I made these lemon bars yesterday. They’re very good, but they could be better. The “crust” is a bit too much like a big sugar cookie, and the lemon goo on top could be a bit more lemon-y (I’m very picky about the balance between “sweet” and lemon–when it comes to lemon pie, I pretty much only like my grandmother’s, and all the rest are too sweet. And key lime pie is an abomination, way too sweet, and get rid of that nasty graham cracker crust.) So next time, I may try this for the crust (adapted from a lemon cookie recipe):
2 c. flour
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 T. lemon zest
and cut the sugar a bit in the filling. But the texture is great. There’s a very delicate, thin crust on top of the goo, and it’s liquid in the middle–but the amount is perfect, so it doesn’t ooze out all over the place.
And for dinner? Gong bao ji ding, AKA kung pao chicken–though with a couple of adaptations. The recipe calls for a bombay onion, and I substitute a small red onion, but I usually also add a red bell pepper, and I have neither, so I’m using a medium sweet onion.
Gong Bao Ji Ding
1 lb chicken
12 dried chili peppers
1 small red onion
1/4 c. peanuts or cashews
3 cloves garlic
3 thin slices ginger
2 c. oil
Marinade:
1/2 tsp salt
1 T. sherry
1 egg white – lightly beaten
1 T. cornstarch
Seasoning:
1 T. each: sherry and black vinegar
1 1/2 T. dark soy sauce
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes and marinate with the marinating ingredients. Tear the chilis into pieces, then soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Peel the red onion. Cut it in half through the middle, then cut each half in fourths. Pull apart the sections. If you’re using a bell pepper as I do, seed and chop it here and put it on the plate with the onion. Mix the chicken pieces with the egg white. Add in the cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Let sit at least an hour at room temperature. Mix the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl.
Add the 2 c. oil to a wok and heat until the oil is 450. Add the chicken all at once, stir quickly to separate, then let cook for about a minute. Stir and flip until chicken is done. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain all but about 2 T. of the oil.
Add the garlic and ginger to the oil, stir for 15 seconds, then add the chilis and stir for a minute or two. Add the onions and continue to stir and flip for another minute. Add the chicken, peanuts, and seasoning and cook for a minute. Serve.
Sean says:
A good substitute for graham crackers in a crust for sweet pie is crushed animal crackers. Crunchy, not sweet, so the sweetnees of the lemon/lime filling comes through
April 27, 2007, 5:09 pm