Frozen Lemon Pudding

We had a lemon tree in our backyard in California which produced an abundance of lemons, some of them as big as grapefruit.  Our home was built on a former orange grove, so the soil and climate were no doubt ideal for citrus growing.  Mom was never one to waste, so she gave lemons to the neighbors, squeezed lemons and froze the juice in ice cube trays, and tried to find as many ways possible to use lemons in her cooking.  I've found so many recipes with lemon that I'm creating a lemon category, starting with an ideal dessert for the hot summer we've been having: frozen lemon pudding.

This is not pudding in the real sense because nothing is cooked.  Instead both egg whites and evaporated milk are whipped to make a light summertime dessert.  Mom made this quite often, so it will bring back memories for many.

Chill until icy cold:  1 cup evaporated milk

As milk chills, mix together in large bowl:  2 egg yolks (retain whites)
                                                                     6 Tablespoons sugar
                                                                     1/2 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
                                                                     2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Beat until stiff:  2 eggs whites
                         1/4 cup sugar

Fold egg whites into lemon mixture.
Whip chilled milk until fluffy.  Add 3 Tablespoons lemon juice and continue beating until stiff.  Fold into lemon mixture.  Gently spread into a 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed vanilla wafers.  Put into a freezer set at the coldest temperature for several hours.  Cut into squares and garnish with mint or maraschino cherries.

My favorite new kitchen gadget is the Ultimate Microplane tool from Williams-Sonoma (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/microplane-ultimate-citrus-tool/?pkey=cfruit-vegetable-tools%7Cctlfvtfru).  It makes grating lemon rind a breeze!

A Birthday Tribute/Fruity Ice Cream

Ruth Bryan on July 14, 2004

Happy Birthday, Mom.  We all miss you more than words can say.

In honor of what would have been Ruth's 87th birthday, I am posting an old family recipe for Fruity Ice Cream.  Her grandchildren can attest to the fact that Ruth always had ice cream in her freezer.  In her later years she would often request an ice cream cake for her birthday, like the one pictured above.

Fruity Ice Cream

This recipe requires a 4 quart ice cream maker.  If you only have a 2 quart machine, cut the recipe in half or freeze it in two batches.

2 cups whole milk

3 cups sugar

3 cups heavy cream

Blend all three of the above ingredients in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.  Put the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes, then add the following:

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 tsp. salt

2 small packages of frozen strawberries or raspberries, thawed and mashed. 

3 bananas, mashed

Use the freezing process for your specific ice cream maker.  I used an electric 4 quart bucket freezer that requires ice and rock salt and it took about 40 minutes.  

My 4 qt. container filled to the brim

I always thought this recipe came from my grandma Annie, Ruth's mother.  However, I recently compared this with my sister Leanne's recipe, taken straight from Annie's lips, and it was different.  Hers made 6 quarts and used pineapple.  This isn't surprising, as Annie was famous for having a mental recipe box (i.e. not writing things down).  There could be even more versions of this recipe floating around out there, though it would be hard to beat this one!

California Guacamole

A Party Passion: That's the subheading for this recipe which was clipped from a newspaper and may have been part of an advertisement for a California agricultural group.  I didn't check the sticker on my avocados to see if they came from California, but the guacamole was fantastic.


2 medium California avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and mashed
1 tomato, chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons diced green chiles
1 tsp. minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small clove garlic, minced

Combine dip ingredients and mix well.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill.  Serve with tortilla chips or fresh vegetables.  Makes 2 cups.