Meyer Lemon Pie

We live in the San Francisco Bay Area - the East Bay to be exact. We moved back to the Bay Area in 2012, after having previously lived in California briefly from 2009-2010. Having grown up in Northern Ontario, with really long, cold winters, and having lived for the past couple of years in Montreal, I was super excited at the idea of moving back to a more temperate climate. I do like the snow, especially around the holidays, but I'm usually over it by about January 1st knowing the worst of winter is yet to come (January & February are usually brutal!).  It's actually one of the things I really love about the Bay Area - it doesn't really go below freezing, the Pacific is right here, and if we want snow, it's just a short drive to the Sierras!

My husband actually moved back to California about 6 months prior to us joining him. Hanna-Mae and I made a quick trip in July for a visit, (she was only 1 when he moved), and we took advantage of starting to look for a place for us all to live (he was renting a small studio at the time).  The housing crisis and skyrocketing rents had already begun, and since we were dog owners, we knew that finding a rental would be challenging. During our visit, Matt arranged for us to do a walking tour of the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley, the city having been recommended to him from a friend. We hadn't visited Berkeley the first time we lived here, so exploring a new city where we were considering living, sounded like a great idea. Scouring Craigslist for rentals across the Bay Area (San Francisco, Peninsula, North Bay & East Bay),  we'd actually come across a single family home in Berkeley available for rent and decided to check it out the same day as the walking tour. The home was incredible, Bay views, a large yard for our daughter & dog, and big bright windows - through some stroke of luck, we got the rental and still live here 6 years later! 

One of the greatest things about our home, are the fruit trees - we have a Meyer lemon, fig (any guesses as to how we named our blog?), orange, apple, plum and loquat tree for us to enjoy all year.  After experiencing cold Canadian winters for so many years, having fruit trees in our own yard, producing throughout the seasons, is really special - it only seemed fitting that one of our initial posts should be about one of the fruits that inspired Lemons & Figs!

This Meyer Lemon pie recipe is so delicious and easy to make - it has a real bright lemony flavor and is a nice refreshing dessert (serve it chilled).  I brought it to the park last week for our neighborhood's Pizza in the Park and it was a real hit. We hope you enjoy it too! 

Ingredients

• 1  package (7.5 ounces) of Annie's Homegrown Organic Honey Graham Bunnies (Bunny crackers are one of Hanna-Mae's favorites so we use these but you can use any honey graham crackers)
• 1/3 cup of butter
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice + the juice of one more small Meyer lemon
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 
• Whipped cream (for serving) 

Directions

Start with your graham cracker crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Asking Hanna-Mae to set the oven temperature is an excellent way to get her to apply math to every day life. 

Empty the package of graham crackers into your food processor and pulse them until they turn to fine crumbs.  As you are preparing the crumbs, melt the butter on the stove. Pour the crumbs from the food processor into a larger bowl and mix in the melted butter (we used a fork). Hanna-Mae was able to help with every step of the crust - she operated the food processor, mixed in the butter & had fun helping to form the crust.

Once the butter has been incorporated, dump into a pie plate and form the shape of a pie crust with your fingers. Once the crust is formed, bake in  the oven for 5-10 minutes. It is ready to come out when you have a hardened crust. 

For the pie filling, using a stand mixer (or hand mixer if that's your preference) mix the lemon juice, egg yolks and lemon zest together until they are well blended. Add in your can of sweetened condensed milk. Mix on medium for 2-3 minutes.  Pour into pie shell, and bake for approximately 15 minutes. 

Once baked, remove from oven, let cool and place in fridge until it's ready to be served. We find this pie best topped with a nice dollop of whipped cream but if you are big fan of meringue, experiment and try topping with meringue! 

Hanna-Mae 

enjoying her well deserved piece of pie! 

Moroccan Carrot Soup with Dukkah

Our family really enjoys this soup. We've eaten it for lunch, a side with dinner, and have even served it as a starter for a holiday dinner party. Hanna-Mae, who still occasionally needs a little coaxing with vegetables, often asks for a second serving. She's a good eater, but we're always thankful when the vegetable dish is a hit! 

Enjoyable both in the heat of summer or on cooler winter nights, this is definitely a family favorite and on regular rotation in our household!

I was first inspired to make a Moroccan flavored soup after eating at a local Mediterranean restaurant. I wanted to duplicate those delicious flavors at home.  Not having attempted anything similar previously, I looked for a recipe that suited the ingredients I had readily available in my own kitchen, and came across a Bon Appétit recipe that served as my inspiration.  It was perfect - it included simple ingredients, and didn't require a special trip to the grocery store! 

One of my simple pleasures is receiving Food & Wine magazine every month and I'd recently made the Green Vegetables with Dukka and Tahini Dressing  (because it looked delicious!). After tasting the dukkah, I knew it would be a fantastic addition to the soup. 

And so here we are, adapted from Bon Appétit and enhanced with dukkah from Food & Wine, Lemon & Figs' version of Moroccan Carrot Soup with Dukkah (and Crème Fraiche or yogurt of course!) 

Ingredients

Soup

• 2 Tbsp butter (we used grass fed)
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 lb. of carrots
• 4 cups of water or broth
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• Crème Fraiche or Yogurt (your preference!) 

Dukkah

• 3 Tbsp hazelnuts
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• Pepper
• Salt

Directions

1. Make the dukkah Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the hazelnuts on a pie plate (or cookie sheet) and cook them until they start to brown and the skins start to blister (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from the oven, and once cool enough, remove the skins (a perfect activity for your child). 
2. While the hazelnuts are toasting, heat the coriander and cumin seeds until they become fragrant (about 2-3 minutes). Don't let them burn by continually shaking the pan. Hanna-Mae was responsible for toasting the spices and really enjoyed the aroma of the coriander and the cumin as they toasted. Once toasted, pound the spices in a mortar or spice grinder (we used our coffee grinder on the espresso setting) until they are ground finely. Add the remaining ingredients, including the hazelnuts, and continue to crush the hazelnuts until they are in little bits. The dukkah can be stored in an air tight container for a couple of weeks. 
3. Make the soup Melt the butter in your soup pot (medium heat). While the butter is melting, chop your onion and garlic and add to the pot. Cook the onions until they become translucent.  Once translucent, add in the chopped carrots. Cook carrots for 2-3 minutes. Add your liquid to the pot along with a pinch of salt (we used water but you can use broth), bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until carrots are soft (30 minutes or more). Once carrots are cooked, turn off heat, add cloves, cumin & honey and let the soup cool. Once fully cooled, puree the soup. We use our Vitamix (which I love for blending soups), but you can use an immersion blender, or food processor - whatever your preference.
4. Serve the soup Reheat the soup to the temperature you'd like, ladle into bowls, add crème fraiche (or plain yogurt if you'd prefer) and sprinkle generously with dukkah. Adding some chopped parsley or cilantro would also be a nice addition.

Hope your family

enjoys this soup as much as ours!