From frozen to fancy, lemon treats refresh

FIRST off, a correction for one of last week's recipes. The recipe for crackers comes not from Jodi Lee but from her good friend, who blogs about daily life on an urban farm at littlecityfarm.blogspot.com. Jodi, who writes about gluten-free cooking at www.lifefromscratch.ca, adds that the crackers, which are made with spelt, are NOT gluten-free.

I received an overwhelming response to the call for lemon recipes. Thanks to Edna Mroz, Olga Barthow, Helen Glowienka, Cecile Olivier, Heida Bottrell, Lynn Hamilton, Marilyn Trickett, Jeanette Johnston and Enid Barnes. (I hope I haven't missed anyone.) It was so hard to choose, but I ended up going with two recipes that both start with frozen lemonade concentrate. Bernice Polischtak sent in her prize-winning "millionaire-themed" recipe from the days of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? TV show. Lynn Shead offers a frozen lemon meringue dessert, a family favourite that comes from her sister, Charlotte, in Halifax.
Frozen lemon meringue

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Frozen lemon meringue (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

This week we have a few requests. Jo-Anne Shadlock is looking for a recipe for an apricot slice that's made with chocolate wafer crumbs and apricot baby food, and Maureen Zilinsky is hoping somebody has the secret to Eaton's fish batter. If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you'd like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

Millionaire mille feuilles (Poor boy French pastry)

40 graham wafers

3 eggs

1 x 355 ml can (12 oz or 1 1/2 cups) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

355 ml (1 1/2 cups) water

125 ml (1/2 cup) white sugar

125 ml (1/2 cup) cornstarch

30 ml (2 tbsp) butter

250 ml (1 cup) Nutriwhip

500 ml (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted

15 ml (1 tbsp) butter, softened

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

30-45 ml (2-3 tbsp) whole milk

60 ml (1/4 cup) chocolate chips, melted with 2 ml (1/2 tsp) vegetable oil

Butter a 33x22 cm (13x9 in) pan and line with half the wafers, cutting the last row to fit tightly. In top of double boiler, beat eggs and then add lemonade concentrate, water, sugar and cornstarch and continue beating until smooth. Cook over simmering water until thick, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 30 ml (2 tbsp) butter. Cool and spread over graham wafers. Beat Nutriwhip until thick and spread over cooled lemon layer. Cover with another layer of graham wafers, cutting to fit, and make sure that the top is even. In a small bowl, combine icing sugar and 15 ml (1 tbsp) butter. Add vanilla and enough milk to get a good consistency and beat until smooth. Pour over graham wafers and quickly but gently spread to cover. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate, tightly covered, overnight. Makes 12-16 servings.

Tester's notes: This is smart take on the Napoleon pastry, and though it has a few steps, it's really quite easy for such a fancy-looking result. When assembling, allow a few extra wafers since you might get some breakage. If you prefer whipping cream to Nutriwhip, you will need to add a little sugar and probably stabilizer so that the cream will hold up. And a note: It seems as if the new standard size for lemonade concentrate is smaller than 355 ml, so make sure to check.

Frozen lemon meringue

Crust:

114 g (1/2 cup) butter, melted

500 ml (2 cups) graham cracker crumbs

75 ml (1/3 cup) brown sugar

Filling:

6 egg yolks

2 x 300 ml (10 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

1x 341 ml can (11.5 oz or about 1 1/2 cups) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice

500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream

Topping:

6 egg whites, at room temperature

175 ml (3/4 cup) white sugar

Preheat oven to 175C (350F). In a medium bowl, stir melted butter, crumbs and brown sugar until combined. Press into an ungreased 22x33 cm (9x13 in) pan, bake for 10 minutes and let cool. In a large bowl, beat yolks until frothy. Add sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate and lemon juice and beat until thickened. In another bowl, beat cream until stiff. Fold whipped cream very slowly and gently into lemon mix and spread over cooled crust. Cover tightly and place in freezer. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar very gradually, beating constantly, and continue beating until mixture is glossy and holds stiff peaks. Spread over lemon mixture right to the edges of the pan, place under a heated broiler and watch carefully for a minute or so, until golden. Cool and then freeze. Bring out about 15-20 minutes before serving to allow dessert to soften slightly but store remainder in the freezer.

Tester's notes: This lovely and refreshing lemon meringue is like an Italian semifreddo or "half-frozen" dessert, with a texture somewhere between mousse and ice cream. Lynn likes to use a few smaller high-sided springform pans instead of one big pan -- the sides help protect the meringue in the freezer. Just ensure that the overall area remains the same. The dessert will keep for a week or two in the freezer, but the texture can become harder after the first week.

Patience is a virtue when folding the cream into the lemon mixture -- you want to mix thoroughly but retain the airiness of the whipped cream, so do be slow and gentle. Because the standard size of concentrated lemonade cans seems to have gotten smaller, make sure to check the measurement on the can. (And a note: This dish contains partially cooked eggs, so use fresh, unbroken eggs, and do not serve to pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system.)

Source:http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/from-frozen-to-fancy-lemon-treats-refresh-150729515.html