Buy The Book #4: Cook's Illustrated 2003 Annual

Whenever I can knock out a killer breakfast, I am a happy camper. One of the things I do love for breakfast is cornmeal pancakes. Many a day I opened a box of Jiffy for pancakes and not cornbread. That is until I discovered lemon-cornmeal blueberry pancakes in 2003.

This was the year I bought my first CI Annual. If you haven't figured it out, I believe the folks at Cook's Illustrated author the best recipes. Perhaps a third or more of my cookbook collection is from CI. I think this recipe is the one I use most from the 2003 volume. It truly is a breakfast favorite.

Let's get started. This is all you need to make these wonderful pancakes. I would've preferred fresh blueberries, but it's winter. I'll make do with frozen. And yes, the use of prep bowls really does help.

Start by stirring your lemon zest and lemon juice into the milk. Yep. You're making buttermilk. Let it sit for a while to thicken. You can easily use buttermilk and just add the zest. I feel Sunday biscuits coming on, so I'm saving the real buttermilk for that.

Mix the egg and melted butter.

Now, mix all of your dry ingredients. I do this in two stages, cornmeal and flour and then the baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt into the cornmeal and flour.

Dump the egg mixture into the milk and give it a whisk. Next, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mix in the milk mixture. I start with a whisk and then switch to a spatula. Please don't overmix. Lumps are okay. Completely smooth batter means tough pancakes and who wants that?

I used a large scoop to portion the batter. I don't care about perfectly round pancakes. This is a good thing because I can't make them! I do have some egg rings that I could use if I needed to impress somebody. After the batter is in the pan, sprinkle the blueberries across each pancake.

I am pining for a Le Crueset double-burner reversible grill and griddle. Until then, a large skillet will have to do. I added a little more oil than I should have and the heat was up a touch higher than it needed to be. Therefore, the first batch fried a little. Once you see the edges of the pancakes start to dry out (you'll see the bubbles), give the pancakes a flip. On my stove, liquids tend to pool on one side, so one pancake got a lot of hot oil. Can you tell which one?

When the bottom side has set, remove the pancakes to a plate and work it out with some syrup and butter. I also had some maple glazed turkey bacon going on the side. Add some rich coffee made from freshly-ground beans and you'd think you're at a fancy restaurant.

A couple of things would've made this better -- breakfast in bed and breakfast before noon! No matter. All was right with the world after the first bite.

These also freeze well. I stack them between parchment paper. I intentionally undercook each batch after the first, so that the frozen ones will be a little more forgiving when reheated.

Tools of the trade:

• All-Clad 12" Nonstick Fry Pan
• Glass Prep Bowls
• OXO Food Scale
• French Whisk

Buy The Book #3: Baking Illustrated

So. You know of my lemon bar obsession. I almost threw a tantrum when I found out the McDonald's that sold me the best lemon bar I ever tasted no longer carries them. I was offended because there were Apple Dippers where the lemon bars should have been. When you want butter, flour and sugar, apple slices just won't do. This heightened the urgency for a good recipe. space You remember the previous lemon bar disaster. I now have an important announcement: People, I have found the lemon bar recipe of my dreams. Thank you Baking Illustrated. I wasn't ready to use Baking Illustrated in this series yet, but kick-butt lemon bars warrant you buying this book. The scone recipe is also wonderful, but let's focus on the lemon bars. I promise these will be some of the best you've ever had.

space

Start by preparing your pan. Spray a little cooking spray into a square baking dish. Fold two sheets of parchment paper and place them perpendicular to each other. The papers makes a sling. It will be so easy to get the bars out of the pan.

space

space

Let's move on to the crust. Take the dry ingredients for a spin.

space

space Add the butter and pulse. Dump the mixture into the dish.

space

space

Press it evenly into the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

space

space

Put the crust into the oven and start working on the filling. The filling needs to go on a hot crust so mind your timing. You'll need lots of eggs, a total of nine. Yes, I too was thinking that for nine eggs, this better be the best damn lemon bars ever. They are.

space

space

Lightly beat the eggs. Incorporate the sugar. Whisk in lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the butter and head for the stove top. Yes I said stove top. You are actually making a lemon curd.

space

space

I managed to contain my mess; I'm so proud.

space

space

Here is where the pics get sketchy because the curd required constant attention. Once the curd hits 170 degrees, strain it, add a little heavy cream and pour it over the hot crust. (Going after the pot with a spoon later was a special treat.)

space

space

Note how I managed to splatter the lemon curd onto the parchment. I'm quite skilled like that.

space

space

All done. The filling is opaque and the center is jiggly. Cool to room temperature. Remember the curd splatters? Now they're a problem because as I move the parchment, it flings the burnt curd onto my pretty square of sunshine.

space

space

Grab a pizza cutter and slice your squares. Garnish with powdered sugar. I sprinkle sugar on the individual squares as I eat them.

space

space

These were worth every cent, minute of cooking and the cleanup afterward. Please go buy this book for the lemon bar lover in you.

space

Tools of the trade:

• Square Pyrex Baking Dish
• KitchenAid Food Processor
• Microplane Multi Citrus Tool
• 2-in-1 Citrus Juicer
• Glass Mixing Bowls
• Pyrex Measuring Cup
• All-Clad 2-Qt Saute Pan
• Taylor Thermometer
• All-Clad Strainer
• All-Clad Pizza Cutter