Lemon Meringue Pie

I know I am late to the aquafaba/vegan meringue party, but better late than never I suppose. The issue was that I was never able to get the aquafaba to beat into stiff peaks and so I stopped experimenting months ago. Even after endless whisking on high in the KitchenAid, very soft peaks was the best I could get. And then I recently happened upon recipes that use xanthan gum. Problem solved! Perfect peaks every time (and I wonder if you could cut it down to 1/4 tsp for this recipe). Lemon Meringue Pie is one of Vegan Mom's favourites (and we have not eaten it for over 10 years) so I was happy to be able to take her down culinary memory lane. The filling is tangy and sweet, and firm without being rubbery. The meringue is some serious vegan magic.

The filling calls for both corn starch (white) and corn flour (yellow). This may cause some confusion because what the Brits call corn flour, Americans/Canadians call corn starch.

This recipe makes one big 10" pie or, as I found out tonight in preparing for a departmental party, 45 tarts.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 10" pre-baked pie crust

Filling
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup corn flour
- generous 1/2 tsp agar powder
- 2 cups + 3 tbsp (17.5 oz) white sugar
- 1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (15 oz) water
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup soy milk

Meringue
- 3/4 cup salt free chickpea aquafaba
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 7.5 tbsp (5 oz) superfine white sugar

METHOD
Bake your shell per whatever recipe you are using. It is best if the crust is slightly underdone since you will be baking the assembled pie. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Whisk the corn starch, corn flour, agar, and sugar together in a saucepan. Whisk in water, lemon juice, and zest, then whisk in soy milk.
2. Bring to bubbling over medium high, stirring constantly. When bubbling, reduce heat to med-lo and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Immediately pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and set aside to start cooling. The filling will be a bit runny, but it will set in the fridge.
4. Make the meringue: whisk the xanthan gum into the aquafaba, then place in a stand mixer and whisk on high with a balloon whisk until stiff peak form.
5. Whisk in the 1 tbsp of lemon juice, then whisk in the sugar a bit at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly.
6. When the sugar is incorporated and the meringue is no longer gritty, gently spread the meringue over the pie filling. The filling will be wobbly, so be gentle (or pipe the meringue on).
7. Bake at 375 for 8 to 12 minutes, until meringue is lightly browned (or browned to your liking). I like to use convection for this step.
8. Let the pie cool for an hour, then transfer to the fridge. When pie is cool, put in a container in the fridge and completely cool (about 4 hours or up to overnight). If you are in a rush, place the cooled pie on ice packs in the fridge.

Lemon Squares

Vegan Mom loves lemon squares for the holidays but has been unhappy with any vegan recipe I have tried. So I started experimenting. My basic thinking was to use potato and a variety of binders and proteins to replace the egg so that the filling would both rise and bind in the oven. These are a little more firm/gummy than I would like but I think the recipe is good enough to post. The top bakes evenly to a golden colour and the filling is nice and lemony. You can fiddle with the recipe as you see fit.

INGREDIENTS
Crust
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup vegan butter

Filling
- 1 oz / 2 tbsp mashed potato (i.e. potato that has been boiled in its skin, cooled, skinned, and mashed)
- 1 oz / 2 tbsp water
- 1 oz / 2 tbsp soy milk
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- 1/2 tsp agar powder
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda

METHOD
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Mix together sugar, salt, and flour. Cut in the butter, then work it into the flour with your fingers so that there are no chunks left. It will be crumbly.
2. Press the flour mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 pan, making sure it is and even depth and well-pressed into the pan.
3. Bake for 15 mins.

Filling
1. Blend together potato, water, and soy milk with an immersion blender in a small cup until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in turmeric.
2. Whisk in rice flour until well blended, then whisk in wheat gluten, then the agar.
3. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until very well blended.  Then whisk in zest and lemon juice.
4. Mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda, then whisk into lemon mixture.
5. Pour on top of the crust and bake for 20 mins.
6. Let cool in the pan, then cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Baked Lemony Potatoes and Tofu

I think a roasted potato is one of the most delicious things in the world. Add in a hearty portion of  flavourful tofu and the zing of lemons and you have yourself a wonderful winter meal. How much of each ingredient you use is really up to you and the size of your baking dish. Drizzle some gravy over it all if that is your thing, and dig out that applesauce you made in the fall.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 1lb pkgs of extra firm tofu, brined, each cut into 4 pieces (or however you see fit)
- 2 tbsp margarine or oil
- fresh oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- good roasting potatoes, cut into chunks
- 2 lemons
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth, plus more as needed

