Happy Mother’s Day
Looking outside at the cold, dreary day, it is hard to believe that it the first week of May. Weather like this always makes me want to bake, so I started a fresh batch of ginger snap cookies. The weather suits my mood today, sad and melancholy. August 12th, 2013 was the day I became an orphan in my mind, I lost my Dad years prior but losing my Mom made it all feel so final. Who will I talk to when I am happy, who will help me make sense of my hectic life, and who will say I love you even if they are upset with me.
I got some spectacular lemons at the Farmer’s Market last weekend and the bright color brightens my mood. My Mother-in-Law loves lemon anything. I am grateful to have a Mother figure still in my life ... no sense feeling sorry for myself so I decided to whip up a desert for our Mother’s Day dinner this weekend. We are having a beef dish as the main course, so I would like it to be something light and tangy. With the lemons as my focal point, I devised this recipe involving lemon cream and broken pieces of ginger snap cookies. The tart taste of the lemon cream is complemented perfectly by the crunchy, spicy flavor of the ginger snaps. You will find my new dessert in the Recipe Index of this website. I hope that you like it and please remember to cherish and love your Mother this weekend.
Myra Leah Stein
Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp.ginger
½ tsp. cloves
¾ cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
½ cup sugar in a small bowl
Heat oven to 350 F°. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until fluffy and whitened. Add the egg and beat until smooth. On low speed add half the dry ingredients, then add the molasses. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and well combined. Hand roll the dough into 1 inch balls, roll in the sugar that was set aside then place on prepared cookie sheets spacing them 3 inches apart to allow for spreading.Bake for 15 minutes until the surface is cracked and they are firm to the touch. Cool completely on rack, and store in an air tight container.
Lemon Cream with Ginger
3 large eggs
⅔ cups sugar
2 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp. icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
8 crisp ginger snap cookies broken into ½ inch pieces
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp. flaky sea salt
Combine the eggs, sugar and lemon juice in a heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly, until thickened enough to coat a spoon, usually 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on low speed; gradually add the butter and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. In a large chilled bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in the sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Gently, fold the lemon curd and broken ginger snap cookies into the whipped cream, finishing with the ginger snaps. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt and the raspberries.