Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

As soon as I finish writing this I will be able to delete my silly petulant post about not posting this week; I think I was just discouraged because my DB Cheesecake Pops bombed. The best thing to do is to get right up again, so I rushed to the store near me after work today to buy some polenta and made a quick start as soon as I got home. The Polenta Cake is fun to make and quite unusual - I have never used polenta before. I decided to use raisins as I really don't care for figs and a 10 inch cheesecake pan with a removable base as I don't have a fluted pan that size. I browned a handful of sliced almonds in the 1oz. of butter instead of dabbing the butter on top of the cake - as soon as it was ready I scattered the buttered almonds over the top. Looks quite attractive except some of them got a bit over-browned. Found that my cake took about 55 mins. to bake at almost 350 degrees F - oven does not like going below 350 so has to be watched like a hawk. I'm so pleased I'm out of my funk and will take the cake to the office tomorrow. The guys at work are having a job pick so it will provide the lucky few with some sustenance.

Recipe (slightly adapted)for Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

2 handsful of raisins (plumped)
1 cup polenta
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta
1/3 cup tepid water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey
Grated zest of one lemon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon butter
1 handful sliced almonds
2 large eggs

Center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (mine to almost 350 degrees). Butter a 10-1/2 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time,beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You'll have a sleek,smooth, pourable batter. Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the raisins. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary.

Bake for 35 to 30 minutes (55 mins. for me), or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the pan. Heat the one oz. of butter and gently saute the almonds in the butter until a light gold color. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the base of the pan with the cake on it. Scatter the buttered almonds on the top of the cake. Cool to warm, or cool completely.

Daring Bakers - Cheesecake Pops

Oh dear! I did not have a good baking weekend. The less I say about my Cheesecake Pops the better. It's 5:25PM on April 27 so I don't have time to go back and try again. But I must put them up - want to get DB credit for April. Here's to May!
Cheesecake Pops Recipe

Makes 30-40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks (used 6-inch wooden skewers)

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped (used bitter sweet)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Assorted decorations (finely chopped pistachio nuts; chocolate sprinkles; ground shop-bought shortbread crumbs,can shredded sweet coconut;finely chopped crystallized ginger bits(obtainable from "King Arthur Flour").

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10" cake pan (couldn't find mine so I used a 9" square cake pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35-45 minutes (mine took over an hour, probably because I used a smaller square pan - almost the same volume but the batter was denser). Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-oz round balls (I sliced mine into 2 oz. squares)and place on a parchment paper-lines baking sheet. Carefully insert a skewer into each cheesecake square. Freeze the cheese cake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 - 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose its shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate). Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-line baking sheet to set. Repeat with the remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Bill's Big Carrot Cake - Tuesdays with Dorie

Cake for me and carrots for China Bunny. This was a delightful cake to make, easy to prepare and yummy gooey to frost. I got all the prelim. stuff ready last night, including grating the 9 carrots with a hand grater. When I got home this evening my cake was a breeze to make.

I wasn't too keen on the idea of baking at different levels in the oven but my newest cook book* arrived this afternoon which recommended baking 2 layers at the same middle level and putting the third to wait in the refrigerator. Apparently if you use regular baking powder, which contains sodium aluminum sulfate, the "waiting" cake will still rise nicely as the baking powder responds to heat, not so much to moisture.

Can't wait for 11 o'clock coffee tomorrow morning to munch into luscious carrot cake.

Recipe for Bill's Big Carrot Cake

FOR THE CAKE

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
1/2 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola or safflower oil
4 large eggs

GETTING READY: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 9-x-2inch round cake pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess. Put two pans on baking sheet and one on another.

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one, and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix in the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean; the cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooking racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

TO MAKE THE FROSTING: Working with the stand mixer, preferably fitted with paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.

If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop out about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this portion.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:Put one layer top side up on a cardboark cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generoudly cover the first layer (or cover generously with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake top side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting (or more plain frosting). Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top-and the sides, if you want-of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or cocomut, sprinkle them on now, while the frosting is soft.

Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

*This wise and wonderful new cook book is "Sky High - Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes" by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.

