LEMON BARS

In past blog posts I have spoken about my mom's side of the family, the Czech side, and shared with you the history of my Czech grandparents (including a recipe of theirs). Today, I am speaking about my paternal grandmother, or who my sister and I refer to as 'Grammy'. (Side note: Grammy is one of my biggest supporters of The Vivid Kitchen and always emails me her thoughts on my posts and pictures. So, hi Grammy!) 

Anyway! Grammy, who lives in Los Angeles, has been cooking and baking pretty much all her life, and is honestly amazing at both. She's actually taken cooking classes over the years, with her favorite class being "Cooking Cordon Bleu" that she took when she was living in Ottawa, Canada years ago. Despite the knowledge she gained from these classes, I know Grammy would qualify herself as a "home-cook": she loves cooking simple, yet delicious recipes that aren't fussy and always deliver on taste and flavor. 

Growing up, I would see Grammy just about every weekend, which meant I was fed very well and looked forward to whatever she was serving us. Besides the delicious dinners she would prepare for me and my sister (don't even get me started on how perfect her Thanksgiving dinner is every year), it's really all about her baked goods. To say that Grammy has a sweet tooth is a severe understatement - the lady loves her candy, chocolates, pies, cookies, etc. etc. etc. When we're together, we love talking about baking and certain recipes we've come across - in a sense, baking has brought us closer together. 

One of Grammy's desserts that I grew up eating constantly was her lemon bars. Lemon bars are a traditional American baked good that were invented in the early 1960s, and eventually made their way into every kitchen across the country when the cookbook Betty Crocker's Cooky Book published the recipe. The recipe starts off with making a shortbread crust that is pressed into a 9x13 baking dish, which is baked in the oven until firm and golden; then it is topped with a lemon custard-like filling that is once again baked in the oven until set. Super easy and straightforward. If you're eating a lemon bar, 99.99% of the time, it'll be dusted with confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) because that's tradition, and I'll be damned if I didn't include this.

The recipe I am giving you today comes directly from Grammy: every ingredient and step follows what she sent me earlier this week, except for the addition of lemon zest that I included (I wanted to get the most use out of my lemons!). I also changed the quantity for the filling measurements by adding 50% more of each ingredient, except for the sugar. I did this because I wanted the filling layer to be a bit thicker, but didn’t feel the need to add any more sugar since I think it’s plenty sweet already.

The crust, which is a shortbread, is made with only three ingredients - butter, confectioners’ sugar and flour - and comes together in minutes. It is then pressed into a 9x13 baking dish and par-baked for about 15 minutes before adding the filling. Speaking of the filling, it’s made entirely with a blender and is, once again, as simple as it gets when it comes to the ingredients and directions. The moment the crust has been partially baked, you pull the pan out of the oven, pour the filling mixture in, and immediately return the pan back into the oven for another 20 or so minutes. The “hardest” part of this recipe is the chilling time: for best results, you want to let it cool at room temperature for about an hour and then pop it in the fridge for another two hours.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

For the filling:

• 6 large eggs, room temperature

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1.5 tbsp. lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour, sifted

• 3/4 tsp. baking powder

• Confectioners' sugar, to finish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix together melted butter, flour and sugar until well incorporated. The dough will be a bit crumbly. Transfer the dough to an ungreased 9x13 baking dish (alternatively, you can line the dish with a piece of parchment paper if you wish to pull the entire baked good out). Using your hands and/or an offset spatula, press down the dough evenly into the dish. It may seem like there isn’t enough to fill the pan, but trust me on this, it’ll spread perfectly the more you work it.

2. Bake the shortbread crust for about 15-17 minutes, or until the dough has firmed up and is lightly golden.

3. While the crust is baking, work on the filling. In a blender, mix the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice for about 30 seconds. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and blend for another 15 seconds.

4. When the crust is done, pull it out of the oven and immediately pour the lemon filling over the top of the hot crust and place back into the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is set.

5. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour and then refrigerate it for 2 hours more before cutting into the lemon squares. When ready to serve, dust the lemon bars with confectioners’ sugar and cut them with a sharp knife. They can either be stored at room temperature or in the fridge.

