The Dessert You Didn't Know You Needed - Lemon Brownies

My love of lemon is well documented on this blog (take a look here, here, and here) so it was only natural that in my quest for the perfect dessert fix, I stumbled on yet another lemon sweet to add to my repertoire. If you're like most people, you might find the idea of a Lemon Brownie quite out of the box. Nevertheless, these didn't seem all that odd to me, because years ago I had discovered and enjoyed a similar recipe - Paula Deen's unexpectedly delicious recipe for orange brownies. And by discovered I mean I shamelessly ate far more than my fair share when a coworker brought them to the office. While my opinion of Paula has seen better days, her brownies (they are tangy, chewy, and orangey-just like a brownie but without the chocolate), made me a believer. 

Lemon Brownies, Photo: Neurotic Kitchen 

So what makes today's recipe more Lemon Brownie than the ubiquitous lemon bar? It's all about the texture - these will not be cake-like. What emerges from your oven will be chewy and fudgey, which is, in fact, just the way I like my chocolate brownies. The result is a bitesized confection that is tart but sweet, and overall, a hugely satisfying little sunny bite. For me, the lemon brownie is the epitome of an easy and elegant handheld dessert. Rest assured, the kids will like them too! 

We'll get to the recipe soon, but first, some tips:

Bring butter fully to room temperature.
Do not overmix batter.
Do not overbake batter. It's done when you see just the slightest golden color at the very corners of the pan. Not more than 25 minutes in most ovens - you'll want to keep an eye on it. 

Lemon Brownies
Recipe very lightly adapted from Wicked Good Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine Sea Salt 
2/3 Cup Salted Butter (equal to 11 Tablespoons) + a bit extra for greasing the pan
2 Large Eggs + 1 Large Egg White
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest 
2 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

Glaze Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Sifted Confectioner's Sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
2.5 teaspoons Lemon Zest
+ one drop of yellow food color (completely optional)
+ flakey Sea Salt (also optional)

Equipment:
Parchment Paper
Glass or metal pan (9x9)

Method:
Place rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. 
Grease the baking pan with butter and place parchment into the pan, leaving an overhang so you can easily lift the brownies out of the pan once they've cooled. 

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a whisk in a large bowl and mixing by hand), stir together flour, sugar, and salt until well incorporated. Add butter and mix until well combined. Do NOT beat at high speed or over mix. In a small bowl whisk the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice together. Scrape edges of the bowl and pour the contents into the flour batter bowl, stirring with a whisk (or electric mixer) until the batter well blended and smooth. Once again, do not over-beat (note: this is precisely why I like to make this recipe by hand, just be sure ingredients are well-incorporated). 

With a rubber spatula, scrape batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Do not overbake. You will see slightly golden edges beginning to appear. The middle will be semi-firm but not hard. 

Let the brownies fully cool and then gently lift them out of the pan by the parchment overhand, supporting the bottom as well. 

Make the glaze by combining the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest and whisk vigorously until smooth and glossy. You have two options with the glaze - you can either pour it onto the uncut brownies and cut them once it has hardened, or you can cut the brownies into small bitesized bars and separate them on a plate. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze onto each until almost totally covered. This is my preference. In either scenario you can optionally sprinkle the tiniest bit of flakey sea salt on to of the icing as it hardens. If your lemon zest is not bright yellow, you can add a drop of yellow food color to the glaze before adding it.

These brownies can be stored up to five days in fridge if you place them in an airtight container. They also freeze nicely! 

Weeknight Indulgence: Strawberry Pretzel Sundae With Mascarpone Gelato

Strawberries! Photo:NK

How do you get inspired by something you didn't even order? Easy. When the description itself is so mouthwatering that you can't stop thinking about it for weeks. Positively stuffed by a great meal a few weeks ago at The Topping Rose House, Tom Colicchio's new(ish) restaurant venture out in scenic Bridgehampton, we were compelled towards uncharacteristic modesty when it came to our dessert order. We opted for a very spartan scoop of interesting house made ice cream - cream cheese flavor to be exact. An odd choice to be sure but, I must say - delicious! The flavor was not too sweet, a bit tart actually, but overall, very refreshing. 

Still, as time went on, I just could not stop thinking about a dessert on the menu that we'd passed on: a sundae, but not just any sundae, one that incorporated  our tangy cream cheese ice cream with decadent fresh strawberry compote and salty crumbled pretzels. YES. 

