Mom's Lemon Tart

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter (cut into smaller pieces)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor or mixer, combine ingredients for crust. Pulse together until a dough starts to form in clumps. Press into tart pan, making sure to cover bottom and sides evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork. and place in freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Place tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake until crust is a golden-brown color, approximately 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling
5 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar (Breanna likes an extra 1/4 cup sugar in the filling)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons--Do Not use concentrated lemon juice)
2 large eggs
Zest from one lemon (get zest from lemon before juicing)

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth. Add sugar. Mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time mixing thoroughly after each egg. Stop and scrape bowl halfway through. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth.
Pour filling into tart crust and bake on cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes or until filling is set. Let tart cool on wire cooling rack. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Use whipped cream as an optional topping. It can be piped on in stars or served on top with each piece. For extra flavor in the whipped cream, add a teaspoon of lemon zest.

This was a little too tart for me. It definitely needs whipped cream to counteract the tartness. I would say cut down on the lemon juice to 1/2 C. 

Recipe from the book Lemon Tart.

Lemon Meringue Pie

My husbands favorite pie is Lemon Meringue. This year I am in charge of the pies for our big family gathering, so I made most of them in these rectangular dishes. My husband prefers his pie with the graham cracker crust, I tried a corner and it tastes fantastic!

What you will need for the rectangular pan is:

Graham cracker crust:
1 1/2 pkg. graham crackers (12 crackers)
1/4 C. butter
3 Tbsp. sugar

In a food processor crumb crackers. Add butter and sugar. Pour into pan and press down with the back of a small bowl. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile start the lemon filling in a pot:
2 C. sugar
3/4 C. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. cold water
2/3 C. lemon juice
6 egg yolks, beaten (save whites for topping)
3 Tbsp. butter
3 C. warm water
Food coloring

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in cold water and lemon juice until smooth. Add egg yolks, blending thoroughly. Add butter and warm water. Stir constantly with wooden spoon over medium heat. Reduce heat slightly as mixture thickens. Boil slowly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Pour on top of crust to cool.

Meringue:
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 C. sugar

Beat egg whites in glass bowl until frothy. Add cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until whites lose foamy appearance and bend slightly when beaters are removed. Form peaks. Reduce speed to medium while adding sugar. Return to high speed and beat until stiff. Glossy peaks still form. Place meringue on hot filling in several mounds around the pie. With spatula push meringue gently against the edges-scaling the wall. Cover rest of pie by swirling from edge to center. Form decorative peaks. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Check on it, if cooked too long the top of the peaks can burn. Finish product should be golden brown. Cool away from drafts. Dip knife in hot water to slice.

Recipe idea from mother in law: Kathy

Pumpkin Pie (Without the crust)

A few years ago I started making my favorite pie (pumpkin) without the crust to kinda cut the calories a bit. It tastes so good and even better after it has been in the fridge. The flavors just get more intense or something.


What you will need is:
A pie dish or 8X8 glass baking dish, greased
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (I just add cinnamon, I don't add the other spices)
1 can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ingredients in order with a whisk. Pour into pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until moisture has seemed to thicken and knife inserted comes out clean. Let rest and cool for 10 minutes after getting pie out of the oven.
Tastes best topped with Ready Whip or Whipped Cream

Recipe by: Becky