METHOD
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
1. When the tofu is done brining, heat a frying pan over med-hi heat. Add margarine and sear the tofu pieces on all sides. Do this in two batches, with more margarine, if necessary.
2. Place the pieces of tofu in a baking dish (I use a 8.5x11 cast iron one) with space in between. Drizzle the frying margarine over top. Place springs of fresh oregano and chopped garlic in between the pieces of tofu. Add the lemon slices and enough potato chunks to fill in the spaces. Don't make things too crowded, but they can be a bit snug. Grind fresh pepper over the whole lot.
3. Add 1 cup of veggie stock to the pan and place in the oven, uncovered. After the first 20 mins, baste about every 10 mins. If the stock dries up too quickly, add more in as needed. You don't want a cup of liquid left over at the end--you want just enough to keep everything moist. If your potatoes are browning too quickly you can reduce the heat to 425. Everything should be nicely roasted after an hour.

Lemon Raspberry Cake

I am going to stick with the cake theme for a bit to show you a few variations that are sure to please everyone.  The lemon juice and baking soda action gives this cake a nice rise and a wonderful crumb.  The zing of the lemon with the tartness of the raspberries and the sweetness of the frosting are absolutely perfect.  I made this with jam I had made just the day before from the raspberry canes in our  yard.  Summer perfection!

INGREDIENTS
- 150g cake flour
- 150g all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup plain soy milk
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp lemon liqueur (i.e. Limoncello), or 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp lemon extract

- 1 cup raspberry jam (preferably homemade)
- fresh raspberries for garnish
- lemon buttercream (recipe follows)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, or 325 convection
1. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans.  Cut out two circles of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the pans.  Put the parchment papers in the bottom of the pans and grease it.  Flour both pans.
2. Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk soy milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk well to blend.
3. Add dry ingredients and gently whisk until blended and mostly smooth.
4. Divide batter evenly between the two pans.
5. Bake for 22-24 mins (convection), or 26-28 mins (non-convection), or until a toothpick comes out clean and cakes are golden.
6. Cool on wire racks for 10 mins, loosen cake from edges of the pan, then flip the pans over the remove the cake.  Remove the parchment paper.  Cover the cakes with a lightly damp towel and let them fully cool.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup margarine, room temperature
- 1/4 vegetable shortening, room temperature
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon liqueur 
- soy milk as needed

METHOD
1. Blend together margarine and shortening with a hand blender until fluffy.  Add lemon juice and zest and blend until smooth.
2. Add icing sugar and blend until fluffy.  Add liqueur and blend more.  Add soy milk, if needed, to get the desired consistency.  

TO ASSEMBLE:
Cut each cake in half lengthwise and spread 1/3 cup of jam on each of the three internal layers.  Spread a very thin layer of icing over all the cake (i.e. a crumb coat) and place in the fridge to firm up.  Use the rest of the frosting to decorate the cake as you see fit.  There is not a ton of icing here--just enough for a thin layer and some fanciness on the edges.  No need to overpower this delicate cake with gobs of frosting.  Decorate with fresh berries.  Can stay in the fridge until ready to serve if it is a hot day. 

Lemon Dijon Tofu and Potatoes

I love cooking with cast iron pans, but I now have a ceramic topped stove and the user's manual explicitly forbids the using of the cast iron. That means I have to use the BBQ when I want to cook with cast iron. Of course, you can use the stove if you want to. I think the lemon and Dijon work well with the two kinds of potatoes, making this a nice spring dish. Well, if potatoes and lemons remind you of spring.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6-8

- 2 tbsp oil (more if needed)

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cubed

- 3 leeks, thinly sliced (white and light green part)

- juice of 4 lemons

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved

- 4 small sweet potatoes, thinly sliced

- 1 cup white wine (more as needed)

- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

- salt and white pepper to taste

- 1/4 cup chopped parsley

METHOD

1. Place a large cast iron over a BBQ grill set to medium heat (around 450 degrees). Or, put it on the stove over medium heat.

2. Heat oil and fry tofu cubes until golden. Remove from pan and set aside. Add more oil, if needed, and saute leeks for about 5 mins, until then soften. Add lemon juice and cook for 2 mins.

3. Add garlic and Yukon Gold potatoes along with some of the wine. Cook for 10 mins, stirring regularly, and adding more wine if things get too dry. Close the BBQ lid in between stirs.