CINNAMON-PECAN PEACH & NECTARINE CRISP

Happy (belated) Fourth of July! For the past couple of years, Alex and I have been celebrating America's Independence Day by taking a road trip to Scottsdale, Arizona and staying at my dad's boss's house. We try to visit Scottsdale at least twice a year because the house there is simply amazing and we have the best time when we're there. We relax and BBQ by the pool, go on beautiful hikes on Camelback Mountain when the weather permits it, and go out for dinner and drinks at our favorite restaurants that we don't have back at home (pizza from Pizzeria Bianco is a given). Sadly, we weren't able to venture to the desert this year for the Fourth, but instead we kept it easy in Orange County with family, tons of food, and frosé (not a bad alternative at all). 

Our main meal for the holiday was pretty normal by Fourth of July standards: we feasted on chips and guacamole, hamburger and hotdogs, and freshly cut french fries. It was perfect. As for the dessert, we were all too stuffed to even think about any more food, but I did make the recipe that I giving you today and it was AMAZING when we finally did have a chance to eat it.

I am a huge fan of all stone fruits (nectarines, plums, apricots, peaches, etc.) and just about any dish that involves them, I will happily eat and love. Since I've already given you a recipe for a galette and a cobbler, I thought I would switch it up and share my favorite stone fruit crisp recipe. 

A crisp is a dessert in which fresh fruit is topped with a buttery, streusel-like topping that is baked until browned and the fruit juices are bubbling. One main component of a crisp is that the "streusel" topping contains oats, and it is actually the oats that crisp up when it bakes, hence the name. Sidenote: These days, a crisp and a crumble are pretty much interchangeable when researching recipes, but the main difference is that a crisp has oats in the topping, whereas a crumble doesn't. 

This stone fruit crisp is perfect for any celebration with a crowd due to it's size (made in a 13x9 baking dish), how easy it is to transfer to a party, and how delicious it is when finished with melty vanilla ice cream. When it's hot outside and I'm wearing nothing more than a bathing suit, the last thing I would want to eat is a slice of a heavy chocolate cake... ripe peaches and nectarines sounds perfect to me. 

I chose to use yellow nectarines and yellow peaches for this recipe, but you can use whichever stone fruit looks best at your local grocery store. If you want to use only peaches, or only nectarines, or half apricots and half white peaches, or even add in some blueberries or blackberries - it's totally fine! Yellow peaches and nectarines are my forever favorites and this is why I will be using them today. As long as you get 5 pounds worth of fruit, you're good.

Cinnamon-Pecan Peach and Nectarine Crisp

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 5 lb. of medium peaches and nectarines, about 10 (or any other stone fruit of your choosing)

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 2 tbsp. plus 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 4 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted pecans, chopped

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. To peel the peaches/nectarines: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the fruit for 30-60 seconds. Fish the fruit out with a strainer and immediately place them into an ice bath to stop the cooking. The skins should now come off easily by using your hands or a paring knife.

2. Cut each stone fruit into 1/2" thick slices and toss in a large bowl with the sugar and 2 tbsp. of the all-purpose flour. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and remaining 1 cup of all-purpose flour. On low speed, gradually add the small pieces of butter. When all has been added, increase speed to medium-high and mix until fully incorporated. You don't want there to be any dry ingredients left unmixed in the bowl. Stir in the chopped pecans.

4. Transfer the peaches and nectarines (and all the leftover juices) into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Evenly sprinkle the oat/pecan topping over the fruit, and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the crisp is bubbling and the topping is a deep golden brown. Let the crisp cool on a wire rack for as long as your stomach will allow you to, or, at least 30 minutes (just don't burn your mouth please!).

5. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream, and dig in!

PALACINKY (CZECH CRÊPES)

I'm a bit sad today. Just a couple of hours ago, my mom and I dropped off my family member, Tereza, at the airport. After staying with my mom for two and a half weeks, Tereza's first trip to the West Coast/California is over, and she's heading back to Prague. Growing up, I always wanted to have girl (first) cousins - I only have four cousins (4 on my mom's side, 0 on my dad's), and they are all boys. Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but I just always wished to have the relationship that my friends had with their girl cousins: not so much a sister, but more like a best friend. 

