Lemon Cream Pie with Strawberries
Sorry for not posting the last couple of days, but boy have I been busy! Not in the kitchen, but with other fun things. Thursday we had swimming lessons, then I was off to Bunko - which is why I made the recipe I'll talk about in a moment. Normally I'd try to post something on Friday, however after a long day at work, we had a sitter coming so we could go out. Most people would just go somewhere that's a short drive away, usually a favorite dinner spot. Not us! We jumped in the car and drove into NYC! It's really only about 45 minutes to get there, but farther than we normally go for a Friday date night. I mention this for a couple of reasons: 1. We were able to get to TKTS (the discount same day Broadway show ticket sales) and buy tickets to a great show and 2. We went for food afterward at a favorite place. Incredibly, there were quite a few shows still available for 50% off prices when we got there at 7 - so, we chose Young Frankenstein. If you've seen the movie and enjoyed it (which we've seen it 100's of times), this is one you should see if you get the chance. It was as funny as the movie, with new songs thrown in and each of the main stars stole the show on their own. Usually, there's one stand-out performance but not in this show - they were all awesome!
After the show, we walked over to Ruby Foo's. Now, we've been there several times and at that time of night we've always gotten seated quickly. Last night was no different. The service was very good. My main complaint is that we ordered a couple of maki rolls that had either shrimp tempura in it or a crispy element - they were NOT crispy! They tasted fine, but if I'm going to splurge on tempura I REALLY want that crispy texture in there. Oh well, some times you hit it on an off night.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming...
Our theme for Bunko this month was Red, White and Blue. Coming up with something that is not a dessert that fits this theme was next time impossible! A few people did manage, but it was mostly desserts. We are going to have to come up with a theme that has more "real" food next month! Anyway, I opted to fill the red and white part of the theme by making a Lemon Cream Pie with Strawberries. Trying to use ingredients I had on hand, I think I came up with a really tasty summer treat! I didn't have my usual low-fat versions of some things on hand, but this could very easily be lightened. One ingredient I had been wanting to use was Lemon Curd. I picked up the jar at Trader Joe's awhile ago because I had been reading about it on various cooking sites and wanted to taste it. It is a VERY tart and creamy condiment that can be used to spread on toast or bagels - and frequently as part of a dessert. I liked the tartness, which was offset a little bit by the pudding and the cream cheese so it was not completely overpowering.
Lemon Cream Pie w/Strawberries
8 ounces Cream Cheese
1 box instant lemon pudding (vanilla would work nicely as well)
1/2 cup prepared lemon curd
1 cup milk
4 ounces whipped cream
1 graham cracker crust
freshly halved strawberries for garnish
Directions
Combine cream cheese through milk in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a handmixer. Once fully blended, fold in the whipped cream. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and refrigerate over night (or for at least 6-8 hours). Garnish with stawberries or other fresh fruit of your choice.
If you are looking for more summery desserts, you may want to check these out:
Marionberry Galette @ Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Ice Cream Cupcakes @ Joy the Baker
Blueberry Hand Pies @ Genesis of a Cook
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
After the show, we walked over to Ruby Foo's. Now, we've been there several times and at that time of night we've always gotten seated quickly. Last night was no different. The service was very good. My main complaint is that we ordered a couple of maki rolls that had either shrimp tempura in it or a crispy element - they were NOT crispy! They tasted fine, but if I'm going to splurge on tempura I REALLY want that crispy texture in there. Oh well, some times you hit it on an off night.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming...
Our theme for Bunko this month was Red, White and Blue. Coming up with something that is not a dessert that fits this theme was next time impossible! A few people did manage, but it was mostly desserts. We are going to have to come up with a theme that has more "real" food next month! Anyway, I opted to fill the red and white part of the theme by making a Lemon Cream Pie with Strawberries. Trying to use ingredients I had on hand, I think I came up with a really tasty summer treat! I didn't have my usual low-fat versions of some things on hand, but this could very easily be lightened. One ingredient I had been wanting to use was Lemon Curd. I picked up the jar at Trader Joe's awhile ago because I had been reading about it on various cooking sites and wanted to taste it. It is a VERY tart and creamy condiment that can be used to spread on toast or bagels - and frequently as part of a dessert. I liked the tartness, which was offset a little bit by the pudding and the cream cheese so it was not completely overpowering.
Lemon Cream Pie w/Strawberries
8 ounces Cream Cheese
1 box instant lemon pudding (vanilla would work nicely as well)
1/2 cup prepared lemon curd
1 cup milk
4 ounces whipped cream
1 graham cracker crust
freshly halved strawberries for garnish
Directions
Combine cream cheese through milk in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a handmixer. Once fully blended, fold in the whipped cream. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust and refrigerate over night (or for at least 6-8 hours). Garnish with stawberries or other fresh fruit of your choice.
If you are looking for more summery desserts, you may want to check these out:
Marionberry Galette @ Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Ice Cream Cupcakes @ Joy the Baker
Blueberry Hand Pies @ Genesis of a Cook
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
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