#spring dessert

RECIPE: Lemon Pudding-Soufflé (from In Praise of Home Cooking by Liana Krissoff)

This was my mom’s go-to pudding-like dessert for a long time, and probably one of my all-time favorites. Fluffy “soufflé” topping a tart warm custard; it isn’t beautiful or fancy, but if you love lemon there are few better ways to enjoy it.

Serves 6

5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (200 g) sugar

3 large egg yolks, plus

6 large egg whites

1/3 cup (75 ml) lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

¼ cup (45 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half

Pinch of cream of tartar

PRACTICE SKILLS

Using an electric mixer

Folding beaten egg whites into a yolk mixture

Baking in a hot water bath (a bain-marie)—setting it up on the hot oven rack and pouring boiling water into the larger pan. Removing the bain-marie from the hot oven

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Find a deep 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish (or a 2-quart round soufflé dish) and a larger baking dish or pan that the smaller dish fits into—a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33 cm) one works well. Use about 1 tablespoon of the butter to very generously butter the smaller baking dish all the way up the sides. Set the small baking dish inside the larger dish. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

In a deep bowl, using an electric mixer with the beater attachments, beat the remaining butter and the sugar together until thoroughly combined. Beat in the 3 egg yolks one at a time, then continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow. Gradually beat in the lemon juice and zest, then the flour and half-and-half, scraping the side of the bowl a couple times so everything is smooth and well incorporated. Set aside.

Switch to a whisk attachment on the electric mixer. Put the 6 egg whites in a clean, dry, deep bowl. Whisk until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and continue to whisk until firm peaks form (when you lift the whisk, the whites should stand up straight in a peak and not flop over). Use a rubber spatula to stir about one-third of the whites into the egg yolk mixture, then add half of the remaining whites and gently fold them in until mostly combined. Fold in the remaining whites until just combined and no large clumps of whites remain in the batter. Scrape the batter into the buttered baking dish.

With potholders, carefully pull the center rack partway out of the oven. Place the small baking dish (in the large dish) on the rack and carefully pour hot water from the kettle into the large dish until it comes about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the small dish. Gently slide the rack back into the oven and close the door. Bake for about 50 minutes, until puffed up and evenly browned on top. Remove both baking dishes from the oven, taking care not to spill the hot water, then lift the small dish onto a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Scoop portions of the soufflé (and the soft pudding underneath) into dishes and serve warm.

Award-winning cookbook author Liana Krissoff presents an evocatively written ode to home cooking with all the guidance you need to perfect your own easy-to-master family recipes

Trusted cookbook author Liana Krissoff is back. Previously, she showed you fresh, clever canning recipes; modern slow-cooker recipes; and easy vegetarian crowd-pleasers. Now, Krissoff brings you In Praise of Home Cooking—fit for anyone looking to perfect the staples, parents who want to whip up something tasty, curious kids who want to learn grandma’s secret recipes, and everyone who has gotten tired of those absurdly labor-intensive recipes.

To Krissoff, developing resourceful habits and perfecting uncomplicated dishes––a pot of fluffy rice and one of creamy beans, a seared steak and a colorful salad––are integral to living with great pleasure, and so she shows us the way. Krissoff explores these simple but vital subjects—ranging from how to start a fire in a clearing in the woods to making a simple but celebration-worthy layer cake, and even remembering to make a mug of hot cocoa just because it’s the first cold, gray day of fall—reminding us that appreciating these moments is key to a life well-lived.

In this cookbook infused with memoir, there are charming step-by-step illustrations that demystify key kitchen skills, vibrant food photographs, and short essays that reveal keen insights gleaned from a life as a recipe tester, cookbook author, and mom interspersed among the recipes. The more than 85 recipes in this book are Krissoff’s essentials, perfected for your ease. They represent a chronicle of how she learned to cook but also of ongoing efforts to help her daughter develop a level of competence with improvisatory home cooking. From kneading your own yeasted bread dough to refining your classic tahini dressing, Krissoff brings you all the foolproof recipes you always wished you had, while offering insight into the meaning and beauty behind these simple moments.

Two o’clock cake time.