Posts Tagged 'lemon'

Culinary Canvas: Meyer Lemon Mini Cupcakes

A pair of tiny gold earrings in our Ancient Mediterranean gallery was the inspiration for this month’s recipe. Of course jewelry always makes a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day, but these little beauties are particularly appropriate since they depict Eros, the Greek god and Valentine’s Day icon better known as Cupid. But if you can’t afford any ancient golden jewelry for your Valentine this year, how about whipping up some miniature golden cupcakes instead? And be sure to use Meyer lemons to make these goodies extra sweet for your sweetie!

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Eros earrings, Greek, late 4th century B.C., Dallas Museum of Art, the Cecil and Ida Green Acquisition Fund

Meyer Lemon Mini Cupcakes

Yields about 48 cupcakes
Level: Easy

Cupcakes:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
Zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons
6 ounces vanilla yogurt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line mini muffin pan with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar, beating at medium speed until light. Add lemon zest, then incorporate eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add lemon juice and yogurt and mix until fully combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to mixer, mixing on low speed and scraping down sides of bowl until just incorporated.

Divide batter into muffin cups, using a tablespoon scoop to fill each cup ¾ full. Bake about 11 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
2 teaspoons limoncello liqueur (optional)
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Whip butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium-high speed until creamy. Continue to mix on low while adding lemon zest, limoncello, and half the powdered sugar. Squeeze in juice from half the lemon and incorporate remaining sugar, mixing on low until combined. Add additional juice to reach desired consistency for spreading or piping.


 
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Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives

Culinary Canvas: Lemon Scones

Afternoon tea is an activity I have come to thoroughly enjoy, especially after having experienced it at Harvey Nichols in London. While I do like a good cup of tea, really I’m just a sucker for the delightful assortment of goodies that accompany it–and scones are definitely my favorite! So this month I was inspired by our striking lemon yellow tea service to make a lemon scone. This tasty, not too sweet treat is the perfect companion to a nice spot of tea.

Margarete Heymann-Marks, Tea Service, designed c. 1930, designer, Dallas Museum of Art, 20th-Century Design Fund

Margarete Heymann-Marks, Tea Service, designed c. 1930, Dallas Museum of Art, 20th-Century Design Fund

Lemon Scones

Yields 8 scones
Level: Easy

Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 heaping tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 small lemon
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup heavy cream

Glaze:

Juice of 1 small lemon
Heaping ½ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scones: In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine beaten egg with cream and stir into dry ingredients with rubber spatula just until dough begins to form. Turn out mixture onto wax paper and knead lightly by hand until most flour is combined. Pat dough into a flat, slightly circular mass about 1 inch thick.

Place dough on baking sheet and cut into 8 wedges. Brush top with additional cream if desired and spread out wedges on sheet. Bake until tops of scones are light brown and centers are flaky, about 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet then transfer to metal rack to cool completely.

Glaze: Whisk together lemon juice and sugar in small bowl until smooth. Additional sugar or juice can be added to achieve desired consistency.

Pour glaze onto cooled scones until completely covered. Allow glaze to set and serve at room temperature.

 

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Dough prior to kneading

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Dough cut into wedges

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Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated.

Sarah Coffey
Assistant to the Chair of Learning Initiatives


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