What To Do With…. Egg Yolks

I know that I am not the only one who has been in this situation: You've found a great recipe but it only requires part of the egg. You need the yolks but not the whites, or you need the whites but not the yolks. So what becomes of the unwanted half? You could throw them away or you could find a simple recipe to make use of them....

In my survey of one (me), I have found that it is infinitely easier to find a delicious end for those egg whites. One could easily whip them up into a tall fluffy meringue or a 2 minute egg white omelet. But yolks? Hmm... Who has a yolk omelet?

This weekend, I made macaroons from a recipe that required three egg whites but that left me with three orphaned egg yolks. Of course, there are delicious uses for orphaned egg yolks such as a buttery hollandaise or a creamy custard base for a delicious salted caramel ice cream. But neither of those options appealed to me because they created more work rather than solved my immediate culinary dilemma.(Just because I love to cook and enjoy the time I spend in my kitchen doesn't mean I want to spend all weekend there. Hence, the temptation to throw orphaned yolks out.)

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them until I peered into my fridge and I found my answer in the crisper...

This recipe involves juicing the lemon/lime and takes about 10 minutes of whisking and that's it. You don't need to use it immediately, but it should probably be eaten within a week.




Lemon-Lime Curd

1 lemon juiced
1 lime juiced
3 egg yolks (you may need another yolk if you need to have a thicker curd)
6-8 tbsp sugar (separated) or more to taste (if you prefer a sweeter curd, add ½c to ¾c sugar)
4 tbsp butter, separated

1. Over a pot of boiling water, set a metal mixing bowl over top. Pour the juice into the bowl, add yolks and whisk continuously. Add sugar tablespoon by tablespoon, if you like it abit tart. Check for sweetness. Add as much or as little based on your preference.
2. Add butter 1 tbsp at a time. Whisk until well incorporated.
3. Lemon curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
4. Pour into a clean container and refrigerate.

Lemon curd may be smeared on scones, or toast. Alternatively, lemon curd may be used in desserts.

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Good Dinner Guests Bring Dessert – Part Two: Lemon Squares

There is something inherently comforting about old school desserts like brownies, chocolate chip cookies and lemon squares. For me, they evoke a time when our sweet cravings were satisfied by something simple, and more Betty Crocker like before we ate molten chocolate cakes, brules, and other seemingly fancier desserts.

Truth be told, I don’t really have a sweet tooth. I prefer a crusty baguette with a really nice butter to something sweet or chocolatey. But when I crave something sweet, this is what I crave. We have a bakery down the street that sells these humble little bars drizzled with white chocolate. Unfortunately, these bars rarely scratch the itch for me. There is not enough lemon curd and not nearly enough lemon flavour. While this bakery makes a mean mincemeat pie at Christmas, I have to turn to my own kitchen for a proper lemon square.

This is also one of my stand-by desserts to bring to a casual dinner party.

They are homey and unfussy but well plated, they look fancy enough for the occasion. I bring my shaker of icing sugar for plating and some fruit (I like blackberries) and you have dessert.

(This is also a great way to get rid of the three egg yolks if you made this.)

Lemon Squares

1 cup flour less 2 tbsp
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cornmeal or crushed pistachios
4 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 whole egg
3 egg yolk
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 tbsp 35% cream
juice of 1 large lemon*
Zest from 1 large lemon
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F and butter and line the bottom of a 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper
Combine flour, salt, cornmeal (crushed pistachios) and icing sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until the dough is crumbly
Press dough into pan, trying to ensure the crust is even throughout. Bake crust for about 18 minutes until the edges look golden. Set crust aside to cool
Whisk the together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, cream, juice, zest and baking powder until smooth. Carefully pour the filling into the cooled crust
Bake for approximately 25 minutes until set (the top will be slightly golden - do not overcook)
Cool at room temperature then chill in the fridge
Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar

*I have also made this recipe using limes (needs about 3 limes)

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