4. Add tofu back to the pan along with the sweet potatoes. Cook for 15-20 mins, or until potatoes are cooked through. Keep adding wine when needed (like you would a risotto).

5. Stir in Dijon, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in parsley, and serve.

Lemon Parsley Potatoes

I have an abundance of lemons. I keep buying them and never using them. This is a variation on good ol' parsley potatoes, but I think the lemon adds a nice touch.

INGREDIENTS

- 4-5 red potatoes, cut into chunks

- salted water

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- juice of 1 lemon

- sea salt and pepper to taste

- 2-4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add some salt and bring to boil. Simmer for about 10 mins, until potatoes have softened.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Drain potatoes and add to pan. Fry for about 10 mins, until potatoes are cooked and lightly browned.

3. Add lemon juice and stir, until evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Stir in as much parsley as you see fit. Serve.

Tofu Cutlets in a Lemon Sauce

One of the great things about running a bakery is that you get to eat the leftover bread. One customer ordered a loaf of ciabatta today, leaving the other loaf for our dinner. Excellent. I made a batch of pasta fagioli (you can see it in the back--I only had penne on hand), Vegan Mom made the vegan Ceasar salad from Vegan Planet, and I made these cutlets. Mmmmm . . . lemony.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cut into 8 pieces

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 3-4 tbsp margarine

- juice of two lemons

- 1/2 cup dry vermouth

- salt and pepper to taste

- strips of lemon zest

- chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Mix together flour, yeast, and salt and pepper and place in a small paper bag. Add a few slices of tofu to the bag and shake gently to coat tofu. Repeat with remaining slices.

2. Heat margarine in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry tofu slices 4-5 mins per side, until golden. Add more margarine, if needed. Remove from pan.

3. Add vermouth and lemon juice to the pan, stirring frequently. Once sauce has thickened, add tofu back to the pan and coat with sauce.

4. Serve garnished with strips of lemon zest and parsley.

Strawberry Lemonade

The fine summer weather persists here, now that the kids are all cramped in their classrooms and focusing on reading and writing instead of resting and relaxing. If you are lucky enough to still be outside enjoying the weather (I am still pretending that the semester does not start tomorrow), pour yourself a tall glass of this wonderful lemonade. My brother made this for our family picnic this summer, and the recipe comes from Fine Cooking magazine.

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 7 cups

- 1 1/2 cups sugar

- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

- 2 cups water

- zest of 2 lemons

- 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 2 1/2 cups cold water

METHOD

1. Put sugar, berries and 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 mins, until berries soften and release their colour. Remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, and let cool.

2. Strain berry mixture into a pitcher through a fine sieve, pressing the berries with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Add lemon juice and water to the pitcher and mix well. If the lemonade is too strong, add more water.

3. Serve in a tall glass with plenty of ice cubes.

Blueberry Lemon Puff Pastry Pockets

I really have to stop making puff pastry before I turn into a fat, greasy, blob. Ha! It will have been worth it! I wanted to see if non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening could be used in place of Earth Balance margarine, since store-bought versions use shortening instead of butter. The main motivation for this is the fact that Earth Balance costs $5.33 here, while an equal weight of shortening costs about $1.00. The answer is yes, it works just as well and makes for a very tender and flaky pastry.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6

- 1/2 recipe puff pastry

- 1 1/2 cups frozen wild blueberries

- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1/4 cup sugar

Icing:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of lemon juice in a small saucepan over med-lo heat. Add in a scant 3/4 cup of icing sugar and stir to dissolve.

METHOD

1. Mix frozen berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat and place in fridge to cool down. Filling must be cold before it can be placed on the pastry.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Roll pastry into a 12" x 16" rectangle. Slice into twelve 4" squares. Place a heaping spoonful on filling on the centre of 6 squares.

4. Lightly moisten dough around the filling. Place remaining pastry squares over top of filling and press down firmly around the edges to seal. Use a fork to further seal the edges, then trim with a pastry wheel. Cut two slits in the top.

5. Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown.

6. Let cool for a few mins, then drizzle icing over top.

As you can see, the shortening makes a very nice pastry dough. It is a bit softer, but cooks up flakier. Make sure you chill the shortening before using it in the recipe.

Lemon Thyme Dinner Crepes

You'll have to excuse the picture here because it looks like the crepe is barfing out some spinach. These are very tasty and well worth the time it takes to make them. I have spent the last few days grading many, many essays, which always makes me cranky, so cooking has been my therapy. With my in-laws here to help with the kids I can spend a little more time in the kitchen. The crepes are a variation on Bryanna's recipe. They are perfect for this recipe, but they will not replace my sweet crepes for dessert or breakfast. This recipe makes 16 crepes, so do a half recipe if you don't have guests to feed.

