Joy the Baker » citrus

Tangerine Lemon Curd

joythebaker — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:26:46 +0000

I go to church in Hollywood. Most every Sunday. I step over super gross, drunken Saturday night vomit, club promo cards, discarded hair extensions, gum wrappers and street hot dog remnants. I kid you not. Hollywood is nuts. Watch your step.

Some questions arise when I go to church. Is it rude to shush a chatty couple in church? Is it rude to ask a once chatty couple to stop making out during church? Cause… I mean, seriously. I know we’re sitting towards the back of church… but Jesus (literally)! ((Ok… I’m exaggerating. They weren’t totally making out. But they were kissing. And I wanted it to stop.)) (((Um, Joy… jealous much!?)))

And another thing! Sir, when I’m the usher and offer you the offering basket please don’t hold up your hand like you pass… like you’re passing on another coffee refill at a diner. Taking the basket is not optional. Putting money in the basket is optional… but you have to take the basket. Touch it. Just pass it on…. this is how this whole offering thing works. K. Thanks. God bless you.

I love my church. I do.

Now that I have that off my chest we can talk about citrus and curd.

Have you ever made citrus curd? It’s one of those things that might feel really fancy, but it’s super easy to make.

Citrus is totally bonkers right now.. I say get on this.

This Tangerine and Lemon Curd is a simple mixture of fresh juice, sugar, zest, butter and eggs. When heated and whisked, the protein in the eggs work to thicken the curd just the right amount. Warm curd with be the consistency of warm pudding, but will be perfectly spreadable when chilled.

I like to rub tangerine zest into the sugar to release all of the essential oils before cooking. This is totally a smarty pants move.

What the heck do you do with curd? If you’re anything like me, a spoon is an awfully delicious way to enjoy curd.

I also like these Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins or Buttermilk Biscuits as a curd delivery system.

Also… I won’t tell you how many times I typed crud instead of curd in this post. A lot.

Tangerine Lemon Curd

makes about 3/4 cup

Print this Recipe!

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg

5 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon tangerine zest

1/4 cup tangerine juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

pinch of salt

Combine sugar and tangerine zest on a clean cutting board. With a bench knife or the back of a spoon, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is very fragrant and slightly orange in color.

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together egg yolks, egg, tangerine sugar, juices, butter and salt. Whisk over the heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This takes about 5 minutes. The mixture will begin to smell just like citrus curd. It’s delicious.

Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Transfer to a small jar or airtight container and refrigerate until cool and thicker in texture. Curd will last, refrigerated, for about a week.

Brown Butter Winter Citrus Pancakes

joythebaker — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 06:47:41 +0000

My goodness. This world has these seasons planned out just perfectly. Amidst super rain, chilly wind and grey skies, we get blood oranges, tangerines and grapefruit!

Big, bright, cheek puckering citrus is perfect for winter breakfast. I know… it happened this morning.

I’d also like to thank the good world for creating coffee and hot cocoa and whole milk… and putting them all in my coffee cup this morning.

Just swell.

You have to treat your citrus right for this breakfast. That means peeling and segmenting. Do you know how to do this?

Cut the bottom and the top off of the citrus, exposing the flesh. Run a pairing knife down the sides of the citrus, peeling off the skin and white pith. At a slight angle, slice in between the white lines of the citrus, creating clean little grapefruit flesh slices.

It takes time, but is totally worth the effort.

See all the brown specks in the blue bowl? That’s the browned butter. Ooooh goodness. So delicious. It’s rich and nutty and a wonderful balance to the bright citrus.

These are my new favorite winter pancakes. Such a treat to my heart.

ps. If you’re as obsessed with citrus as I am, you might also enjoy this Super Citrus Smoothie.

Brown Butter Winter Citrus Pancakes

makes enough pancakes for two people, double the recipe for a larger group

Print this Recipe!

