Lemon Shaker Tart by Alison Roman

This lemon tart is like a giant circle of lemon bars, with a shortbread crust and a custardy lemon filling. If that interests you, read on, friend. 

Some lemon bars err on the sweet side, and others on the tart end. This dessert really straddles that line, but slightly errs on the tart side. However, that may differ if you use Meyer lemons. Alison says that either Meyer or regular lemons work here. I could not find any Meyer lemons, so opted for regular. But I am now quite convinced that the slight sour edge to this dessert would have been fixed if I had used Meyer lemons (which are really a hybrid of lemon and mandarin/pomelo, making them sweeter). 

Before preparing anything else, I sliced a lemon very thinly, and marinated the slices in a cup of sugar and lemon juice. These need to sit for at least an hour to soften and sweeten before baking.

The shortbread crust is simple - flour, confectioner’s sugar, salt and melted butter, all mixed to a greasy Play-doh consistency and spread out in the tart pan to bake. I swapped GF flour for regular all-purpose here, with no issues. Xanthan gum, which is used in GF baking to help form structure, is not needed here, since the crust doesn’t really need to rise. The crust bakes first in the oven, until a light golden brown. 

Once the slices finished marinating, I made the filling. Egg yolks, whole eggs, and a bit of flour and salt combine to form a smooth yellow mixture, to which I added the lemons slices, juice and sugar. I mixed it all by hand, then poured the filling into the crust and put it in the oven to bake until it didn’t jiggle in the middle. 

There seemed to be an odd ratio mix-up, and I’m not sure if it’s me or the recipe. I used a 9-inch tart pan as instructed (this is also my only tart pan). But once I filled the crust, there was about 20% of filling still leftover. It posed a bit of a mess since I wasn’t expecting it. I’m curious if others have had the same issue. If you make this recipe, my advice is to pour slowly and cautiously. 

I shared this tart with Jordan, Gina, Madeline and Sam, and all of us agreed that the crust was excellent, the filling a nice blend of sour and sweet, but the lemon slices were too sour all together. Again, I think this was an issue of not using Meyer lemons. So word to the wise, hold out until you can find Meyer lemons for this lovely tart. 

72 recipes cooked, 153 to go.

Labne with Sizzled Scallions and Chile (Almost Ranch) by Alison Roman

There’s a reason Alison’s friends call this “The Dip,” and why it’s the first recipe in nothing fancy. It’s fantastic. It’s creamy, spicy, and tangy. I served it as a dip with carrots, radishes, and almond crackers, and as a salad dressing. I savored every last drop. 

To make it, you just need about 20 minutes of time and some organic green garlic on hand. Which means this is decidedly a late spring, early summertime appetizer. Perfect for those early days of summer when the sun is finally setting later and the deck is once again warm enough for a dinner party. It’s for when you start craving chilled white wine instead of warm red. (Of course, yes, you can substitute scallions for green garlic and make it all year round. But letting this dish be seasonal adds a level of specialness to it all, I think.) 

Green garlic, you ask? Right, I hadn’t heard of it either. I knew about bulbed garlic, but I’d never seen green garlic. At least, I didn’t think I had. Towards the beginning of April, I noticed a small bin of what looked like extra long scallions appeared at Whole Foods. Their long fronds mimicked that of leeks, but they were thinner in size. I did some investigating, and sure enough, it was filled with bunches of green garlic. This recipe requires using the light green and white parts of it, just like a scallion. The thinly sliced garlic, though still potent, gave a more muted punch than would grated white garlic. 

The bits of green garlic are simmered in olive oil along with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Alison says to do this until everything begins to “sizzle and frizzle” and the oil turns a “fiery orange.” To keep anything from burning, the pot is set over medium-low heat. For me, the sizzle-and-frizzle began about 5 minutes in, but the fiery orange never did. I let it all sizzle for 15 or so minutes, but the oil remained a golden yellow. My only hypothesis is that my pepper flakes were not potent or quality enough? But I’m open to other theories. 

Once the oily mixture cools slightly, it’s swirled into a bowl of labne or yogurt and lemon juice, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and more fresh cilantro. (I used goat’s milk yogurt due to my stomach’s vendetta against cow’s milk.)

This one was a hit with the entire family.  

71 recipes cooked, 154 to go.

Fried Eggplant with Harissa and Dill by Alison Roman

I made seven Alison Roman recipes last week. All of them, except one, were very good. But for whatever reason, this eggplant dish is the one I can’t stop thinking about! 

Through this project, I’ve grown to really like eggplant, which is saying something considering where I started. I used to shutter at the soggy appearance of cooked eggplant in the cafeteria, and wondered how anyone could want to eat it instead of the always-available pizza and salad bar. I now realize that my college cafeteria, as exemplary for the circumstances as it was, did not treat eggplant with the care and flavors that it is due. 

