Lemon-Buttermilk Tart

Hi everyone!  Boy has it been a long time since I've posted anything on this blog!  The good news is that I am just busy and blessed with life.

Anyway, after watching the Great British Baking Show (one of my favorites) this weekend, I had a craving for a tart.  I dug through my cookbooks and found a buttermilk-lemon pie recipe that sounded good, so I decided to adapt it to make it into a tart.  It was soooooo good, I had to share the recipe.

I found the original recipe in an old Time-Life cookbook (from their American Country series) titled Country Baking (page 39).  That recipe also included a pie pastry recipe, which I'll admit I didn't use.  (I didn't have much time, and I had a ready-crust in the fridge that needed to be used, so I went that route for the crust.)  It didn't take long, and we had a delicious tart.  The hardest part was making myself eat dinner before I had a piece…or two.

I've had several friends ask for the recipe, so here it is:

Ingredients:

1 stick (4 oz.) real butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

1/4 cup flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I think I'll try lime juice next time!)

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. nutmeg (the original recipe called for 1/2 tsp., but I think nutmeg can be pretty overpowering, so I halved the amount)

Pastry for single-crust pie (I used a refrigerated crust)

Directions:

Roll pie crust pastry to fit your tart pan.  (I used an 11" tart pan but you could make a 9" pie - like the original recipe called for if you prefer.)  Line tart pan with crust, and trim edges to fit.  Prick the pastry with a fork and place it in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line the tart shell with foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans (I used some lentils I had in the pantry 😊).  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and weights, and set the tart shell aside to cool.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs (one at a time), until creamy.  Beat in the flour, and slowly pour in the buttermilk and lemon juice, then stir in the lemon juice, zest, vanilla and nutmeg.

Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until filling is firm and lightly browned (golden).  Cool tart to room temperature before serving.

This recipe more than satisfied my tart craving!  Don't tell anyone, but I actually ate 2 pieces before it was even completely cooled!

I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you thought.  I may play with this recipe a bit and try adding coconut in the future, what do you think?

Wishing you God's blessings until I blog again!

--Faithy

Fun Stuff for the Fourth of July - Watermelon Slice Cookies

HOWDY!  Just wanted to pop in and share a fun recipe for the 4th of July!  I've made these several times, and they never fail to receive rave reviews.  They take a little effort, but they're really yummy and lots of fun.

I found this recipe called Watermelon Slice Cookies many years ago, in a copy of Taste of Home magazine.  They've published it several times since in various cookbooks, and even another edition of their magazine.  You can find the recipe by clicking here.

Believe it or not, I really haven't tweaked this one much, so I won't repost the entire recipe here.  The only things I've done differently, are:

1. Rather than 1/2 tsp. almond extract, I use 1/4 tsp. almond extract and 1/4 tsp. vanilla (I've also made them with vanilla only when I found myself out of almond extract once.  They're delicious either way.)
2. ALWAYS double the recipe so you'll have plenty of them.   (With the effort it takes to make them, you won't want to start over for the second batch!)
3. I like cutting the cookies into wedges rather than halves (they're super cute, and you get more cookies this way!).

Give this recipe a try, you're sure to impress, and you'll be glad you made the extra effort.

And...when you try them, don't forget to tell me know what you think of them!

As I celebrated the 4th of July with at least 4 generations of my family this past weekend, I was reminded once again how grateful I am to live in a country where we can get together to celebrate the many freedoms we are blessed with - including the freedom to worship, pray and play together.  I don't take lightly the sacrifices made by so many men & women (and their families) to ensure that those freedoms continue.  I hope you don't either.

Blessings,
--Faithy

 

Pumpkin Cobbler

HOWDY!  I hope this joyous holiday season finds each of you well and happy.  We are all doing well, and all wrapped up (LOL) with work, family & holiday preparations.  I came across this recipe online a few weeks back, and have been dying to try it.  I hadn’t had an opportunity until this weekend (in preparation for a potluck luncheon), so I was excited to pull it out and give it a try.

I made my usual adjustments/substitutions, but pretty much stuck to the original recipe (except that I completely left out the nutmeg…I’m not a nutmeg fan).  My baking pan was a bit larger than the one used in the original recipe, so my cobbler was a bit thinner than Serena’s.

Then, I forgot to adjust the cooking time, so mine cooked a little longer than it should have, but it was still absolutely delicious!!  The only difference was that it should have been a little creamier in the center.  (Although my hubby said he really liked it this way…it made the topping extra crunchy.)  No problem…there’s always next time…and there WILL be a next time.  This stuff is REALLY good!!

If you’re a fan of pumpkin…you’ll definitely want to give this a try.  It’s really quick & easy to put together, but it needs a bit of time to cook.  Just pop it in the oven and let it cook while you do other things.  BONUS:  It will make your house smell fabulous!

When you get a chance stop by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch and check out her other yummy recipes.  She’s got plenty…and don’t forget to tell her Faithy sent you!

Anyway…on to the recipe…

Pumpkin Cobbler

INGREDIENTS:

Base:
15 ounces pumpkin puree (If you don’t want to use canned, here’s my recipe for homemade pumpkin puree.  NOTE:  You can use regular orange pie pumpkins in place of the kershaws - both are delicious.)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 whole eggs)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup fat free (skim) milk (the original recipe called for whole milk)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or 1/4 tsp. regular salt)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar (or Whey Low Gold for a lower calorie option)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (you can also use Whey Low Granular for a lower calorie option)
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 teaspoon sodium free baking powder (or regular baking powder, as in the original recipe)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 whole egg)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all base ingredients.  When well mixed, pour into a 9” x 13” baking pan.  (NOTE:  The original recipe called for an 8” x 11” baking dish, but I didn’t have one.  This came out a little thinner, but still very good.  Feel free to use whatever you have, although I wouldn’t use anything larger than 9”x13”.)

Stir together the first seven topping ingredients (all the dry ingredients), until thoroughly mixed.  Add egg & vanilla, and stir together with a fork until everything is well mixed and a crumbly texture is achieved.

Crumble topping over the pumpkin mixture (in baking pan) until evenly distributed, then pour melted butter evenly over the crumb mixture.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until top is golden brown with slightly loose center.

Cool until set, and serve warm with a dollop of sweetened whipping cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Trust me…you’re gonna love this!  Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Gotta run for now.  Happy cooking!

Blessings,

--Faithy