7 Ways to Enjoy Lemons This Summer

Instructions

Once the pie is made and baked, it needs to refrigerate overnight, so make sure you allow the proper amount of time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter together. Mix well until completed combined.

2. Spray pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Add crust mixture to the pie pan, pressing into the pan and up the sides of the pan.

4. Bake crust for 8 minutes.

While the crust is baking, make your filling:

1. Add lemon juice, both cans of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and salt to bowl, mix together until well combined.

2. Once the crust is out of the oven, fill the crust with the filling mixture. Fill all the way to the top, the filling will not expand or overflow while cooking.

3. Bake filled crust for 17 minutes, until small bubbles begin to form in the filling. When there are about 20 bubbles on the top of the pie, it is done.

4. Once the pie is baked, let cool for at least 30 minutes before refrigerating.

5. Refrigerate the pie for at least one hour, overnight if possible.

Whipped Topping:

Combine heavy whipping cream, whipped cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice. I like to use an immersion blender to make whipped topping, you can use an hand mixer also. Beat until the topping is thick enough to pipe into a design.

Candied Meyer Lemon Peels:

1. Wash the lemon.

2. Cut off the ends of the lemon

3. Cut lemon in half and remove seeds

4. Slice the rind of the lemon half and cut away the pulp so that you are left with a long piece of lemon rind.

5. Roll the rind into a tight pinweel and cut thin slices of the rind (about a 1/4" wide). Hold the pinwheel tightly while slicing.

5. Combine the water and 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved and has created a simple syrup (don't boil to avoid scorching).

6. Add the thin slices of lemon rind to the simple syrup and cook over low heat for about 30-40 minutes until peels have absorbed most of the syrup.

7. Carefully remove the peels from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place on parchment paper to drain. They will be goopy from the syrup.

8. Once the peels have cooled enough to handle, twist them around a dowel or straw to create the twists. (I used the dowels from my pasta drying rack)

9. Spinkle with the additional sugar to coat the peels.

10. These will keep in airtight container for about a week.

Once the pie has been refrigerated for at least an hour, ideally, overnight, pipe the whipped cream onto the top of the pie in any design you like. You can also serve the whipped cream topping on the side if you prefer. If you serve the whipped cream on the side, I recommend doubling the recipe, it's that good!

Add the candied lemon peels on top of the whipped cream or if you are serving the whipped cream on the side, simply pop the peels onto the top of the pie as a garnish.

Keep pie refrigerated when not serving.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and softened butter. I used a wooden spoon and pastry blender for this, you can also use a hand mixer or stand mixer.
3. In a separate small bowl, beat eggs lightly with fork. Add milk and whisk until combined.
4. Pour egg and milk mixture into the larger bowl with flour mixture and mix until combined. Once combined, add the lemon juice to the mixture.
5. Pour the combined mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.
6. While the bread is baking, in a small saucepan, mix together, over low heat the raspberries and sugar. Mix over heat until sugar melts. Using a wooden spoon, smash the raspberries. Mix together until the mixture is combined and syrupy.
7. Take bread out of oven at the 20 minute mark. Using a knife, carefully carve an S into the loaf, pushing the knife about ¾ way through the batter. Follow with a spoon, spooning the raspberry mixture into the S carved the loaf. The batter will still be very soft inside and will envelope the raspberry mixture as it continues to cook. The reason you do this at the 20 minute mark is because you want the batter to set up a little bit so that the raspberry swirl is distinct in the bread.
8. Continue baking the loaf for another 40 minutes or so, until a toothpick comes out clean. I used the convection feature on my oven, so your timing may be different.
9. Once the loaf is fully baked and toothpick comes out clean, remove from oven and move to wire rack to cool. 
10. While the loaf is cooling, in a small saucepan, over low heat, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the glaze. Mix over heat until the mixture is syrup consistency, adding more sugar if necessary.
11. Once cooled, carefully remove the loaf from the pan.
12. Drizzle the loaf with the lemon juice glaze.
13. Cut loaf into approximately 1” wide pieces and serve with coffee, tea, juice or simply pop into your mouth as you stand in your kitchen, the calories don’t count this way!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Fill 12 - 15 muffin cups with muffin liners and spray
   with cooking spray.
2. Blend the flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a mixer bowl, combine butter, agave syrup, mashed banana, and vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add the eggs and beat until fully.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix at low speed until thick. Add the almond milk and lemon zest and juice and mix in by hand.
5. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the blueberries.
6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans about 2/3 full.
7. Bake until a wooden skewer into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 35 - 40 minutes.
8. Allow muffins to cool. If you didn’t use muffin liners, transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

Instructions

Make lemon simple syrup first so that it is completely cooled

1. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan
2. Over medium heat, stir until sugar is melted, about 10 minutes
3. Turn heat off and add lemon juice.
4. Stir to combine and let cool completely
5. Lemon simple syrup will last 1-2 weeks if refrigerated

Next, combine ultra fine sugar and zest of one lemon and set aside

For the cocktail, use a cocktail shaker so that your cocktail is super cold

1. Add ice to the cocktail shaker
2. Add 2 oz vodka (I used the lemon vodka I had made)
3. Add 1 oz Contreau
4. Add 1 oz fresh lemon juice
5. Add 1 oz lemon simple syrup
6. Shake vigorously

To assemble the Lemon Drop

1. Dip the rim of your martini glass into a plate of water (this will make the yummy lemon-sugar stick to the rim)
2. Dip the wettened rim of the martini glass into the prepared lemon sugar
3. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker into the martini glass
   

Instructions

Make raspberry simple syrup first so that it is completely cooled

1. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to small saucepan
2. Over medium heat, stir until sugar is melted, about 10 minutes
3. Turn heat off and add 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
4. You can muddle (fancy would for smush up or leave raspberries whole, your preference)
5. Stir to combine and let cool completely
6. You can strain the raspberries out, if you like, I leave mine in
7. Raspberry simple syrup will last 1-2 weeks if refrigerated

To assemble the cocktail

1. Fill a tall glass with ice
2. Add 2 oz vodka (I used the lemon vodka I made)
3. Add 1 oz raspberry simple syrup
4. Top off glass with tonic water