Sour Cream Lemon Meringue Pie

1 recipe Linne Tart Crust

Filling:
4 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 & 1/2 (or whole milk)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup lemon juice (read directions before adding)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup sour cream

No-Weep Meringue:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup water
4 large egg whites, room temp
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS
Lemon Filling:
Whisk egg yolks in a bowl set next to stove.

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in half cup of the cream/milk. Add remaining milk and turn heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick. Carefully spoon or pour a little of the milk mixture into the bowl of egg yolks, stirring well – this tempers the yolks. Add yolk mixture back to saucepan and bring to a low boil.

Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until butter melts, then add 1/4 cup lemon juice. Test to see if it’s lemony enough for you and if not, add remaining lemon juice and zest until you are satisfied with the lemon level. Let cool completely in the saucepan.

Stir sour cream into cooled lemon mixture and pour/spread in pie crust. Prepare meringue.

Meringue:
In a small cup, dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoon of the water. Bring remaining 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add cornstarch mixture to boiling water and cook, whisking stirring constantly, until clear and thickened. Let stand until completely cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs until foamy. Gradually (1 tablespoon at a time) beat in sugar. Reduce mixer to low and add baking soda, tartar and vanilla.

Raise mixer speed back to high and beat in cornstarch/syrup mixture, beating until thick and fairly stiff. Spread over a cooled filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and chill pie for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.

Bret's Texas Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

Brownies
1 c. butter
1 c. strong coffee
1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs

Frosting
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter
3 tbsp cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. powdered sugar

Oven @ 350°F
In a saucepot, put the cocoa powder and blend with the butter as it melts over medium heat.  Once you have a chocolate-butter paste, blend in the coffee and heat till nearly boiling.  Remove from heat.

In a separate mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla.  Blend in the coffee/butter mixture.  Add the eggs and buttermilk and blend until smooth.

Pour into a greased 13x9 baking pan.  Bake in oven @ 350 for 30-35 minutes or until center is solid.  Use a toothpick to test if it comes out clean.

While the brownies cool, make the frosting.
Blend the peanut butter with the butter, salt and add the powdered sugar a 1/2 cup at a time.  If the mixture gets too thick, add some cream.  Blend in all the powdered sugar and if still too thick (it should be easy to spread) add another tbsp of cream.

Spread the frosting over the brownies when they are completely cool

Huckleberry Buckle

Huckleberries are hard to get, but they're delicious when you can get them and afford them.  The first time I got to try them was because a friend picked some up at a farmer's market in July in eastern Washington.  I don't know how much he was exagerating but he said each serving of the buckle ought to cost $5.  That implies perhaps $20 for a 3 c. bag of berries.

The optional lemon juice works best on blueberries.  Huckleberries are like very potent-tasting blueberries and their a fair bit tarter. 

For those that don't want to bother or can't get huckleberries, blueberries work wonderfully.

1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. white sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. milk
2 1/2 c. huckleberries
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
optional: 1 tbsp lemon juice

Oven @ 375° F
Butter a 9x9 baking pan.

Cream the butter and 1/3 c. of sugar.  Mix in the dry ingredients.  The mixture should be crumbly.  Blend in the sour cream.  Gradually add the milk until you have a smooth batter.

Spread the batter evenly into baking pan.

Put the berries into a saucepot, and add the 1/2 c. of water and the 1/2 c. of sugar.  A tbsp of lemon juice works well here if you want the fruit tarter.  Cook on stove until the berries have burst and it's got a deep red color and foamy consistency.  Pour this over the batter in the pan. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Bret's Fried Chicken

I usually deep fry chicken thighs.  There's too little meat to bother with on wings, drumsticks are okay and breasts take too long. 

Marinade:
10 chicken thighs
2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp kosher or sea salt

Coating:
2 c. flour
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
canola or peanut oil for frying