Let's Talk with Nancy J. Cohen
National Lemon Juice Day
August 29, 2024
Today is National Lemon Juice Day. As a Florida resident, we have the advantage of being able to grow citrus trees in our backyard. When we lived in Plantation, we had Tangelo and Valencia orange trees with incredibly sweet oranges, a lemon tree that produced huge lemons, a lychee tree, an avocado tree, and banana plants.
Eventually we lost the citrus trees due to disease and we had to cut down the lychee because it got too tall, making it impossible to reach the fruit. But it was wonderful to go outside and pick our own produce in those early days. Creating my own lychee recipes or making lemon meringue pie added to the enjoyment.
My mother had a wonderful recipe for lemon bread pudding that I’ll share with you here. It’s great for a brunch or as a special dessert to complete a meal.
This recipe appeared in Trimmed to Death. I’ll give away a copy of this title to one lucky commenter, the winner to be announced here next week.
Just answer this question – What is your favorite dish using lemons? Or if you’re not a fan, how about limes or another fruit?
Also feel free to share your memories of growing up with fruit trees on your property or going to nearby U-Pick farms.
LEMON BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients
PUDDING
2 cups dry bread cubes
4 cups scalded milk
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup golden raisins
SAUCE
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak bread in hot milk for 5 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. butter, ¼ tsp. salt, and ¾ cup sugar and stir to blend. Pour eggs over while stirring. Add vanilla and raisins; stir to combine. Pour mixture into greased 9x13x2 inch glass baking dish. Place the baking dish into a pan of shallow hot water. The water should come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until set, about 50 minutes. When done, remove bread pudding dish from pan with water and cool on rack.
Meanwhile, mix cup sugar, cornstarch, tsp. salt and nutmeg for sauce in a medium saucepan. Gradually add boiling water and stir. Cook over low heat until thick and clear. Add butter and lemon juice. Whisk to blend. Pour over baked pudding. Chill dish in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serves 8 to 10.
Posted in Let's Talk, with Nancy J. Cohen • Tags: Let's Talk, Nancy J Cohen, National Lemon Juice Day, Trimmed to Death | 48 Comments
My favorite lemon flavored treat (besides Lemoncello) are called Anginetti. They are an Italian cookie with lemon (or anise) flavored icing and sprinkles on top. I do not do well with baking luckily I have friends who make them frequently and are willing to share. The bread pudding sounds dreamy and I might have to try my luck making it.
Those cookies sound good. I’d need friends to make them for me, too. I like to make cakes but cookies seem to take more effort.
I love lemon poppy seed coffee cake with a cream cheese lemon frosting.
I like the lemon poppy seed mini muffins.
I love any cookies or cakes that combine lemon and raspberries.
Sounds like a good combo. Will have to look for it.
I love any lemon-flavored dessert — pies, cookies, cakes — but I can’t stand lemon drops or other lemon candy. Go figure. 🙂
I’m right there with you I like any kind of things lemon I actually I’ve been lucky to find lemon drops and raspberry drops at our local grocery store. That really taste good
I like lemon ginger drops. Good to ward off a sore throat.
Love lemon bars.
So do I. Somehow they get eaten quickly.
I absolutely love lemon juice – I add it to water, sometimes also with ginger juice; in cold and flu season, I add it to “tea” with garlic and ginger. My favorite, though, is using it (or, occasionally, lime juice) with an oil (extra virgin olive oil or roasted walnut oil, usually) for my salad dressing…. Yum!
Interesting uses for lemon juice. I do like a slice in my water. And I’ll often squirt some lemon juice on fish. I like the added moistness it brings.
Congrats to Maria! You’ve won the copy of Trimmed to Death. I’ll be in touch via email.
I love lemon meringue pie from scratch, lemon bars, and lemon zest cookies. Luckily my sister loves to bake!
I’ve made lemon meringue pie from scratch, except for the crust. Easier to buy one ready-made.
Lemonade. Lemon pie. Lemon bars. Lemon curd. Lemon anything.
All of those sound good to me!
Oh, gosh, this has me thinking about a lemon-cranberry bread that we make for the holidays. It has a glaze topping that has lemon juice and zest in it. It’s heaven!
Sounds good, Terry. Maybe share the recipe in one of your newsletters or blogs?
Lemon meringue pie!
Always a favorite of mine.
My Mom made the best Lemon Meringue pie. I make lemon bars so good.
They’re both yummy choices!
I don’t have a favorite lemon recipe.
Rose Ward
rmward92@yahoo.com
No problem. It’s not a favorite for everyone
I love anything lemon flavored and have made my own lemonade, but my favorite is lemon meringue pie! When I was a small child we lived with Granny. She had peach trees and made the best peach pie ever!
I would love peach pie or peach cobbler. They grow somewhere here in FL. I’ll have to take a look at the U-Pick farms in the area.
I love lemon 🍋 in just about everything. I especially like it in lemon pound cake. I grew up across the street from an apple 🍎 orchard and we also had apple trees in our backyard.
How nice to have apple trees. I like any fruits that we can pick.
I love lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.
That sounds good. Lemon desserts are refreshing.
I live in Northern CA and I have a lemon tree in my back yard. I like lemons on fish and in iced tea.
Ditto for me. I squeeze lemon slices on fish and drop them in water as well as iced tea.
I grew up in the Magic Rio Grande Valley in Harlingen, Texas. We had citrus trees and farms everywhere. Many are long gone now. We also had a lime tree in our yard that produced so many great limes. Funnh thing is that I did not like most citrus. I like orange juice but not oranges or grapefruits. I do like cantaloupes once in a blue moon. Ah well. But I do love lemons and lime. Lemonade, Cuba Libres (rum and coke with limes). I love Key Lime Pie, Lemon Bars, Lemon Meringue Pie, and so many other things with Lemons like Chicken Piccata, Red Snapper Francese or Chicken Francese, Chicken Enchiladas, and so many dishes that we cook with lemon and lemon rind grated in the recipe. Lemon in an iced glass of water. Any fish with lemon. Andy dessert with lemons or limes. Ah lemons.
Key Lime Pie and Lemon Meringue Pie are on my list of favorites. And all those dishes you mentioned sound good!
I love anything with lemon! This seems easy enough to make
The recipe takes a little bit of effort but is yummy and great to serve at a brunch.
Nice .
Thanks, Amanda.
Thank you for the recipe! I am going to try it! My favorite is lemon icebox pie. I love contests and puzzles. Thanks for having me.
I hope you like how it turns out, Belinda! Lemon icebox pie is a new one for me.
I like lemon meringue pie. That would be so amazing to grow oranges in your own backyard.
I loved picking fruit from our backyard trees. But you need a good-sized yard so they’re not near the house. Fallen fruit can attract unwanted animals.
I love lemon bars and lemon chicken, but that lemon bread pudding looks fabulous!
I haven’t had much in the way of lemon chicken. I should try it.
lemon meringue pie
Definitely one of my favorites!