homage to fred sr.

My late father-in-law’s birthday is the 26th of this month and my husband said, “He was a man of simple tastes.” In observance of his birthday, my husband asked me to make his father’s favorite meal which was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Le Sueur peas. For dessert, my father-in-law loved lemon meringue pie.


Now my late mother-in-law, Nancy, was not a fancy cook, neither were most mothers of her generation. My mother-in-law also had a three-pot limit in preparing a meal. Her meatloaf consisted of ground beef and a handful of ingredients such as some chopped onion, salt, pepper and 4 ounces of tomato sauce. The balance of the tomato sauce went on top of the meatloaf along with 2-3 slices of bacon. The meatloaf was cooked in a 400° oven for approximately one hour, or until the internal temperature reached 160°. 

Although his preference was lemon meringue pie, I thought I’d change it up a bit and prepare Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for Whole-Lemon Tart. For this recipe you’ll need a 9-1/2” tart pan with a removable bottom. The filling is made using one lemon with seeds removed, sugar, eggs, cornstarch and melted butter. It’s made in a food processor which makes this so easy. As a matter of fact, I used the same bowl to make her Sweet Tart Crust. 

The crust is a pâte sablée, crisp and cookie-like with a rich, buttery flavor. This French short crust pastry dough can be used for any type of tart. For the tart you’ll need all-purpose flour, confectioners’ sugar, sea salt, very cold unsalted butter and one egg yolk.
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After reading some of the other readers’ comments, some had issues in having the dough come together. I found that pulsing and pinching the dough periodically, helped me to get the mixture to the proper texture so that it could be made into and flattened into a disk.

The tart was absolutely delicious! I loved the flavor of using the whole lemon, it was a mild sour, tart taste that made for enjoyable eating. I dusted the top with confectioner’s sugar to add a touch of sweetness. To help you justify in purchasing this special pan, I recommend that you try baking Strawberry Tart with Beurre Noisette. The strawberries that I have been purchasing the last several months have either been coming from Mexico or Florida. The containers have been filled with sweet, juicy berries, and sometimes the berries are very large. This is a perfect spring time dessert, especially with Easter just around the corner. 

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Nancy’s Meatloaf
By Nancy R. Walsifer
 
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
½ to ¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 eggs
¼ cup chopped onion
2 tsp. salt*
¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1-8 ounce can of tomato sauce
Optional – bacon
 
Add the first six ingredients into a large mixing bowl; add ½ cup of tomato sauce. Mix all ingredients together. Make into a loaf. Pour remaining tomato sauce on top. Optional – place several strips of bacon over meatloaf. Bake at 400° for one hour or until internal temperature reaches 160°.

​*adjust salt to your taste

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Whole-Lemon Tart
By Dorie Greenspan
The New York Times – “A Simple Lemon Tart with Sensuous Surprises”
March 20, 2018
 
Yield: 8 servings
Time: 1 hour, plus cooling
 
Ingredients
 
1 partly baked 9-to9-1/2-inch tart crust in a pan with a removable bottom (recipe below)
1 lemon, scrubbed and dried
1-1/2 cups/300 grams sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons/24 grams cornstarch
4 ounces/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
 
PREPARATION
 

1. Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 325 degrees. Place the crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Cut the lemon into thin slices, and discard the seeds. Toss the slices and sugar into the bowl of a food processor, and whir for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until smooth. With the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time, and then, when they’re incorporated, the cornstarch followed by the melted butter. Remove the bowl, and rap it against the counter a few times to pop some of the bubbles in the mixture. Pour the batter into the crust.
3. Bake the tart for 45 to 55 minutes, until the filling is puffed and lightly browned — don’t be concerned if the top cracks. If you tap the side of the pan, the filling should seem firm; if it jiggles just the least bit in the center, that’s fine. A toothpick poked into the center — be gentle — will come out clean. Transfer the tart on the baking sheet to a cooling rack. Leave until it reaches room temperature. The tart can be served now or chilled (it will keep in the refrigerator overnight).
4. Just before serving, dust the top with confectioners’ sugar.

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