I started to appreciate eggplant for all its creamy and flavor-soaking qualities when I first made Alison’s Long-Roasted Eggplant with Garlic, Labne, and Tiny Chile Croutons. There especially I learned how well eggplant goes with spice. Which is exactly what this fried eggplant recipe does so nicely. 

The eggplant is sliced into ½-inch rounds and fried in a boat load of olive oil (I probably used 1½ cups when all was said and done). The eggplant gets a nice toasted surface and soaks in all the yummy oil. It took about 20 minutes to fry it, since I could only fit so many rounds in my large skillet. Once the frying is complete, the pan is removed from heat and filled with a spicy sauce made of water, harissa paste, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and vinegar. The sauce immediately bubbles in the pan, inviting the eggplant back into the skillet for tossing. Though 2 tbsp. of harissa and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes are used, the spiciness was quite tolerable and the heat more acidic than dry. The creamy eggplant played well with the tangy spices. Finally, the whole plate is topped with dill and flaky salt. 

I made this dish for dinner on a night when my brother-in-law was coming over. I could see his polite skepticism as soon as I brought out the plate. He reached for only two pieces and began eating the rest of his meal. But after a few bites, I could tell he had changed his mind. He and Jordan both helped to finish off the eggplant, which I count as a real victory. The leftover oily juices also made a lovely dipping spread for sourdough bread. 

70 recipes cooked, 155 to go.

Lemony Watercress with Raw and Toasted Fennel by Alison Roman

Raw fennel and I started out on rocky ground. I wanted to like her, but found her crisp structure a little too firm for a salad and her flavor a little too potent on its own. Fennel has a lot of licorice and anise type notes, which can either add depth to a dish, or overpower everything. 

The other partakers in this salad would probably argue that the raw fennel fell into its overpowering role. I, however, felt differently. For me, the key was the thinness of the fennel slices. I focused really hard on shaving the fennel with my knife, so that each slice was practically transparent. By slicing the fennel as thin as possible, it seemed to complement rather than control the dish. Each bite had only hints of licorice. Which made it all the more exciting to me. 

It was clear that I was the only one who loved it, because I was the only one who reached for seconds, and offered to eat it the next day as leftovers. But that’s alright. Not all salads can please all people. 

If the fennel didn’t scare you off by now, I’ll tell you about the rest of the salad! The other major player is watercress, which I found at Whole Foods (surprise, surprise). The greens are dressed with a very simple dressing made of toasted fennel seeds, finely chopped shallot, lemon juice and thinly sliced lemons. I let the dressing sit for about 45 minutes on the counter ahead of the meal, which helped to soften the lemon slices. There, too, I tried hard to keep the lemon slices as absolutely, painfully thin as possible. Because no one wants a mouth full of thick lemon. 

Just before serving, the salad is tossed with the dressing and drizzled with olive oil. And I’ll tell you what. The leftovers were even better. The lemon and shallot further softened and the juices had time to really marinate the raw fennel, making it sort of slaw-like in a very balanced way. 

I served this salad with Alison’s Skillet Chicken with Olives and Sumac, and Madeline contributed a powerful gazpacho made with cantaloupe and jalapeño by Melissa Clark. Oh, and Lemon Shaker Tart for dessert! That post is forthcoming. 

69 recipes cooked, 156 to go.

Spicy Tomato Marinated Feta by Alison Roman

Admittedly, I’m more of a “Martha” than a “Mary,” to invoke a biblical reference. Like Martha, I’m a task-oriented person who appreciates always having a clear “purpose.” I feel most clear-minded and confident when I’m “accomplishing” something. Opposite Mary, sitting still is hard for me, as is just being. Though sometimes, I do feel a small inward tug to stay in my seat and dwell with whoever else is in the room. Every time I choose to lean into that inclination, I am much the better for it. 

Last night, as I prepared the feta dish, I felt that wordless tug… “enjoy this with your friends, Annie… the rest of dinner can wait.” So I gave in. 

The four of us lounged on our city-facing balcony, sharing life updates and a plate of marinated cheese with almond crackers and cold white wine. Sam and Madeline are the sort of friends that make me want to take off my apron and savor their company, instead of standing over the oven until dinner. 

This appetizer made my choice to relax all the easier. A half cup of olive oil is heated over medium heat. Two thinly sliced garlic cloves spend the first few minutes in the sizzling oil to turn a light golden yellow. Then tomatoes are added to warm through and begin falling apart. Alison specifies using either 1 large ripe tomato, or two smaller ones. However, I had a box of tiny red vine tomatoes already on hand, which worked just as well. I halved them before tossing them into the pan. After about five minutes, two tablespoons of harissa paste are stirred into the pan to form a loose sauce. Several minutes later, the pan is removed from heat and a tablespoon of white vinegar, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, finish it off. 

The spicy tomato mixture is poured over a thinly sliced block of feta cheese. I let it sit about 20 minutes and then our friends arrived. It was a (small-sized) crowd pleaser; there were no leftovers. I’ll be making, and enjoying this one relaxedly, all summer long. 

68 recipes cooked, 157 to go.