Lemon Lush
and raspberry lemon bars!
Permit me just one last dose of summery fruit & lemon bakes before we go all in with the cinnamon breads, apples and pumpkins??
new on bbs
Raspberry Lemon Bars
Lemon flecked buttery shortbread sits under a creamy raspberry lemon bar. Like a lemon bar, but make it naturally pink (and a bit more berry!)
bake just the crust
No Bake Baklava Cheesecake
Thirty or forty layers of crispy phyllo, two layers of a mix of pistachio and pecans sweetened with a bit of brown sugar, and to top this delicous baklava (in which a sugar syrup is added - unlike my other baklava cheesecake!) is a creamy, stable no bake cheesecake.
No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
We’re not just throwing cocoa into a basic no churn, we’re blooming it to bring out its deepest flavor. It’ll still be deliciously creamy too!
reader review
“I made these last night to go with pulled pork and they were delicious. My previous burger bun recipe were very bread-y and large, and my partner declared them too much to go with burgers. These were the perfect shape and texture. Not very sourdough-y, but that is my problem with everything that I bake with my starter, it seems. Thanks for the recipe!” Jess on Sourdough Burger Buns
weekly notes & reads
‘“"Supply chain issues, rising shipping costs, and increased wages certainly played their part in the higher prices we're currently seeing. However, the admission some prices were elevated simply because businesses knew they could doesn't help the case for those arguing price gouging isn't an issue." The FTC antitrust case alleges that if Kroger successfully acquires Albertsons, consumers will see even higher price hikes due to the reduced competition from the two chains being merged.” Kroger Executive Admits Company Gouged Prices Above Inflation, Newsweek.
“It’s no accident that fishing boats in Senegal and other coastal areas of West Africa look similar to Gullah fishing boats in South Carolina, and it’s no accident that both coasts, separated by the Atlantic Ocean, produce cuisines devoted to rice and seafood. The exploitation of African agricultural expertise, and a dependence on hundreds of thousands of unpaid laborers who endured brutal conditions in bondage, led to previously unimaginable profits.” How a Single Grain Shaped the History of This City — and Holds the Key to Its Future, Food & Wine. [This piece is a must read; it covers SC’s history as the US’ richest state for 100 years, the roots of Gullah Geechee culture, and the relationship between emancipated slaves and indigenous habitants of the eastern islands]
“Increasing recycled content in packaging may be good news for the planet, but researchers say the FDA has a lax approval process for plastic food packaging that hasn’t kept pace with the science on chemical hazards in plastics. The agency’s approval process for recycled plastics is voluntary and ignores the potential risk of chemical mixtures, researchers told EHN. Companies can seek guidance on their recycling process, but they are not required to. In addition, the FDA relies on manufacturers’ test data when it approves materials, leaving companies essentially in charge of policing themselves. Meanwhile, some studies show that recycled plastic can harbor even more toxic chemicals—such as bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, benzene and others—than virgin plastic.” Is Recycled Plastic Safe for Food Use? Civil Eats.
Serious Eats tested a dozen different ways to store raspberries and concluded that the best way was unwashed in their original (clamshell, paper towel-lined package) in the fridge. They also say, it’s best eat them asap. Which validates my tendency to, as soon as they go on sale, I buy 4 packs and eat them like candy, lol. This also clocks with a conversation I had with a farmer at her stall in the market a few weeks back, she firmly said: ‘don’t wash them and eat them today or tomorrow’. However, the SE article also has a few suggestions if you are trying to prolong that fresh berry life.
Something I am slightly annoyed at myself for not getting to you this summer: a fully from scratch icebox cake. See, I have this recipe for crispy black cocoa cookies that I conceived of as homemade oreos, but I had received so many comments over the years saying they were just like (now discontinued) nabisco’s chocolate wafers. I had the brilliant idea to use those cookies to make a classic icebox cake - the one that’s got black cookies arranged vertically and cool whip in between (like this). I ordered a special cookie cutter that would fit my pan, made the cookies and then the dish it for you, shot the video and then… simply didn’t have time to take photos of the final dish (I left it for a few days while I was busy packing and got too soft to slice 😭). Next summer I’ll have a full recipe for you but, until then you could have a go at it using the cookie recipe and some fp homemade whipped cream.
I thought this piece from Rupi Kaur was so perfect for us bakers/dreamers:
the recipe is simple
dream big
and when you think
the dream is big enough
triple it in size
(read the rest here).
and for members
Lemon Lush
Picture a lemon icebox cake but with just four layers and each layer is unique in it’s own way: a cookie crust (homemade shortbread or a press-in crumb), thick no-bake lemony cheesecake, a super smooth from scratch lemon pudding, and homemade whipped cream.