A lovely meal was had at Topping Rose House, Photo: NK

With Strawberries in season and so delicious this year, I felt I had no choice but to embark on a mission to find this unique ice cream flavor elsewhere, or at least a worthy stand-in (in this case, Il Laboratorio del Gelato's sinful Mascarpone Gelato was just the thing). 

When to concoct this much anticipated sundae? Any time you could use a little pick me up. The Strawberry Compote is super fast and the final result will pretty much make you day. You can bet this is going to make the summer dinner party rotation. And it's kid friendly too. 

Let's go!!!!!

Fresh Strawberry & Pretzel Sundae with Mascarpone Gelato, Photo: NK

Fresh Strawberry & Pretzel Sundae with Mascarpone Gelato
Inspired by The Topping Rose House / Tom Colicchio 
Serves 2 

Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:
1/3 LB Ripe Stawberries, hulled and sliced uniformly. Slice once in half when done
1 heaping teaspoon Sugar (optional)

Pretzel Crisp make the perfect topping,  Photo:NK

1/2 teaspoon Good Quality Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Water 

Sundae Ingredients:
Mascarpone Gelato or Cream Cheese flavored Ice Cream (you can substitute any other not-to-sweet, relatively neutral flavor  such as malt. Note: if you use vanilla gelato or Ice Cream,  you may want to omit the sugar from the Strawberry Sauce depending on how ripe your berries are) 

1 big handful of Salted Pretzel Crisps or Salted Pretzels of your choice, crushed into coarse pieces

Fox's U-Bet or other good quality Chocolate Syrup

Mint, for an optional garnish

Heavenly Gelato, Photo:NK

Method: 

To make the Strawberry Sauce, place Strawberry slices in as small pan over medium heat. Add a heaping teaspoon of Sugar, the Vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of water. Allow to cook, stirring, a few minutes until liquids thicken and Strawberries break down a bit. Once sauce has reached the desired consistency (we like ours with good chunks of Strawberry and a nice amount of the sweet syrup), turn off the stove and allow it to cool completely. 

To serve: Scoop two generous balls of Ice Cream or Gelato into a sundae dish. Top with Strawberry Sauce and a handful if Pretzel Crumbs. Drizzle with a little bit of Chocolate Syrup. Garnish with a Mint Sprig. Enjoy!! 

Recipe Roundup - Ideas For Your Fourth of July Feast

It's unnerving how quickly summer flies by. Still, we're looking forward to the second big fete of the season, The Fourth of July. While our celebration will undoubtedly include American favorites like Burgers (we love Pat La Frieda's Short Rib Blend), we'll always throw in a few extra twists to make sure our barbecue is one for the books. Today, we'll round up some of NK's favorite summer party recipes. Most can be made on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Hope this get's your creative juices flowing. Happy Cooking! 

A Hot Dog Less Ordinary - Why not try our Chicago Dogs with all the fixins on the grill? 

Real Chicago Dogs 











Tacos! - Remember our recent Cinco de Mayo Carne Asada post? Well this Skirt-Steak based Taco works great on a grill: 

Tacos Carne Asada













Wings! - The winner and still champion of party foods. In our house, these Old Bay Spiced Buffalo Wings are generally baked, but you can absolutely grill them as well. So. Good. 

Old Bay Buffalo Wings














Sharable Shrimp Ceviche Served with Tortilla Chips is "a good thing." We like to lightly boil our Shrimp so you won't have any raw food worries. Bring this great app if you're attending a party.

Cooked Shrimp Ceviche











Salads with a Spin - Because barbecue Side Salads Should not be humdrum:

Watermelon Salad with Arugula, Ricotta Salata, and Mint Dressing

 AND

Grilled Pineapple Salad with Basil and Cucumber














Vegetarian Pasta Salad - This as good at room temp raw sauce pasta recipe easily morphs into a winning side or main that will please all palates - we love our Vegetarian Friends.  

Whole Wheat Pasta Crudaiola with Arugula, Cherry Tomato, and Ricotta Salata











Indoor Feast on tap for you? Just because you aren't barbecuing doesn't mean you can't have a smashing sit down meal. Here are two of our favorite Summery Seafood Dishes that get raves every time: 

Zuppa di Clams with Savory Crouton

Crab Pasta with Lemon and Chive Butter












And for Dessert?
This super easy, stone-fruit driven Tart comes together quickly with frozen puff pastry. Use it to showcase the season's best produce. 

Easy Apricot Blackberry Frangipane Tart









That'll do it. Keep us posted on your food adventures and we hope you do enjoy our Nation's birthday and all the food it brings.