recipe | lord bergamot lemon meringue pie
a classic lemon meringue pie with a tea-infused twist! it’s worth the effort. i use smith teamaker’s lord bergamot, but any high quality earl grey tea will do the trick!
lord bergamot lemon curd:
single crust, baked & cooled
1 1/2 c. extra-strong lord bergamot tea (5 t tea steeped in 1 1/2 c water for 10 minutes), divided into 1 c and 1/2 c portions
1 1/4 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
the zest of one lemon
1/2 c lemon juice (from ~ 2 ripe lemons)
1/4 t salt
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten (reserve whites for meringue)
4 T unsalted butter
method:
in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 1 cup of extra-strong tea, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice & salt to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula until thick and saucy.
slowly add a few spoonfuls of the hot mixture to the egg yolks, whisking to incorporate. add a bit more, stir, and repeat until about half the mixture has been added, then add it all back in with the tea + sugar mixture. return to moderate heat for about 60 seconds, stirring constantly but make sure it does not boil.
your mixture should be thick & shiny! remove it from the heat and add the butter & lemon zest, stirring until the butter is melted.
if you're picky, you can run the mixture through a sieve to eliminate any potential bits of cooked egg white, but i'm not usually too worried about it.
pour hot mixture straight into the cooled pie shell and top with parchment, pressing out any air bubbles and forming a seal all the way across the surface of the curd. this will help your meringue stick later!
place in the fridge and get started on the meringue!
lord bergamot meringue:
remaining 1/2 c of strongly brewed lord bergamot tea
1 c sugar
4 reserved egg whites, room temperature
1/2 t lemon juice or cream of tartar
method:
bring remaining 1/2 c of tea and sugar to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan without stirring. cook syrup until it reaches 240 F, occasionally wiping down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush (this will prevent sugar crystals from forming which will later cause the meringue to break down)
while syrup is cooking, whip egg whites & lemon juice/cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until they reach the soft peak stage (here is a great visual guide to the stages of peaks!)
once sugar is 240 F and egg whites are at the soft peak stage, carefully pour a very thin stream of the syrup into the whites with the mixer on medium speed. (hot sugar burns like hot oil, so be very careful!) this is the trickiest part -- it does take a bit of finesse to pour the syrup in without it touching the beater and causing splattering. i have found that slow and steady is the key!
once the syrup has all been added, increase the speed to medium high and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy, and at the stiff peak stage.
to assemble the pie:
carefully remove the parchment from the surface of the pie. it *should* come free with little-to-no sticking.
scoop the meringue onto the pie in five separate dollops. i like to put four around the edges and one at the center. spread the meringue across the filling, making sure it meets the edges and forms a seal all the way around. this will help to prevent shrinkage and other problems.
use a small metal spatula to make a swirling design in the meringue, or alternately, you can use a pastry bag and pipe the meringue in a decorative design.
place the pie under a hot broiler for 45-90 seconds (or use a kitchen torch) to brown and set the meringue*.
chill the pie uncovered for thirty minutes to an hour prior to serving.
*note: because hot syrup is used in the meringue-making process, italian meringue does not require cooking and will set on its own over several hours. it is incredibly stable and will not weep! for the purposes of this pie, a toasted meringue is simply more attractive (and delicious!)
recipe | spelt chocolate chip cookies
the world's best chocolate chip cookies
adapted from america's test kitchen
1 c all purpose unbleached flour
3/4 c white spelt flour
1/2 t baking soda
14 T (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
1 t sea salt
2 t vanilla extract
1 large egg + one yolk, room temperature
1 1/4 c chocolate chips, chunks, or shavings in milk, semi sweet, or dark (i like guittard semi sweet!)
preheat oven to 375. line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. in a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking soda, & salt.
melt 10 T of the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan. increase the heat slightly until the butter begins to sizzle and pop! carefully watch the butter, but do not stir, until it begins to take on a caramel brown color. it may start in one spot but be patient and wait, the rest will catch up! once the butter has all become brown and caramel-y, and smells fragrant and toasty, remove it from the heat and drop in the remaining 4 T, stirring until all melted together.
transfer to a large heatproof bowl (yup! even those burned looking bits at the bottom...scrape 'em good) and add the sugars and vanilla to the butter, using a silicone spatula to stir until incorporated. add the egg and yolk, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and shiny. let the mixture rest for a bit, then whisk again until it thickens slightly. repeat this process until the mixture is smooth, thick, and shiny like a caramel sauce.
add the flour mixture to the saucy mixture, stirring with a silicone spatula until the flour is fully incorporated and there are no dry spots left in the bowl. fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly dispersed throughout.
divide the dough by weight (go go gadget calculator!) -- or just use a large soup spoon -- into 16 even balls of dough. i find that rolling the dough into balls works best for baking, but you can keep it loosey goosey if you like ;)
place 8 dough balls on each baking sheet, leaving 2" of space between for spreading, and bake one sheet at a time for 10-14 minutes, or until the edges have just begun to turn golden and the center is soft and pale.
place entire baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies directly onto the wire rack...if you can keep your grubby little fingers out of them for that long (i can't! i have burned my mouth on so many hot cookies!) eat all of them immediately and only share with people you really like.