Lemon Dainty

How can you not love a dessert with the name of "Lemon Dainty"?     I found it in an old Palo Alto Junior League Cookbook (if you call 1984 old).    It's the second volume that that Junior League published -- both are thin volumes and have some good recipes in them.    I adored the books (for I have both Volumes 1 and 2) but had never cooked from them although I had read them a lot.

And with the Lunch Bunch coming last Tuesday, I decided a lemon dessert would be perfect and I also decided that my whole menu would come from the pages of these two books.  

And in the dessert section of No. 2 was a recipe for Lemon Dainty -- with the notation:   "This was found, neatly penned, on a tattered page of an old, family recipe book.    The date was 1931, the description:   "A delicate crust will form on top of the pudding . . . supplies its own sauce.   try fine".   It is a very fine pudding cake . . . pretty, simple and refreshing."

The cookbook is right -- it is very fine.    And it does have a delicate crust.    Baked in a soufflé dish, it's a pretty dessert.

And it looks yummy on the plate surrounded by it's sauce and garnished with a few fresh blackberries.

And it made plenty -- three nice servings and the rest "leftover".    Next time, however, I think, I will bake it in individual soufflé dishes.   I think that would make for a prettier presentation especially with a shower of powdered sugar!

And besides being a good dessert, it is an easy dessert!

LEMON DAINTY

1 cup sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/8 t. salt

2 T. butter, melted

5 to 6 T. lemon juice

Grated rind of 2 small lemons

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 c. milk

3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.    Add melted butter, lemon juice and rind.    Blend with a whisk.    Add yolks and milk and beat with whisk until well-blended.

Beat whites until stiff but not dry.    Fold into lemon mixture.    Pour into a greased 1 1/2 quart soufflé dish.   Set dish in a shallow roasting pan filled with 1 inch of hot water.    Bake 1 hour.

From the cookbook:   This suits almost any menu and my be served hot or cold in shallow bowls.   It is lovely with fresh berries.

It's Friday and I'm joining Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.