Tag Archive: dessert

Mar
05

Music and Picnic Under the Stars (plus Lemon Square Recipe) by Beth Webb Hart

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The azaleas and wisteria are beginning to bud in Charleston and residents are looking forward to cleaning off their boats, dusting off the picnic baskets and lawn chairs and hitting the great outdoors.

Flowers abound at all of the plantations along the Ashley River from Magnolia to Drayton Hall to Middleton Place so check them out if you’re passing through town.

As we tilt toward spring, one can’t help but look forward to the Spoleto Festival (17 day art festival in Charleston) Finale which takes place on Middleton Plantation and involves a-come-as you-are-and-bring-your-own-stuff picnic under the stars as the festival orchestra plays on the butterfly lakes of the old plantation over looking the river. The evening is complete with a spectacular fireworks display overhead. Here is the link to this year’s finale event: http://spoletousa.org/events/finale-red-stick-ramblers/

I have some happy memories of picnicking at Middleton with friends. They usually involve big blankets, flip flops kicked off, fried chicken, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, some nice wine and lemon squares for dessert.

I’m the dessert person, usually, since I have an odd affinity for baking (even though I can’t cook regular food worth a darn.)

Here is the recipe. Happy Spring and happy picnicking!

Lemon Squares

Ingredients

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into squares or triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

For more info. on Beth Webb Hart’s novels (loaded with southern food imagery) click here

Tags: Charleston, dessert, lemon squares, picnic, Spoleto Festival, spring

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Dec
09

Apple Fritter Bread (from Lisa Wingate)

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by admin

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope this post finds you in the throes of holiday fun and festivities… and plenty of good food! This week marked the official beginning of the annual round of Christmas parties in our neck of the woods. It’s probably true just about anywhere during holidays, but in Texas, it’s not a get-together if there’s not plenty of food involved. We all know that the calories don’t count from the day after Thanksgiving until the day after New Years (they don’t… right?), so anything goes. The only unwritten rule for holiday party baking is to bring something that will wow the crowd as you’re walking in, and leave an empty plate when you’re leaving.

Here’s a recipe that works, and it’s easy! This apple dumpling bread sprang from a peck of leftover apples and some dough from the freezer one night when I was looking for something interesting to make for the guys. Since then, it’s been a hit at holiday gatherings. It’s also good for breakfast, it’s delicious leftover (just put it in the refrigerator to store). You can make it ahead, then freeze it and bake it at a later time, if needed.

As far as calories go… ummm… it’s not the worst thing you could eat for dessert, and it does have apples in it. Apples are healthy, right?

Apple Fritter Bread:

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed)
4 large apples (I like the firmer ones 1/2 Granny Smith and 1/2 Red Rome is good)
1/2 cup sugar
4T Butter
3T Milk
2T water
1T corn starch
2 tsp cinnamon
1T Vanilla
1 small bag powdered Sugar

Apple Fritter Bread Instructions:

Stewed Apple Filling

Peel, core, and slice up apples. In a small sauce pan, combine:

2 cups prox chopped apples
3T milk
2T water
1T butter
1/2 cup sugar (less or more depending on how sweet the apples are)
2tsp cinnamon (less or more depending on how spicy you want it)

Cover and simmer until apples are soft. Cooking time depends on the apples, but you do not want them crunchy. Mix 1tsp corn starch into a little water and add it to apples for the last minute or so of cooking to thicken the juice.

Fashion the Fritter

Flatten loaf of bread dough onto a greased cookie sheet (press out like an oblong pizza crust). Spoon apple filling onto crust. Fold dough over filling and pinch closed to create pocket. Brush pocket with melted butter (or use spray butter) and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Icing glaze

Combine in bowl:

1T melted butter
1T milk
1tsp vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (begin with small amount, stir in, add more if needed, until mixture is thick enough to barely drizzle off spoon).

Finishing touch

Drizzle icing over dumpling and… oh, yum! Slice and serve and watch it disappear. Delicious served hot as is, with whipped cream, or with ice cream over the top. Keeps well in refrigerator and tastes great warmed up.