INGREDIENTS

Crepes (Makes 16)

- 3 cups plain soymilk

- 2 tbsp canola oil

- 2 cups unbleached flour

- 1 cup firm tofu

- 1/3 cup water

- 1/2 cup chickpea flour

- 2 tbsp sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking powder

METHOD

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Or, place all ingredients in a juice pitcher and blend with a hand mixer until very smooth. This way, you can easily pour out the batter into the pan when cooking the crepes. Add more water if the batter is too thick.

2. Heat an 8" non-stick crepe pan on medium heat. Lightly oil. Pour a 4 inch (or so) circle (about 1/3 cup) of batter on the pan, tilting and rotating quickly to spread the batter thinly into a circle. Cook until top is dry, carefully flip, then cook another 30-40 seconds. Repeat. If batter thickens as it sits, just stir in a little more water.

Filling

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 stalk lemon grass, finely minced

- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped

- 3 cups seitan, cubed

- 1/4 cup lemon juice

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1/4 cup soy creamer

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 2 tbsp water

- salt and white pepper to taste

- 3 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach

METHOD

1. Heat frying pan over med heat. Add oil, then saute lemongrass and onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to release their water.

2. Add in seitan, lemon juice, and thyme. Mix well, and let lemon juice absorb into the seitan. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add in creamer and mix. Mix cornstarch into water, then add to pan. Let sauce thicken. Remove from stove and let cool a bit.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 x 13 baking dishes.

5. Place a 2-3 spoonfuls of filling on a crepe and roll. You don't want to overfill them. Place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining crepes.

6. Spread a thin layer of margarine over the tops of crepes. Bake for 15-20 mins, until tops are slightly golden. Remove and serve.

Easy Lemon Pudding Cake

You may remember that I made a lemon pudding cake a while ago that was really tasty but a bit complicated to make. Well, now I return with an equally tasty but far easier recipe. I have been experimenting over the last week or so (working my way through the discount lemons we bought) trying to get the right texture to the cake and right consistency to the pudding. So if you like a sweet but tangy dessert then this is the cake for you.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

- 1 cup flour

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup soy milk

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp lemon zest

- juice of 1 lemon

Sauce

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1 cup boiling water

- juice of 2 lemons

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get water boiling in a kettle

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, powder, soda, and salt in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together soy milk, oil, zest, and lemon juice. Add to flour and stir with a spoon until just mixed. Pour into a 8 x 8 pan and spread evenly.

2. Whisk together sugar and flour, then sprinkle evenly over batter.

3. Pour boiling water and lemon juice over top. Do not stir.

4. Bake for 40-45 mins, until top is golden and cake is cooked through.

Lemon Pudding Cake

I wanted to revise this recipe a bit before I posted it, but hey, it's not like I am writing a cookbook here. The recipe tastes great and is filled with lemony goodness. Here are a few caveats, though. First, I used Bird's custard powder for the pudding. This is easily obtained in Canada, but maybe not in the U.S. It is essentially cornstarch with flavouring, so I was going to try a version that had just cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Second, I used an 8x8 pan which was filled to the max. It still turned out and did not over boil, but maybe a slightly larger pan is in order. The lemon cake is Isa's Lemon Gem Cupcake recipe from Veganomicon, so many thanks to her for letting me post it here.

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Pudding

- 2 tbsp Bird's custard powder

- 1 tsp arrowroot powder

- 1 cup sugar

- juice of two lemons

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 1/4 cups plain soy milk

METHOD

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a saucepan and whisk in wet ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 pan and place in the fridge to cool a bit while you make the cake.

Lemon Cake

- 1 1/3 cup flour

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup canola oil

- 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

- 1 cup soy milk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- juice of 1 lemon

- zest of 1 lemon

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, sugar, soy milk, vanilla, lemon juice and zest together. Add into dry ingredients and gently whisk until smooth.

3. Remove 8x8 pan from fridge. Spoon cake batter on top of the pudding.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and cake is firm. You can't really do the toothpick test here, so give the pan a shake to see if the middle jiggles. You can also press the middle with your fingers to see if it is firm.

5. Cool a bit before serving (but it should still be warm). Scoop out a section of the cake, then spoon the pudding over top. Enjoy!