Sunday, April 30, 2006
Lemons add zest appeal to your baked goods
When you bake, you might come across recipes that call for lemon zest. The zest is the peel only, excluding the bitter white part (pith) just beneath the peel.
To get the zest, rub a lemon against a fine grater. You also can get the zest using a vegetable peeler to carefully shave off a thin layer of the rind and then mincing it fine with a knife.
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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup lemon-flavored yogurt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Topping:
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin. Combine flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix eggs, yogurt, oil, and lemon zest. Blend well and pour over the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Spoon batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.
To make topping, combine lemon juice and sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Once the muffins are baked, pierce the top of each muffin several times with a toothpick. Slowly pour about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and sugar mixture over the top of each muffin. Let muffins cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. Makes 12 muffins.
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Lemon Bars
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For bottom layer of bars, mix 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar. Melt butter and stir into flour mixture. Press flat and even into an 8x8 inch baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
While baking, prepare the top layer by mixing 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and baking powder. Beat eggs and add to mixture, stirring well. Add lemon juice and zest, mix again.
Pour over bottom layer; continue baking for 25 minutes. Cool slightly then cut into squares; dust with confectioners sugar. Makes 16 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
When a recipe calls for lemon zest and lemon juice, always remove the zest before cutting and juicing the lemon.
The Practical Pantry ©2006 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com