Italian Recipe: Basil-Lemon Pesto

Traditional pesto, the basil-infused sauce that originates from Italy's Ligurian coast, is always delicious. The flavor is so full and intense, it's hard to imagine a variation on it.

If you're prone to kitchen experiments, however, you'll want to try this lighter, lemony twist. Pair it with good pasta, or layer it onto grilled chicken or fish and enjoy! 

Basil-Lemon Pesto

(makes about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 Tbs. toasted pine nuts
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:1. Toast pine nuts on a baking sheet at 350 °F in the oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. In a food processor, combine the garlic, pine nuts, basil, parsley, cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pulse until ground to a fine paste, about 1 minute.

3. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper. 

Breakfast Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

One of our favorite breakfast treats is a good lemon poppy seed muffin. These muffins provide just the right touch of sweetness thanks to the all-natural flavors of lemon zest. We love how simple it is to throw these muffins together-- and once they're in the oven, you can't beat the lemony aroma that wafts through the house! 

If you need a yummy recipe for the next brunch get-together or lazy Sunday morning with the family, this one's a winner. If you'd like to add a little extra sweetness, try sprinkling sugar over the muffin mixture before putting them in the oven.  Read on for the recipe...

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

(Makes 10-12 servings)

Ingredients:1/2 cup sweet creamy butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
zest from 2 lemons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, poppy seeds, and lemon zest. 

3. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating two times with the buttermilk, then lemon juice, and then vanilla. Beat just until smooth.

4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the muffin batter until blended. 

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, 3/4-full. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Light & Luscious Dessert Recipe: Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are irresistibly tang- yet slightly sweet and buttery- thanks in no small part to the shortbread crust. The cake-like top with the powdered sugar only serves to complete the treat, making these lemon bars a totally addictive dessert.

In the past, we've found many lemon bars are too sweet, or their crusts are too soggy. We wanted to find a way to fix these problems and bring out the tangy citrus without drying the treat out too much. To fix the sweetness, we used the juice from three or four lemons with some added zest in the filling while dialing back a little on the sugar. For the crust, we used confectioners' sugar and cornstarch, finding those gave the perfect texture. To prevent sogginess, we pre-warmed the crust in the oven and added the filling to the warm crust. Keep reading below for this fantastic dessert recipe...

Lemon Bars

Ingredients

CRUST

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar (plus more for decoration)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoon butter, slightly cooler than room temperature, cut into 1" pieces

FILLING

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons
• 3/4 cup lemon juice from 4 large lemons, strained
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 13"x9" baking dish and line with a sheet of parchment paper. Dot the paper with butter, then lay a second sheet crosswise over it.
2. Pulse the flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor or blender. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds. Pulse until the mixture is a pale yellow and resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle the mixture into the lined pan, and press firmly with your fingers into an even 1/4" layer over the entire bottom of the pan and about 1/2" up the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake about 20 minutes.
3. While the crust is cooling and baking, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour for the filling in a medium bowl, then stir in the lemon zest, juice, milk and salt to blend well.
4. when the crust is done baking ,reduce the oven to 325F. Stir the filling mixture to reblend, then pour into the warm crust. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the filling feels firm when lightly touched (about 20 minutes). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Lift the confection up by the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board. Fold the paper down and cut into serving size bars.
5. Sift confectioners' sugar over the bars for decoration.
6. Enjoy!

Sweet & Simple Dessert Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes

One of the best things about lemon-related desserts is the way they’re so different from the pack. Lemon is a great flavor, it cleanses the palate and provides a little zing to something that can otherwise taste cloying. It’s also pretty cute if you top them with edible flowers, but maybe that’s just us…. Lemon cupcakes are some of our favorites around here and we like them extra lemony, so we thought we’d share how to get the perfect amount of tart zestiness into these sweet treats!

Lemon Cupcakes

(Makes 15 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

          1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

             1 1/4 cups sugar

             1/2 cup whole milk

             1 stick unsalted butter, softened

             3 large eggs

             2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 large lemon)

             1 tablespoon lemon zest

             1 teaspoon baking powder

             1/2 teaspoon salt

             1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract           

Frosting:

            2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

            3/4 cup butter, room temperature                       

            1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

            1 splash heavy cream, if needed

            1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

            1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 375º F and line your cupcake tins.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder together.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until yellow, thick and fluffy. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, waiting for each to be fully incorporated before adding the next.
4. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and zest.
5. Gently add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, alternating with the milk. Start and finish with the flour. Do not over mix.
6. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 3/4 full and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 15-17 minutes.
7. Remove trays from oven and allow to cool.

Frosting

1. In your mixer, whip butter with lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Remember to scrape the sides of your bowl.
2. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time and add lemon juice and vanilla. If needed, add in splash of heavy cream to lighten the frosting.
3. Continue whipping until very fluffy. Wait until your cupcakes are cooled, then pipe or spread your frosting.
4. Edible garnish optional—enjoy!