Lemon Pine Nut Stars Recipes

LEMON PINE-NUT TART

Steps:

• In a shallow nonreactive bowl, combine lemon slices and granulated sugar. Cover with plastic wrap; let macerate in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and salt. Add lemon slices; gently toss to coat.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of cornmeal dough to a 12-inch round. Fit dough into a 10-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing gently into corners and sides. Trim edges with a sharp paring knife.
• Pour lemon filling into the tart shell, evenly distributing lemon slices. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out remaining dough disk. Carefully place it on the tart, pressing edges gently to adhere.
• Whisk together egg and heavy cream in a small bowl; brush mixture evenly over top of dough. Sprinkle tart with pine nuts, and chill 30 minutes.
• Place tart on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve, sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

PEPPER & LEMON SPAGHETTI WITH BASIL & PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the pepper and cook for 5 mins. Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 10-12 mins until tender.
• Add the courgette and garlic to the pepper and cook, stirring very frequently, for 10-15 mins until the courgette is really soft.
• Stir in the lemon zest and juice, basil and spaghetti (reserve some pasta water) and toss together, adding a little of the pasta water until nicely coated. Add the pine nuts, then spoon into bowls and serve topped with the parmesan, if using.

LEMON PINE NUT PASTA

Steps:

• Nuts -- First, toast the pine nuts. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until slightly brown and you can smell the aroma. The heat just brings out their flavor. Set to the side and rough chop.
• Pasta -- Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water. Once the pasta is tender, (reserving 2 cups of the pasta water) and just keep warm in the strainer you make the sauce. NOTE: Whole wheat makes all the difference in this dish.
• Garlic -- In the pot you cooked the pasta in, return to the heat and add the olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook for one minute to lightly toast.
• Finishing -- Return the pasta to the pot with the garlic and oil and add the lemon juice, zest, parmesan, pine nuts, parsley, salt (go lightly, the parmesan is salty), pepper and 1 cup of the pasta water and toss until everything is well combined. You may need a bit more water until it is the consistency you like.
• That's it. You can garnish with extra parmesan or parsley if you want, but I don't think it is necessary. ENJOY.

LEMON AND PINE-NUT RICE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add rice; season with salt and pepper, and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed all liquid, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
• Fluff rice gently with a fork, then toss with pine nuts, oil, and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

LEMON PINE NUT GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Blanch green beans in salted boiling water. Drain and pat dry.
• In a large skillet melt butter over medium to medium high heat.
• Cook shallots approximately 1 minute. (Stir often to prevent burning).
• Add pine nuts to toast for an additional minute.
• Add green beans and toss (just enough to warm and coat.).
• Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. I like to add some fresh lemon peel as well. Gives it a great additional taste.
• Toss well to combine all ingredients.
• ENJOY!

LEMON STARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Stir in sour cream and zest. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough into 3 balls; cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle., Remove 1 portion of dough from the refrigerator at a time. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. star cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool., For frosting, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, extract, food coloring if desired and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cookies; sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

LEMON SABAYON TART WITH PINE-NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Place the pine nuts with three tablespoons of sugar in a food processor and process until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the flour. Using your fingertips or pastry blender, work in four ounces of the butter, a scant two tablespoons of the beaten eggs and the vanilla to form a soft dough. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch straight-sided tart pan.
• Press the dough evenly into the pan and up its sides. Prick the bottom. Bake about 30 minutes, until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Select a large metal bowl that will fit partway into a saucepan. Put about one-and-a-half inches of water into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Put the remaining beaten eggs, the egg yolks and the remaining sugar into the bowl and beat them using a whisk or a hand-held electric mixer. As the mixture begins to warm and thicken, add about a third of the lemon juice. Continue beating constantly, adding lemon juice as the mixture heats and thickens. The mixture should thicken to about the consistency of yogurt. Beat in the remaining butter. Take care that you do not overheat the mixture or the eggs will curdle.
• Remove the sabayon from the heat and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Preheat the broiler. Broil the tart, watching it carefully, until the top is golden brown.
• Refrigerate for one-and-a-half to two hours, or overnight, before serving.

LEMON STARS

Steps:

• Put all the curd ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 mins. To check if it's ready, dip a wooden spoon in and blow on it gently. If a wave-like pattern forms, remove from the heat and sieve into a bowl. It will thicken more as it cools. Tip into a sterilised jar and leave to cool completely.
• Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Mix in the egg yolks and the vanilla extract, then add the flour, almonds and a pinch of salt. Work everything into a smooth dough with your hands, then wrap and put in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/ gas 3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 4mm. Press out stars using the larger cutter, then make a hole in the middle of half of the biscuits with the smaller star cutter. Re-roll the excess, making sure you don't overwork the pastry, and stamp out more biscuits. Put the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and bake for 10 mins until golden. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.
• Spread the lemon curd on the biscuits without a hole, and put a biscuit with a hole on top of each one. Dust the biscuits with icing sugar. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. Recipe adapted from Let it Snow by Agnes Prus (£7.99, Hardie Grant). Photographs © Frauke Antholz.