THINK SPICE ... THINK CLOVES

Surfing around I came across this lovely blog,Canela & Comino by Gretchen. I love spicy food but not the fiery hot type - this blog has recipes with delicate spice flavors - Gretchen's challenge for using cloves for this month is just what I want and need.

My recipe is for KEVIN'S SPICED ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATOES, PENANG STYLE. It's from a fabulous cook book, "Cradle of Flavor" by James Oseland, featuring "Home cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore." It's quite new, published in 2006 and has many. many rave reviews.

Here's KEVIN'S SPICED ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATOES

1 whole free-range chicken, 3-1/2 pounds
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons double-black soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
2 pieces cinnamon stick, each 4 inches long
6 whole cloves
5 small red or yellow onions (about 1 pound), each no more than 3-1/2 inches long, halves (used shallots)
1-1/2 teaspoons coarsely crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 pounds small potatoes such as Yukon Gold, Peruvian blue, or Maine, no more than 1-1/2 inches in diameter

1.Remove and discard the fat inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken and thoroughly pat it dry inside and out with paper towels. Tuck the wingtips behind the shoulders.

2.Place the chicken in a bowl large enough to hold it comfortably. Pour both soy sauces and the Worcestershire sauce over it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and onions. Using your hands or a large spoon, turn the chicken a few times, making sure that some of the liquid, spices, and a few onion halves are slipped inside the cavity. Rub the inside and outside of the chicken with the pepper. Let the chicken marinate, uncovered, at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Turn the bird over every 15 minutes or so to distribute the marinade evenly. Its skin will darken a few shades from the sauces.

3.Toward end of the marinating, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

4.Place the chicken, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Scatter the onions around the chicken, making sure that 1 or 2 halves remain inside the cavity. Rub the chicken inside and out with the softened butter. (I like to rub some underneath the breast skin as well, which helps make the breast meat juicier.) Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken, placing the cinnamon sticks and a few of the cloves inside the cavity. Cover the pan loose with aluminum foil

5.Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, then turn it over. Tilt the pan toward you and, using a large spoon or baster, baste the chicken and its cavity with the pan juices. Cover the pan once more with the foil and continue roasting for another 20 minutes.

6.Meanwhile, scrub the potatoes but don't peel them. Fill a 3-quart saucepan three-fourths full with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook at a rolling boil until they are just tender when pierced with a fork, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes will in a colander.

7. Add the cooked potatoes to the roasting pan. Combine them gently with the onions already in the pan and baste them well with the pan juices. Turn the chicken over again (it should be breast side up this time) and baste it once more. Continue roasting the chicken, uncovered now so that it can brown just a bit, until it's cooked. The total cooking time will range from 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1-1/2 hours. To test for doneness, using a fork, pierce the skin at the thigh joint and press down gently. The juices should have on the faintest tinge of pink. Or, you can insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone. The chicken is ready when the thermometer registers 170 degrees F.

8.Place the chicken on a serving platter. Pour half of the pan juices over it and allow the chicken to rest for a least 10 minutes before carving (this allows time for the juices to be absorbed by the flesh). Place the potatoes and onions around the chicken or in in a serving bowl. Pour the remaining pan juices over the potatoes and onions. This chicken is best when served slightly warm. The flavors will be more pronounced and the flesh juicier.

Serve with boiled peas and roasted beets.

This is quite a fancy dish - a took a bit of fussing, what with the turning over and basting and the foil on and off. But I think it looks rather grand on its platter, a fine dinner to serve to guests. I've never roasted beets before; I ended up baking them like potatoes and it took well over an hour at 375 degrees F before they were ready. Altogether much grander than my usual casseroles; I'm quite excited about it.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge and Introducing Mystery

What more 70's than "Chicken a la King!" -aka as Creamed Chicken, a more mundane title but describing the dish exactly. It graced family style tables, PTA lunch meetings, and was presented to guests for dinner. It seems to have gone out of fashion big time; however, it's a tasty dish and easy to make.

