Friends, it’s my birthday on Sunday. It’s not just any birthday it’s a big one. It’s my thirtieth! So in celebration of my birthday this week’s two recipes will highlight some of my favorite flavors with one sweet and one savory recipe. Today we’re starting with the sweet – a recipe for strawberry lemon tarts.

Lemon tarts are my absolute favorite dessert and I’m still searching for my perfect tart. I love the combination of sweet and tart and I like that it feels light but is still sort of silky and decadent. Although I’m sometimes swayed by intense chocolate concoctions, when I go out I try to order lemon tarts because I find it so satisfying for my sweet tooth. And since I don’t have the perfect recipe for lemon tarts or a go-to bakery where I can buy some, I never get tired of eating them. Constantly seeking the epitome of deliciousness has its benefits. 

But lemon tarts alone aren’t enough to be my birthday celebration food – I had to add strawberries. Strawberries are my absolute favorite fruit and I could eat a whole bowl full in one sitting. In fact, I have eaten a whole bowl by myself but often times I feel guilty for not sharing. I love strawberries because they are a symbol of summer and hot sunny weather (and my birthday is the first day of summer so it feels in perfect alignment). Sure, you can get strawberries throughout the year but off-peak strawberries are all looks and no substance. Summer time strawberries on the other hand are sweet, juicy, and bursting with flavor.

So, when you make this recipe make sure you have some extra strawberries for snacking. You know you’re going to want to eat a few.

Adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

Messy level: I find the preparation for this fairly messy because there’s a lot of cutting, juicing, blending and food processing that you have to do. But, when it comes to assembly it’s straightforward and mess-free.

Strawberry Lemon Tarts

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Ingredients

Crust:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

• ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
• 1½ cup strawberries
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C degrees.
2. Line a 9 x 13 pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with butter or cooking spray.
3. Start with the crust. In a large bowl using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar.
4. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until it looks like crumbs.
5. Press the crumbly mixture into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for about 15-18 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges.
7. Remove from the oven and set aside.
8. Now for the filling. Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until smooth (or as smooth as your blender can get it)
9. Either in the blender, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, add the lemon zest, sugar, an eggs to the strawberry puree. Blend until smooth.
10. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the strawberry mix. Mix until completely smooth.
11. Pour the filling over top of the crust once.
12. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the filling is set with just a bit of a jiggle.
13. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
14. Dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar.
15. Cut and serve. Store extra in the refrigerator.

3.3.3077

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Recently I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about eating outside. I’ve thought about having a birthday party picnic next month, I’ve reminisced about steak and pepper kabobs Ryan used to make on the grill, I’ve pined for chili cheese dogs at a Nats baseball game, and I’ve wished for a Leinenkugel summer shandy. The weather is nice, the sun has been out, and all I want to do is eat outside. Last week my friends and I sat outside at a pizzeria and in Greenwich we had a mini picnic, but still I want more summer flavor.

Maybe because it’s Memorial Day in the US, and a bank holiday here in the UK, and people everywhere are outside enjoying a good meal – all I want to do is immerse myself in summer. In short, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about summertime foods and drinks. One recipe that is perfect for the season is an Arnold Palmer. Sure, sometime soon Ryan and I are going to buy one of these disposable barbecues, head to the park, and cook up some burgers and hot dogs – but until then this drink is going to bring summer inside to my flat. Because look at it, this drink just looks like liquid sunshine.

Half lemonade and half iced tea, and named after the golfer Arnold Palmer, this is the perfect drink refreshing and delicious drink to cool down in the summer time. (You can see the fantastic Sports Center commercial with Arnold Palmer making one here) I always get excited when I see an Arnold Palmer on a menu or when I can buy a bottle of it in the store. It’s simply fantastic, perfect for summer, and I can’t believe it took me so long to make it.

Especially because, it’s so easy and inexpensive. You need four things: black tea, lemons, sugar, and water. I imagine in the US you’d use Lipton tea bags, but I used English breakfast. I think use whatever straightforward black tea you like best. The other you’ll need to do is make simple syrup. All that is, is sugar and water heated up so the sugar dissolves. This is an important step! Sugar doesn’t dissolve in cold liquids, so if you dump sugar straight in then your going to have some tart sips and some crunchy sugar sips. So peopple don’t wait! Get your pitcher, make a batch, and invite some friends over to sit outside, chat about nothing, and enjoy being outside. And if you’re having a barbecue, invite me over!

Adapted from Food Network.