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon citrus zest

2 tangerines peeled by hand and separated

1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented

1 blood orange, peeled and segmented

feel free to use any citrus that makes you happy

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. The butter will foam and froth then begin to brown. When the butter solids begin to brown, keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. The butter will smell rich and nutty. Cook until butter bits are brown then remove from the hot pan and place in a small bowl.

Whisk together egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract and citrus zest. Whisk in the browned butter. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir together with a fork until well incorporated. If the batter is a little lumpy… well that’s just fine.

Let batter rest while you heat up the skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Great skillet with a teaspoon or two of oil or butter. Spoon pancake batter by the 2 tablespoonfuls into the hot pan. Let cook until browned on one side, flip and brown on the other side. Place cooked pancakes on an oven-proof plate in an oven heated to 150 degrees F. This will keep the pancakes warm while you cook the rest.

Arrange the pancakes on a plate, top with segmented citrus and pure maple syrup.

Super Citrus Smoothie

joythebaker — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:40:56 +0000

Let’s just close out eyes and pretend we’re sitting under an orange tree. An orange tree heavy with fruit… but with the occasional late blooming blossom. There are honey bees too. Just a few. The friendly kind. The kind of honeybees that remind you that life is full of creatures big and small… and we all have tasks to do.

Let’s just hang out under our orange tree for a while. Right here in the shade, greeted by little spots of sun as the wind spreads the leaves.

It’s nice here.

Sweet. Thanks. I’m glad you’re here.

Simple. Big. Bright. Tangy. A game changer, taking your day from overcast to bright and shiny with just a sip.

Thank you to Tracy and Sunset Magazine for the inspiration.

Super Citrus Smoothie

adapted from Sunset Magazine

Print this Recipe!

Here’s what you’ll need for one big smoothie:

A juicer

A blender

2 Tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

the juice of 1/2 a grapefruit (save the other half for tomorrow’s smoothie?)

1/2 cup fresh orange or tangerine juice

2 tablespoons honey

heaping 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 frozen banana (they blend better when frozen)

1/2 cup ice cubes

In a blender, combine juices, yogurt, and honey. Blend for a few seconds. Add the ice cubes and blend until smooth. This recipe makes one giant smoothie. Yumtown.

Honey-Lime Curd with Creme Fraiche

joythebaker — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:27:15 +0000

This list of things that I’ve stolen in my life is pretty small.

There was that piece of candy that I stole from Fedco when I was 7. My Dad caught me chomping on it in the back seat of the car and I got the big morality talk. Lesson: never steal anything too chewy.

There were the Girl Scout cookies I stole from my big sister’s room when she was out on a secret date. I was the natural suspect. I got a good talking to for that one. When I pulled the same cookie thievery the next week, well…. my parents made sure I learned my lesson that time.

Then there were all the times I would sneak into my Mom’s secret chocolate stashes. My Mom’s hiding places were no match for my ability to find a stool and wiggle my way around cabinets looking for sweets.

Thinking back on it, my thievery always involved something delicious that I wanted to put in my tummy. I was pathetically predictable in that sense.

I was once again tempted by the thievery gods this weekend while walking around my neighborhood. There’s citrus EVERYWHERE. Just about every other yard has a blooming orange or lemon tree just begging to be plucked. Isn’t sneaking into someones yard to yank their produce considered theft? I thought back to all of the stern reprimands and spankings I got from stealing yummies as a kid and thought better of sneaking into my neighbor’s yard.

Instead, I forked over some cash at the farmer’s market and felt just fine about making this Honey- Lime Curd.

Does this sort of concession mean my bad girl days are long gone? Sigh….

Honey-Lime Curd with Creme Fraiche

This recipe is alluringly tart. It’s pretty. It’s smooth, and the sweetness is beautifully rounded out by the honey. You could substitute lemons for limes if that’s what you have on hand. Serve this curd on warm scones or with creme fraiche and shortbread cookies. Lovely!

Print this Recipe!

5 large egg yolks

1 large egg

2/3 cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons honey

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

Creme Fraiche for serving

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a boil.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the whole egg, the fresh lime juice, the teaspoon of lime zest and the honey.