The book I have chosen is a 70's recipe book published by "The Star" newspaper in Johannesburg, S. Africa. The cover page is lost so no publication date, but it was in use in the 70's and is a collection of recipes by Angela Day who was the home expert of "The Star." Here goes:

CHICKEN A LA KING

1 large chicken
salt and pepper
pinch of thyme
one small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon flour (potato starch)
1/2 cup stock from the chicken
1 tin mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk (half-and-half)
1 red or green pepper, seeded and chopped

Season the chicken and steam in very little water, to which a pinch of thyme has been added, until tender. Remove all the flesh and cut into small pieces. Place in a casserole.

Fry the onion and garlic in the butter until the onion is golden brown. Add the mushrooms and fry for a minute, then blend in the flour and pour on the chicken stock. Add the mushroom soup and milk and stir until the sauce thickens. Finally add the red or green pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole. Cover and place in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes to heat through.

Serve with white rice.

I used potato starch instead of flour after I learned about it for my Marshmallows baking effort for Tuesdays with Dorie; it's such a nice thickener and it blends easily. Also used half-and-half as it adds a touch of luxury. I made this dish recently for a Church Potluck and it got "Yums" all around.

Thanks so much to Carla of Chocolate Moosey for selecting the Vintage Cookbook theme. I think there are going to be lots of interesting recipes in this challenge - my oldest vintage cookbooks are a 1943 American cookie book and a 1948 Australian's Women's Weekly cookbook, both of which I picked up on e-bay recently. (AWW has a great website and fantastic current books as well.)

Well, here's to the Seventies!.

Goodness, my recent blog entries look as if I'm filling up on pale pies - I must obviously rectify this situation - my next blog will be (to be announced). To add something bright and beautiful to my blog, here's a formal introduction to Mystery, my darling big boy, who ate a lot of the chicken before it reached the casserole!

Tuesdays with Dorie - Marshmallows

Fun to make. Who would ever think of making their own marshmallows, but on the other hand, how is it that we have put up with the shop-bought sponge-rubber squares for so long? Perhaps this is the beginning of a new era for me, for "From Scratch" Marshmallows. But I digress. Everything seemed to go quite easily, from reaching 265 degrees F for the syrup, the pouring of the syrup into the eggwhite, and laying the marshmallow out on a tray. I have let them sit overnight in a small, dark room and will hold my breath when I start to unpeel them tomorrow morning.

Next day: The first thing I do when I get up - eat some marshmallows. Delicious! They were a bit tricky to prize off the parchment paper but eased out anyway in strips. Here they are, ready for a party - they would get eaten pretty quickly as they are a bit deceiving with all that dainty, delicate, delicious fluff - makes one think they could not be that fattening. The only problem I had was not using a shaker for the potato starch - I dashed the starch by hand onto the parchment and some of it clumped together and stuck to the marshmallows. Next time: flour shaker essential! Would probably make again.

Dorie's Recipe for Marshmallows

About 1 cup potato starch or cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
1-1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 quarter ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Line a rimmed baking sheet - choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high - with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1-1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup - without stirring - until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy - don't overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F. remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallow set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like - into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

Until next week and the yummy carrot cake!

The Root Source Challenge - "Curried Eggs with Peanut Rice"

The "Root Source" looks like a really interesting blog - it's got me cooking midweek which is so much better than ordering yet another "D13" from the local take-out. I have chosen to do curried eggs - my mother used to make a delicious curried egg dish; I haven't tasted my production yet but I wonder if it will be as good as Mom's was.

This is a quick and easy egg dish and although the portions are for four servings, I think one could get more if it's eaten as a light lunch. I just made a couple of changes to the recipe - I used potato flour instead of just flour as it makes a wonderful thickener and does not lump and I halved the quantities of all the ingredients. It's an Australian recipe from The Peanut Van" website - was just surfing around looking for an egg recipe and came upon it.

