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

Mini Lemon Mint Cakes

HOWDY friends!  I hope you are all well and happy on this fine day.  It’s been really hot and humid in Zig Zag lately, sure makes me grateful for air conditioning!  I’ve been busy as ever, but I just had to find a minute to share one of my favorite new “go-to” recipes with you.

One of my favorite bloggers is Ally over at Ally’s Kitchen.  I love her creative takes on old favorites.

I was perusing her Facebook page a while back, and came across her recipe for Lemon Mint Cake Pie.  I love lemon, and mint, so I knew I had to try it.  I needed something to serve some volunteers at my office one morning, so I decided to make it into mini-muffins rather than the larger pie pan cake in Ally’s original recipe.  The final product was very light and flavorful, and I’ve made it quite a few times since.  It gets rave reviews every time I serve it!  I just love the little bite-sized bursts of flavor.  It’s impossible to eat just one!

This is DEFINITELY one you’ll want to try my friends.  Take my word for it!  It’s perfect for brunch or tea time snacking.  My adapted recipe is below, but please go by and check out Ally’s version too!

Mini Lemon Mint Cakes 
Yield:  24 mini muffin cakes

INGREDIENTS

Batter: 
8 Tbsp. salted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup Whey Low Granulated (or regular granulated sugar) 
1-1/2 lemons, juice & zest (about 3 to 4 Tbsp. lemon juice & 1 Tbsp. zest) 
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped (I've played around with several varieties, and haven't found one I didn't like yet!  Just use your favorite or whatever type you have on hand.) 
1-1/4 cups flour, all purpose
1 tsp. sodium free baking powder 

Lemon Glaze: 
1/3 cup Whey Low Powder (or powdered sugar), sifted
2 Tbsp. lemon juice 
1/2 tsp. lemon zest 

Garnish: 

turbinado sugar (optional)
sifted Whey Low Powder (or powdered sugar) 
1 tsp. fresh Lemon Zest (optional)
finely chopped mint (optional)

DIRECTIONS 
Preheat oven to 325°F.

Batter:  
Combine butter and Whey Low Granulated (sugar) in a large mixing bowl, and mix until light and fluffy.

Add the remaining lemon juice and zest to the bowl.  Blend until incorporated throughout.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Remove from mixer and stir in mint with a rubber spatula.

Whisk flour & baking powder together in a small mixing bowl.  Stir into batter about 1/4 cup at a time.  Blending well after each addition.  The batter will be thick.

Fill mini muffin cups (sprayed with cooking spray) to the top.  (My small cookie scoop works perfectly for this!)

NOTE:  If you decide to go with Version Two...see below BEFORE you put them in the oven! 

Bake in a preheated 325° oven for 12 to 15 minutes.  (I like to cook them until they are just starting to brown on the edges.)  Remove from pan to a cooling rack.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze.  Whisk together the Whey Low Powder (powdered sugar), lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl (or 2-cup measuring cup), until all lumps are dissolved. 

I've made this quite a few times now, so I've played around with the recipe a bit.  I think I like the extra lemony goodness absorbed in Version One (below) the best, but Version Two (pictured above) looks a little prettier.  Both variations are scrumptious! 

Version One: 
Brush glaze liberally over hot muffins.  (You want the muffins to absorb as much as possible.) 

Once muffins have cooled completely (waiting is SOOOOOO hard!), dust with Whey Low Powder (powdered sugar).  (I have a great Pampered Chef flour & sugar shaker that works perfectly for this, but a fine mesh strainer works well too.)  Top with additional lemon zest and the remaining fresh mint, and enjoy! 

Version Two (pictured): 
Sprinkle with turbinado sugar/lemon zest before baking.  (This adds a delicious crunchiness!)

Allow the muffins to cool completely, and dust with Whey Low Powder (powdered sugar).  Drizzle with lemon glaze, and garnish with fresh mint.

I hope that this will become one of your favorite recipes, just like it has become mine.  Be sure and stop by Ally’s website or Facebook page, and tell her Faithy sent you!

Enjoy your summer my friends, and try to stay cool out there!
Blessings,

--Faithy

Banana-Blueberry-Chip Muffins

HOWDY!  Just have a split second to post, but I wanted to share a quick variation on one of my previous recipes...Choco-Cran-Ban Muffins.  

This time, I used the same basic recipe, but...but substituted fresh blueberries for the cranberries.  I also added a little lemon zest to the batter.

I made some with and some without the mini chocolate chips. Both are delish!

They're also good without the fruit...just banana chocolate chip...soooooooo good.  You really should try 'em.

Thanks again to Abby over at Manila Spoon for sharing the original recipe. 

Gotta run...

Blessings,

--Faithy