamy and looks like it's just about to boil.  That makes more sense to me than coating the back of a spoon - I always wonder, how thickly?

**What pot are you using?  
Foods that contain lemon juice should not be cooked in reactive cookware.  Aluminum, copper,iron and non-stainless steel are reactive.  Their 
surfaces will release atoms of metal into the food and can give the lemon a 
bitter taste or discoloration,  Use something non-reactive made of 
stainless steel, glass or glazed ceramic.  I have a favoriteset of pots, going 
on 40 years old now, in which I make cream fillings and sauces, because 
they tend not to stick and burn on the bottom.  However,they are not great
for lemon.  We have a family tradition of cooking cream pies, banana and coconut being our favorite, that I insist on cooking in the 40-year-old aluminum pan so there are no burned brown bits in the finished product
but we have found if we let the cooked cream sit in the pan while it cools
it turns to an off-putting shade of green.  There was one Thanksgiving 
when we served Banana Green Pie.  The taste was fine but I learned to
quickly pour the cooked filling to a glass or plastic bowl to cool in
the future!

Breakfast Pizza

     Pizza has captivated the world - in fact, I recently heard of the International Pizza competition held each year in Naples, Italy.  Now, this breakfast version wouldn't stand a chance with Neopolitans but what a fun spin on a food that each of us enjoys in our own particular way with our own particular favorites. We are all very persnickety indeed when it comes to our choice of pizzas but as Mom always said, "in taste there is no dispute."

     My pizza memories include what our family called a "pizza crawl" as we sampled those pizzerias that have been named the best in the U.S. or wish they were, inhabiting the streets of New Haven, Ct.  There they call it apizza when often we wanted more than just "a" pizza.  Some in our group voted for the clam and white sauce pizza at Pepes others preferred Modern's Pizza.  I myself sampled none I liked as well as the thicker crusted Italian sausage and mushroom version which first seduced me into the world of pizzeria's in my western home state, where little of Italy had infiltrated, some 6,000 miles from Naples.  My favorites included pizza from restaurants like Francescos, Shakey's Pizza and Rusty Nail Pizza. I still remember fondly the flavors of those long gone pizza heavens!

      And then there were those that, in my opinion, took too much license with pizza - top among them, the Tunisian spin on pizza, always served with a soft fried egg on top.  We were so excited when a Pizza Hut opened just up the street from us in Amman, Jordan - a little flavor of America just a short walk from our home.  But alas, although the flavors started out reminiscent of those back home, within a few months, the Arab spices had invaded and cinnamon and allspice polluted this American staple!

     Try the recipe below for a breakfast/brunch novelty, a combo between biscuits and sausage gravy and breakfast burritos.  Or take the idea and run with it to create your favorite combinations for breakfast!

Biscuit Crust:
     2 cups flour
     1 tab. sugar
     2 tsp. salt
     1/3 cup shortening 
     1 tab. baking powder
     1 cup milk

             -Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in medium mixing bowl.  Cut in shortening until well incorporated using a pastry blender, fork, or your hands  (I like to do it with my hands as I can feel when the fat is incorporated.)  Stir in the milk until the mixture comes together and you can form a ball.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

White Sauce:
     1/4 cup butter
     2 tab. flour
     1 1/3 cup milk
     salt and pepper to taste
     1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Toppings:
     ground pork sausage, browned and drained
     6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
     1/2 onion, slivered and caramelized in 1 tab. oil
     1/2 diced green/red pepper
     1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms
     2-3 cups grated cheddar or Colby Jack/cheddar combination  


DIRECTIONS: 

              -Liberally oil a round pizza pan or 9  x 13 inch cookie sheet.  Roll and press biscuit dough evenly into pan.  Prick dough with fork at frequent intervals.  Place crust into preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 5 minutes to help ensure the crust is done for the end result.  

         
     -Remove from oven and spread crust with white sauce.  Then top with 3/4s of the mild to medium cheddar cheese or colby jack, cheddar combo.  Top with cooked breakfast sausage, crisp bacon, caramelized onion slivers, sauteed mushrooms, chopped red or green pepper, etc.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 of cheese over the top.  Bake in oven for an additional 12 - 15 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden.

