A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Oven

Winter sunset behind the Golden Gate by Rachel Medanic

Winter Lemons

December and January are citrus culmination, aided by our mild, rainbowed winters. The real
California gold emerges in these months, right alongside shorter days. Lemons have returned. The drought nearly killed my tree, but the uses for the fruits of its labor are far more exciting than any new technology (you'll see why below).

The Smell of the Curd

We skipped January lemonade and made small end-of-December batches of lemon curd instead. If I had to choose the first smell ever to be made available on the internet it would be this--lemon curd in the making.

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Mesmerizing isn't it? Watch it again. No really, click play again.


After months of scheming in 2017, I finally signed up for a pastry fundamentals course and here are some of the gifts in prais of the lovely lemon:

Straight Lemon

I was coughing for two months, it's sort of continuing with our early spring. My Meyers began to really come ripe around Thanksgiving. By mid-December I was eating them straight. Just cut open and suck. I have always had "deep grooves" in my molars. In January, voila:  a small cavity. My third cavity of my life. Suck as I may, lemons directly on teeth are something not to do. I was desperate and spent nearly 6 weeks violently hacking at a cough. I knew better but blew it off. 

The Shakers Have It

While others in my pastry class pursued tarts hot and heavy, I was offered the opportunity to make Shaker Lemon Pie. It seems like it could be Lemon Shaker, doesn't it?

I've had a few past adventures with pie. I'm not as comfy with it because I suck at crust, but thanks to the recipes I now have, I'll be more adventurous. The crust was fantastic but it needed to cook longer, custard didn't quite set. It was very sweet and incredibly lemony!

Chemistry vs. Art- Who Wins?

You hear a lot, oh it's a blend of art and science. Well, I let the art get the best of me and failed- fast! 

You can't get cool streaks in your buttercream by dumping in raspberry juice. You have to mix it. It's pink or the highway, Baby. My instructor immediately told me it wouldn't work as she spied my pastry bag. I had to learn why, so she had me pipe out all this butter cream which acted like oil and water. Aha!!!

Lemon Oil

Apparently it's really "rouge" of me to combine chocolate and vanilla cake. The key to moist cake is a light wash on the layers so they stay moist. I was offered lemon oil and somehow, even with the correct recommended amount per layer, overdid it. I made this 4 layer behemoth (for a friend's child) that actually burned the mouth a bit from the oil; like taking oil of oregano! Yow, the power of too much lemon oil. She said she loved the cake anyway and thought my cake was awesome.

Have I mentioned how much I love Aquarius kids!!!? Here's my rouge cake furthest right... and then what everyone else made.

My rogue, poorly decorated behemoth 4 layer Beast Cake at far right

A World Ruled by Visual Judgers

As I was taking this photo I was asked if this was my "before" photo. "I see beauty in chaos," I replied. Does everything have to be symmetrical and perfect within an inch of its life?

I guess I see things differently. I see a lot of beauty in process when it comes to dessert.