Set the bowl with the lime mixture over the boiling water, creating a double boiler. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook the lime mixture, whisking constantly until the curd has thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, about 7 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces until smoothly combined. Pass the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl.

Ladle the strained curd into 4 cups or ramekins. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lime curd to prevent a skin from forming; refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours.

Top the curd with dollops of creme fraiche and garnish with remaining lime zest.

Serve with shortbread cookies or atop hot, sexy scones.

Glazed Lime Cake

joythebaker — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:53:01 +0000

This cake and I. Ooooh this cake and I.

We had a fight, maybe I should call it a misunderstanding.

I had expectations for this cake. I needed it to be a certain way to make me happy. Mistakes.

I wanted this cake to be dense, but moist, perfectly golden, easy to cut and just downright irresistible. In other words, I wanted this cake to be perfect. Perfect in the ways I wanted it to be perfect. Oh Joy. It’s like I’ve learned absolutely nothing these past twenty something years.

Nothing is perfect. No, correction. Things can be perfect if imagined in your head. Real life… the real stuff is never as perfect as it is in your head. But… (oh the but). Sometimes. Most times. The imperfections are what become the most perfect part of life.

Boom. Knowledge. I just dropped it.

Here’s the deal with this cake.

I wanted it to be the perfectly delicate but perfectly dense glazed cake. I wanted this cake to be Martha Stewart. Like the perfectly manicured, airbrushed and edited version of Martha Stewart.

It turns out this cake is more like… Mom. She might have her nails all done up some days, but you also know that she wakes up with her hair kinda mashed and those pink foam hair rollers are her best friend in the hour before Sunday church service. You know, Mom… imperfect, but SO so so so so perfect.

This Glazed Lime Cake has no pretensions. It’s baked up in an 8-inch square baking pan and adorned with a simple lime glaze. It’s like the delicious cake version of after dinner green Jello dessert, but better. So much better.

No this cake isn’t perfect, but it’s simple, straight-forward, and it just wants you to return her phone calls so she doesn’t have to worry so much.

Glazed Lime Cake

Bon Appetit January 2009

Print this Recipe!

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup milk
1 1/3 cups self-rising flour
2 to 3 large limes
1/4 cup sugar

Note: This cake has no salt or leavening. That’s because self rising flour has all the stuff you need.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8-inch square baking pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter and 11/2 cups powdered sugar in large bowl. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in milk, then flour. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely grate enough lime peel to measure 1 tablespoon. Halve limes; squeeze enough juice to measure 1/4 cup. Mix peel, juice, and 1/4 cup sugar in small bowl. Set lime syrup aside.

Using skewer, poke holes all over baked cake. Spoon half of lime syrup (about 3 tablespoons) over hot cake. Cool.

Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar into remaining lime syrup; drizzle over cake. Let stand 1 hour. Cut cake into squares.

In Related Cakes:

Southern Style Strawberry Cake

Blackberry Jam Cake

and Mocha Rum Cake

Citrus Sables

joythebaker — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:21:04 +0000

My week- ridiculous.

My best, most darling friend has decided to move from Los Angeles to some strange state called…. Florida? It’s wonderful for her. I’m just heartbroken that I won’t have her around to watch me bake and drink wine and talk for hours and hours.

I can get over that heartbreak thanks to my immense amount of rollover cell phone minutes. I’ll be fine…

BUT! It seems like I’ve been saying goodbye to my friend at goodbye parties all week long. I’m not really a girl that goes to bars, but it seems like each night of the week I’ve been raising a glass to my friend. It’s been fun. It’s been almost too fun! Each night is more ridiculous than the next.

If you haven’t been to a bar in a while, well, let me tell you, it’s madness. In just one week I’ve… Well let’s just say that I’m going to church in the morning, and no, I didn’t get a tattoo… or did I?

Bon Voyage Sonia my love.

