Lemony Fruit Dessert Cups

The perfect end to a 4th of July barbeque!

I am doing my menu planning with I'm an Organizing Junkie. So, here is my menu this week:



Also, $5 Dinners inspires us all to make low cost dinners. In that spirit, I am taking what Pick N Save has on sale, pairing it with coupons and coming up with the tastiest money saving around! Lemons were on sales at Pick N Save for .59/each (normally 75/each)and they are HUGE! The strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream was on sale too! So, I grabbed a bunch of all of those to make my featured recipe today:

Lemony Fruit Dessert Cups
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 lemons
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 cup Lemon juice
5 oz unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
18 dessert cups
1 lb strawberries
1 lb blueberries, sliced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or any mixture of berries desired
8 oz whipped cream
Mint sprigs for garnish
Powdered sugar for garnish

1. Prepare and ice-water bath. Set a medium bowl in ice-water bath and set aside.

2. Place sugar and lemon zest in a mortar and grind with a pestle to combine and release the oils. Transfer sugar mixture to a medium heatproof bowl along with eggs and egg yolks; whisk to combine. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon juice and continue whisking until mixture is thick and reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add butter and whisk until well combined.

3. Strain lemon mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over prepared bowl. Cover lemon curd with plastic wrap, pressing plastic wrap directly onto surface. Transfer to refrigerator until completely chilled.

4. To plate, take one dessert cup and fill the center with a scoop of lemon curd. Top with strawberries and/or blueberries. Finish with a dallop of whipped cream and garnish with mint and a shake of powdered sugar.

Servings: 18

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/18 of a recipe (5 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. 2 of the recipe's ingredients were not linked. These ingredients are not included in the recipe nutrition data.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 270.91
Calories From Fat (34%) 90.92
% Daily Value
Total Fat 10.28g 16%
Saturated Fat 5.49g 27%
Cholesterol 145.75mg 49%
Sodium 113.94mg 5%
Potassium 140.55mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Fiber 1.37g 5%
Sugar 29.23g
Protein 4.46g 9%

Recipe Type
Dessert, Summer

Tips
This same recipe can be used to make any flavor curd by substituting another acid for the lemon. For example, I made passion fruit curd for an ICM challenge but you could do orange, lime or any other tropic fruit juice.

Source
Author: Susan Ewing



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Tackling Summer Fruit Cupcakes

It's time for Tackle It Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom and another Iron Cupcake: Milwaukee Challenge. This month, the theme is summer fruit. What says summer to me more anything? Lemonade, of course. And that is what I made: Lemonade Cupcakes:

These are yellow cupcakes with lemon curd filling and lemon poured fondant in the shape of lemons inside jello to look like lemonade.

Wait...what? A cupcake in jello?

That's right! A cupcake in jello to look like a lemon in a glass of lemonade. I think it was pretty cool! Who puts cupcakes in jello? Uh...me:-)


And, I am totally a media-whore! Wisconsin Foodie was here this weekend filming me for an upcoming fall episode about this very challenge. They were they filming at the challenge too!! Totally, fun (which by the way, if you find yourself in a similar situation...don't say fun like 50 thousand times...you will just sound dumb.)

Grilled Strawberry Shortcake

I know that everyone is thinking about school and fall but, I am not willing to give up on summer yet.

This is my favorite summer dessert and although it is perfect finish to your grill party, it is elegant enough for any fancy dinner party. My husband says that I should to charge $15 a plate in "one of those swanky restaurants". The key to this dish is that the shortcake is grilled. So, you get a crunchy base for the strawberries to soak into. The whipped cream offers a smooth finish. It is light as air and it looks like it is floating on water here. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
6 store-bought short cakes
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sugar
4 oz whipped cream
Mint sprigs for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until a sauce is formed.

2. Grill the shortcakes on medium heat until it is lightly marked on both sides. It should be slightly crunchy but not burnt.

3. To assemble, place one grilled shortcake on a serving dish. Top this with a few scoops of the strawberry mixture. Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with a sprig of mint if desired.

Makes 6 Servings

South Shore Frolics

In the neighborhood I grew up in, the weekend after the 4th of July is always South Shore Frolic time. Everyone gathers at the lakefront for food, music and fun and a great parade. It was always one of my favorite parts of growing up on the southside of Milwaukee. Since my brother owns the house we grew up in, I am still able to partake in the festivities.

Of course, I usually offer to bring the desserts. Thanks so much Bakerella for the idea for these guys. They were a HUGE hit and perfect for a summertime lakefront party!

Happy Graduation!!!

This weekend, my oldest daughter graduated from high school. To commemorate the occasion, we threw her a rainy garden party that ended up in the garage. Luckily, the sun came out long enough for me to take this picture of her cake:

The cake was chocolate with a homemade mocha icing. The mocha was to foreshadow all the coffee she is going to be drinking in college.

The rest of the menu also reflected her future endeavors. I served paella and tapas to highlight her Spanish major. Everyone LOVED the paella and it is just about the easiest thing in the world to make. Thank you Martha Stewart for the recipe.

I also tried the Cupcake Bites. that she featured on show. They were a hit also!