Messy level: This is two spoons only because you’ll might need a few different vessels as you prepare you tea, lemons, and simple syrup. Overall though, so easy and not messy at all.

Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade - Half Iced Tea)

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2-3 black tea bags (use more tea bags if you like a stronger flavor)
• 1 cup lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• lemon wedges, optional for garnish

Instructions

1. Put 2-3 tea bags in a heat-safe pitcher or bowl.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling pour the water over the tea bags. Let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags and set the tea aside to cool.
4. If you haven't already, juice the lemons. Add the lemon juice to the cooling tea.
5. In a small saucepan combine the sugar and 1 cup of water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stir occasionally.
6. Once the sugar has dissolved, you now have simple syrup. Add it to the Arnold Palmer mixture. You can add less than the whole cup if you don't want it as sweet.
7. Add the final one cup of water to the Arnold Palmer. Taste. Add more water if you find it too sweet or too tart. Make more simple syrup if you'd like it sweeter.
8. Put in the refrigerator to cool completely.
9. Once cool, serve in a glass over ice. If you like, dd a wedge of lemon for garnish.

3.3.3070

The post Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade – Half Iced Tea) appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Think what you might about London weather, but this past week has been beautiful. And the coming week is supposed to be wonderful as well. It’s been sunny and warm, people have been wearing sandals, and I wore a dress without tights. Even better, the sun is up when I wake up and it’s still up when I come home from work. It’s been glorious.

It’s the kind of weather where it’s easy to be in love with London and all there is to see and do. This weather makes me want to run to the nearest park lie on a blanket, put my bare feet in the grass and have a picnic. A minor digression, but did you know that here you can buy a tray (about the size of a lasagna) that is a portable and disposable grill? And you can take it with you camping? And Ryan has seen people do this?! It’s amazing. 

So now I have dreams of a picnic with grilled burgers and sausages (Ryan says I won’t find hot dogs) some fruit and lemonade. Warm weather is the perfect weather for lemonade. I love lemonade because it reminds me of being a kid and making it myself from the Country Time container. It reminds me of the beach, the state fair, and baseball games.

I decided to try to jazz up lemonade after listening to a recent episode of the Sporkful podcast. Each week the host, Dan Pashman, has a food theme and explores it – talks about types of food, how to eat it, preferences. It might sound silly, but it’s funny, and interesting and everyone has at least one strong food conviction that it’s easy to relate to. Anyway, recently he had donuts and he had a bourbon blueberry basil flavored one – and I was intrigued by the blueberry basil combination.

I like mint lemonade so why not basil? And after a little internet research, I found blueberry and basil isn’t such an usual combination. I found it in a savory goat cheese pie and in a sweet lemon cake compote. Also, I think basil is very summery. It reminds me of fresh summer tomatoes on a caprese salad. And it reminds me of one summer in New York where my friend Emily and I planted basil in our windowsill herb gardens.

This blueberry basil lemonade is ridiculously easy to make, but feels like one of those fancy drinks you’d get at the farmer’s market or at a posh salad restaurant. The flavor is great because it’s simultaneously sweet and tart, with just a hint of fresh basil herb notes. It’s lovely! Make this, go outside, put on your sunglasses, kick you feet up, and enjoy.

Messy level: For a beverage, this is a little messy. You have to squeeze the lemons – which is one appliance and has the potential to spray everywhere. Then you need the blender. Then you need a strainer. Not at all difficult or labor intensive, but you will have to clean three pieces of equipment.

Blueberry Basil Lemonade

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

7 mins

 

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• ¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
• 1½ cup fresh blueberries
• 6-8 basil leaves
• 3 cups cold water
• ¼ agave or honey (or more to taste)
• wedges of lemon and blueberries (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Put the lemon juice, blueberries, basil, water, and agave in a blender. Blend on high until the blueberries and basil leaves are cut up into tiny little shreds.
2. Taste and adjust as fits your palate. (You know, add more blueberries or basil or agave as you see fit)
3. Let it sit for 30 minutes so all the flavors can blend and strengthen.
4. Sift out the solids from the lemonade. Do this by putting a fine mesh sieve over a pitcher then pouring what is in the blender through the sieve. You can leave a few bits, but I recommend taking it out because it's a lot and otherwise there will be separation (as you can see in the photo below).
5. If desired, add any extra wedges of lemon or blueberries to the pitcher.
6. Serve in glasses over ice and enjoy the weather

3.2.2925

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