              -Cut into pizza slices or squares and serve warm. Serves 6 - 8

Red, White & Blueberry Pie

Aren't we all patriotic at heart - particularly when it comes to pie!  This is a perfect pie for those devoted to pie and country!  I use a homemade standard American pie crust for the pastry shell.  (I come by pie-crust making naturally, as a niece to the champion pie maker of Davis County!)  But if homemade crust intimidates you, frozen pie crust will suffice, or perhaps a better option to frozen pie crust would be a graham-cracker crust or as I prefer a "Vanilla Wafer" crust.)

With a nod to the creaminess and fresh berries of a Pavlova, hints of lemon meringue sparkle through giving the pie the pizzaz-i-ness that a 4th of July dessert should have - reminiscent of fireworks! Fresh strawberry pie is also conjured by your tastebuds.  So all combined, when sliced, the pie reveals inviting layers of red, white and somewhat blue (those pesky blueberries hide a greenish interior).  But we take them at their word.

Memories of our 4th of Julys past are somewhat unorthodox but we waved the red, white and blue, somewhat less conspicuously while living in the Middle East but among our compatriots, we celebrated the day with programs of patriotic music, hamburgers, and hotdogs, but alas, no parades or fireworks.  When in Cape Cod or Utah or Wyoming or traveling elsewhere, we joined in with the local small town parade and rodeo throngs.  A 4th to be remembered was watching the fireworks dazzle over Boston Harbor with the Boston Pops playing the accompaniment to their explosions.  One of our most unusual was spending the 4th in London on a trip to the Lake District.  Now, why was there no acknowledgment of our hardly-won independence over the great British Empire??  Our young children couldn't understand it.

But in the red, white and blue corners of my kitchen, I could always create a meal of patriotic fare, that took me back to the local celebrations, band-thumping parades and neighborhood BBQ's of my childhood. (You show your age when you remember the smoky snake fireworks that your father always scolded you for lighting on the cement driveway!)  This red, white and blueberry pie delightfully bring these reminiscings back to me!

Red, White & Blueberry Pie

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise
1 10-inch pie crust, pierced and baked until golden
1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons sugar
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tab. cornstarch
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin, such as Knox brand
1 tab. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

• Directions

• 1. To make mousse:  
• In a bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add 4 tab. sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract, beating until stiff peaks form; set aside.
• 2. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add cooled chocolate and beat until smooth.  Gently fold 1 1/4 cups whipped cream into the cream cheese/chocolate mixture.  Set aside to chill in the fridge.
• 3. To make glaze:
•  In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups water, 1 1/4 cups sugar, cornstarch and gelatin.  Mix with whisk until smooth.  Cook over medium-high heat until mixture thickens, bubbles and becomes glossy, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon peel and juice.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

4. Mix whole blueberries with half of the glaze mixture and pour and spread into bottom of prepared pie crust.

5. Spread white chocolate mousse over the blueberry layer.  Chill for about 30 minutes to allow the mousse layer to set.

6.  Mix the strawberries with the remaining glaze mixture.  Layer strawberries, one slice at a time over the top of the mousse layer, to create a concentric pattern.  Or if you prefer, simply pour the strawberry and glaze mixture over the mousse layer and spread gently until even.

7. Place the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe onto top of pie leaving about a 1 inch border around the cream so that the strawberries show.  Garnish the top of the pie with a large berry sliced vertically and fanned out and a few blueberries.  Chill until ready to serve.  Seves 8 - 10

Persnickety Notes:

**White chocolate can be finicky.  Melt slowly in a small glass bowl at 20-second intervals in the microwave.  Stir gently.    Allow to rest for about a minute.  Continue zapping it for 20 seconds with a rest period following, until you can stir the chocolate to a smooth consistency.  If you have trouble and the chocolate starts to harden, add a tab. of cream and continue the process until it becomes smooth when stirring.

 **Does whipping cream scare you?  It is really very easy and tastes so much better than the pre-whipped in a can or frozen whipped topping.  Place the cold cream (be sure it is labeled whipping cream or heavy cream - light cream won't work) in your mixing bowl and begin to mix at medium-high speed, gradually increasing to highest speed, until the cream begins to thicken (this will take 4 - 5 minutes).  Sprinkle in sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.  Lift the beaters from the mixture and if the peak remains standing it is ready. (Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to create what is known as Chantilly cream.  I routinely do this anyway for the vanilla flavor).  If you go too far and the cream starts to become butter-like, add a few tablespoons of liquid cream and whip just a bit until the mixture becomes light and fluffy again.