Curried Eggs with Peanut Rice

Ingredients for Egg Curry:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 level tablespoon of butter
1 small apple, diced
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 rounded dessertspoon of curry powder
1 rounded tablespoon plain flour
3/4 pint milk
1 small banana, sliced
Handfull of raisins
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Peanut Rice:

2 cups of freshly-cooked rice
1 dessertspoon of chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of toasted peanuts
1 tablespoon of butter

Method:

1.Meld the butter in a saucepan and add the diced onion and apple. Fry them, stirring well, until they're golden brown.
2.Add the curry powder, flour, salt and pepper and stir the mix until smooth - then cook it for about a minute
3.Add the milk and stir until the sauce boils and thickens - then add in the raisins, bananas and lemon juice, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4.Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and add them to the curry sauce. Heat the eggs in the sauce gently (to avoid breaking them up too much).
5.While the eggs are reheating, add the butter, chopped parsley and toasted peanuts to the well-drained rice, and toss them over heat until they're well-mixed.
6. Make a nest of the rice on a hot dish and spoon the curried eggs into the centre.
7. Serve garnished with lemon and parsley.

Until the next "Root Source."

Recipe Remix - Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Goats' Cheese Mash

Hello Danielle and Robin:

Like your blog - found it on Is My Blog Burning. I've decided on the "Sheperd's Pie" for my remix. I have a great recipe from Delia Smith, the par excellence cookery expert from Britain. She has written a number of super cook books (I have ordered a couple through Amazon.co.uk)and she also has a website at Delia Online. The dish is a very tasty vegetarian version of Shepherd's Pie, not at all bland like so many veggie recipes.

Here it is, slightly adapted from Delia's:

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Goats' Cheese and Mash
Serves 4


Ingredients

5 oz green split peas (no need to soak), rinsed
5 oz green lentils (no need to soak), rinsed
3 oz peeled carrots
3 oz peeled swede (turnip)
1 large onion, peeled
1 small green peper, deseeded
2 oz butter, plus a little extra for greasing
8 oz tomatoes
1 heaped tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley
1/4 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 level teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the topping:
4 oz. soft goats' cheese
1 lb 8 oz potatoes, peeled
2 oz butter
2 tablesppons milk
1 oz Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Put the split peas and lentils into a saucepan. Add 1-1/4 pints (2-1/2 cups) boiling water and some salt, cover and simmer gently for 50-60 minutes, or until the pulses have absorbed the water and are soft. Then remove them from the heat and mash them just a little with a large fork. Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 (375 degrees F), and boil the potatoes. Next, roughly chop all the vegetables, pile the whole lot into a food processor and process until chopped small. Next, meld the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the vegetables and cook gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then until they're softened and tinged gold at the edges.

Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. After exactly a minute (or 15-30 seconds, if they are small), remove them (protecting your hands with a cloth if the tomatoes are hot), slip off their skins and slice them.

After that, add the vegetables to the pulses mixture, along with the herbs, spices and salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste. Then spoon the mixture into a 9 inch round, 2 inches deep baking dish and arrange the tomatoes in overlapping slices on the top.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, place them in a bowl, add the butter, milk and goats' cheese, whisk to a smooth puree, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and spread the potato over the rest of the ingredients in the dish. Finally, sprinkle over the Pecorino-Romano cheese and bake the pie on the top shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Looking forward to your next Remix challenge.

Tuesdays with Dorie - The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart

Day 1: The baked pie crust is in the fridge, ready to receive the lemon cream tomorrow. Am hoping it will taste nice and buttery but the edges got slightly caught and look too brown. The solution for next time - make sure the buttered foil covers all of the edges very closely.

Making the lemon cream was most enjoyable. The temp rose to 180 degrees F. in less than 10 minutes and it thickened nicely. Could the lenghty temperature rising time that some bakers experienced have anything to do with altitude? As I'm on the coast I wouldn't have that problem.

Day 2: Very easy to finish. As soon as I'd had my post work cup of coffee I whisked the lemon cream and poured it into the pie. The cream tastes really good; it's very lemony so it's for people who really like lemon (who doesn't?) but the richness of the blended butter comes through nicely.

The Pie dressed for work is pictured above (can't take it out of the pan yet as it has to ride on the Subway tomorrow. I'm not sure why one picture looks light and the other a real yellow, but it's the same pie. I hope my co-workers like it.