Hanging out with Tereza, who is technically my fourth cousin, for the past couple of weeks has been honestly so much fun. She is so sweet, so smart (her English is probably better than mine), and has the greatest sense of humor. I introduced her to margaritas, the film It Follows, s'mores, reality television (all of which she LOVED), as well as other random American things. She and I could talk for hours on end about anything and nothing, and still just genuinely enjoy each other's company. I am going to seriously miss this relationship that I've built with her, and I cannot wait until I visit her again in Prague, hopefully soon. 

So the recipe that I am bringing you today is one that has been in my and Tereza's family for over 75 years: palacinky. A very well-known dish throughout Central and Eastern Europe with different names depending on which country you are in, palacinky is something that not only I grew up eating, but my mother and her parents did as well. Like I've mentioned before, my mom's side of the family is fully Czech (both of my grandparents emigrated to the States in the 1950s) and with them, they brought a handful of dishes that I still crave and eat today (Řízek and goulash being my two favorites).

Palacinky, a crêpe-like dish that can be eaten at any time of day, is one of the recipes that my grandma and grandpa would make for me when I was little. But after they passed away when I was fairly young, I didn't even think about making them for myself until this past weekend when my aunt decided to make them for a dinner party we were attending. Tasting them again after all these years brought back a flood of memories, and so I immediately asked for the recipe and had my aunt show me how to make them (spoiler alert: it's super easy).

A big part of palacinky is the filling that you choose, which is traditionally some type of preserve or jam. I personally chose strawberry and apricot preserves that I found at my local Trader Joe's, and I also made some with Nutella which were insanely delicious. For the topping, it is common for palacinky to be sprinkled with powdered sugar, but I also made fresh whipped cream which I thought was a great addition. My aunt actually made her own preserves (nectarine and mixed berry) when she made the dish, so feel free to do this yourself with any fruit that is in season. If you wish to go the savory route which isn't as popular but still an option, just eliminate the sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest from the recipe. Then, you can fill it with whatever ingredients you'd like: ham, mushrooms, spinach, etc. Treat it as if you were choosing your favorite ingredients for an omelette. I want to add that my mom mentioned how growing up they would eat palacinky (the sweet way with jams and powdered sugar) for dinner, and this just makes me more proud to be Czech than ever before (who doesn't like eating sweets for dinner). 

Unlike crêpes, I feel like palacinky are much more forgiving: they aren't as thin as crêpes so flipping them in the pan is much easier, and if you tear a piece of the palacinky or brown a side too much, it can easily be covered up with toppings (whipped cream, powdered sugar, etc.).

A trick that my aunt taught me in making palacinky is to preheat your nonstick pan on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. This ensures that even your first crêpe will come out perfectly (this is also a useful tip for making pancakes, another scenario where the first batch is usually a 'throwaway'). 

Palacinky

Yields about 15 "crêpes", depending on size of pan

Recipe from my grandparents!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus 2-3 tbsp. more of melted butter for cooking
• 2 cups milk, preferably whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional, but recommended)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Filling suggestions: fruit preserves/jam (strawberry, apricot, etc.), Nutella
• Topping suggestions: powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruit 

Directions

1. In a blender, mix all ingredients (eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla, lemon zest) except for the flour. Add in the flour, in 1/2 cup increments, and blend until smooth. 
2. Let the batter sit for about 15 minutes. After this time, check the consistency of the batter: you are looking for a consistency similar to heavy cream - not thick like pancake batter, and not too runny. If it's too thick, add a splash of milk and mix. If it's too runny, add more flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, and mix. (Note: I followed the recipe as written, and the consistency was good enough for me to not add anything, in case you're worried).
3. Preheat a nonstick pan or skillet for about 5 minutes on medium heat. 
4. Using a basting brush, spread a layer of the additional melted butter over the pan. Ladle some batter into the bottom of the pan, while twirling the pan, making sure that the batter spreads evenly. How much batter you add at a time is up to the size of your pan, but it will be between 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup per crêpe.
5. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Using a thin spatula, flip the crêpe and cook the other side for about 2 minutes more. 
6. Continue steps 4 and 5 until all batter is used up (brush the pan with butter before each new addition of batter - trust me, it makes it taste much better!).
7. Spread your desired filling on one side of the crêpe, leaving about 1 inch of a border, then simply roll it up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and top with whipped cream and/or fresh fruit, if desired.
8. Palacinky can be stored in the refrigerator and/or freezer, just allow them to defrost and heat them up in the microwave before adding the filling. Enjoy!