Enough of that, we have cookies to discuss.

These citrus sables will class up any ridiculous week. Throw together a batch of these slice and bake French butter cookies, and those beers and bar fights will be a distant memory.

Citrus Sables

Baking: from my home to yours

Print this Recipe!

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter (preferably high-fat, like Plugra), softened at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted before measuring
1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
2 large egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour.

zest of 1 lemon and zest of 1 lime

For the decoration (optional):
1 egg yolk
Crystal or dazzle sugar.

1. Working in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and very creamy. Rub the zest of the lemon and lime into the granulated sugar with your fingertips, creating a fragrant sugar. Add the sugars and salt to the butter and continue to beat until smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in 2 egg yolks, again beating until well blended.

2. Turn off the mixer, pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer and pulse the mixer about 5 times at low speed for 1 or 2 seconds each time. Take a peek; if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of more times; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, stir for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. If you still have some flour on the bottom of the bowl, stop mixing and use a rubber spatula to work the rest of it into the dough. (The dough will not come together in a ball — and it shouldn’t. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you’re aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy dough. When pinched, it should feel a little like Play-Doh.)

3. Scrape the dough onto a work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long (it’s easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log). Wrap the logs well and chill them for at least 2 hours. The dough may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

4. When ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and keep it at the ready.

5. To decorate the edges of the sables, whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Place one log of chilled dough on a piece of waxed paper and brush it with yolk (the glue), and then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with sugar. Trim the ends of the roll if they are ragged and slice the log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies.

6. Place the rounds on the baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each cookie, and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top. Let the cookies rest 1 or 2 minutes before carefully lifting them onto a cooling rack with a wide metal spatula. Repeat with the remaining log of dough. (Make sure the sheet is cool before baking each batch.)

Cake Mix Couture?

joythebaker — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:28:12 +0000

I think I’m supposed to hate cake mix. I think, once you get a chef’s coat, you are supposed to turn you nose up at all things packaged, pre-mixed, and all around too good to be true. Well the truth is, I don’t hate cake mix, or at least I don’t hate it as much as I should.

I could bore you with a pro and con list detailing my love hate relationship with cake mix, but I won’t. I’ll just say this- I love cake mix because my Mom buys it for 35 cents and then passes it along to me, with that oh-so-great-I-found-a-bargain feeling. Cake mixes are easy beyond belief, moist every time and really hard to screw up. But the truth is, even easy to make, 35 cent cake mix isn’t really a bargain. It’s filled with loads of oils and sugars that I can’t even pronounce. If I can’t pronounce it, there’s a good chance my insides that don’t what to do with it either. So, you win and you lose. Sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it?

I whole heartedly reject what the directions on the cake mix box tells me to do. If I’m going to make a boxed cake, I’m certainly going to do it my way. I’m not sure if I can make cake mix couture, but I’m sure as hell going to try. So to my yellow mix I added lime zest, orange zest, orange juice and toasted coconut. Hmm…. couture enough? I don’t know. I’ll probably have to find a skinny French model wearing a skinny French couture dress to stand next to my cake… then I’ll be able to reasonably call it couture. Yea…. that’ll do it.

Orange, Lime and Toasted Coconut- Haute Couture

Print this Recipe!

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box vanilla pudding

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup sour cream

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1 lime

juice from half an orange (a scant 1/4 cup)

1 cup toasted sweetened coconut

Lime Glaze

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup powdered sugar

Toasted Coconut for extra fanciness on top of the cake

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a hand mixer, on low for 30 seconds, and then on medium for about 2-3 minutes. Scape down the bowl as necessary to incorporate all of the ingredients.

2. Pour the batter in a well greased and floured Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 39-44 minutes, or when a thin knife inserted in the cake comes out clean, and that cake has a nice golden color.

3. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

4. Embellish with a lime glaze- The juice of 1 lime added to 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk until no lumps remain. Pour over Bundt cake, letting the glaze drip down the sides, and sprinkle with toasted coconut