Foothill gourmet: Dinner and dessert

D and D is my shorthand for today’s column since it includes a main dish for dinner and a “cool” recipe for dessert.

The first recipe is courtesy of my workout friend, Kay. I trust her judgement, because she eats healthy and likes to cook quality food for her husband. She cooked for her whole family when she was raising her children. Her adult children have graced her with several grandchildren. We see each other regularly at the sports club and have been friends for more than three years. Her helpful comments about this meat loaf recipe are “tasted very good, but don’t overcook or it will turn out dry.”

Italian-style turkey meat loaf — Ingredients: 2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, 2 pounds lean (93 percent) ground turkey, 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon each salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried oregano, plus 6 tablespoons ketchup.

Preparation: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray. Mash bread together with milk in a large bowl until smooth. Add turkey, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, salt, onion and garlic powders, and 2 tablespoons ketchup to bowl. Mix well. Form into a 9-by-5-inch loaf on a baking sheet. Spread remaining ketchup on top.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf registers 165 degrees, about 40 min. (Kay’s comment here is that cooking the meat loaf 45-50 minutes makes it too dry.) Turn broiler to high and broil meat loaf to a crisp exterior, 1-3 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Taking the time to do this step is important. It allows the meat loaf to absorb some of the flavorful juices.

Cool Lemon Icebox Pie is a no bake dessert. It’s great for the hot days of summer, since its preparation will keep the house cool. It’s hard to resist a light lemony pie right from the fridge on a hot summer’s day.

Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups crushed shortbread cookies, 3 tablespoons lemon drops, finely crushed, 1/4 cup butter melted, 1 cup sugar, 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel, 6 tablespoons lemon juice and water, 6 egg yolks lightly beaten, 1/4 cup butter cut up, 1 32 ounce carton vanilla Greek yogurt, 1/2  cup whipping cream, and 1 tablespoon lemon drops, finely crushed. Fresh mint leaves are optional.

Preparation: For crust, in a medium bowl combine cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons crushed lemon drops (reserving 1 tablespoon for topping), and melted butter.

Press into the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch pie plate or 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Tip — For a crispier crust, bake in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes; cool.

For filling, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, gelatin and cornstarch. Add lemon peel, lemon juice and water. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir half of the lemon mixture into the egg yolks. Return egg mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add cut-up butter, stirring until melted. Transfer to a bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Cool 20 minutes.Place yogurt in a large bowl; gradually stir in lemon mixture. Carefully spoon into crust-lined pan. Cover and chill overnight.

For topping, beat whipping cream in a chilled medium bowl to soft peaks. Fold in 1 tablespoon crushed lemon drops. To serve, carefully loosen and remove sides of springform pan. Top pie with whipped cream topping and, if desired, fresh mint.
Enjoy a flavorful main dish for dinner and a cool icebox pie for dessert.