Orson H. Gygi Blog

Picture from Acquire Design

The oven is on our minds and in our hearts today as we tackle Spring Cleaning in our kitchens. We love celebrating the underdogs of the kitchen. The mighty workhorses that make our lives much easier, but sometimes these trusty appliances go under appreciated and unnoticed. Especially when it comes to keeping them clean.

If you’re like me, it’s easy to spill in the oven, make a big mess and horrible smell, and close the door and forget all about it until the next time I turn on the oven and fill the house with smoke. I love to procrastinate cleaning my oven, mostly just because it feels hard. But we’ve got some tricks to help get your oven sparkling clean. And without a lot of hassle, so you might even do it more than once a year.

[Read more…]

Picture from Sweet Peas and Saffron

Heather recently visited Brooke Walker at Studio5 KSL during COLOR WEEK. They’ve been celebrating the new book Craft the Rainbow, from The House that Lars Built. It’s a beautiful declaration of color! Brooke has been showcasing a different color each day. We were lucky to visit on YELLOW day!!! Sunshine!!!!

The crew at Studio5 assigned Heather the task of sharing a YELLOW food. She was inspired by Sweet Peas and Saffron’s tangy, lemon meringue bites! Hand-held nests of sweet and crunchy meringue, filled with tart and tangy lemon curd! They are beautiful and delicious and perfect for all your sunshiney soirees this spring!

See Heather and Brooke in action here!

Picture from Sweet Peas and Saffron

Picture from Sweet Peas and Saffron

Print

Yum

Tangy Lemon Meringue Bites

Ingredients

Easy Lemon Curd
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 large lemons, zested
Meringue
• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

For the curd:
1. In a large, microwaveable bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and eggs, whisking together until combined. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving in 1 minute intervals, stirring well after each round, for a total of 6-7 minutes, or until the curd coats the back of a metal spoon.
3. (Optional) Place a fine mesh sieve or strainer over a clean bowl, preferably one with a spout. Pour the curd through the sieve or strainer and use a spoon to gently push the curd through the sieve. Discard any clumps of curd, lemon zest, and seeds. Pour curd into 2-4 mason jars with lids. Seal the lids and let set at room temperature for 1 hour to cool down. Then, refrigerate until chilled. Store in fridge for up to 3 weeks.
For the Meringue:
4. Pre-heat oven to 300*F. Line two sheet pans with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. (The meringues on the silicone mat held their shape and released slightly better). Set pans aside.
5. In a clean stand mixer, whip your egg whites on high until they form soft peaks - about 1 minute.
6. Add the cream of tartar. Then add the sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat on high. This will take 5-10 minutes. Scrape sides of the bowl to include all the sugar.
7. When the mixture has formed stiff peaks, fill a pastry bag, fitted with a Wilton 1M Tip.
8. Moving slowly, pipe a 3-inch circle on your lined baking sheet. Without lifting the tip, continue piping around the outer edge of the circle, forming the outside edge of the meringue nest.
9. Bake for 10 minutes at 300*F, then reduce heat to 250*F and bake for 10-20 more minutes, until meringues are hard and start to turn slightly golden. Turn off oven, open the door, and let meringues dry and cool in the oven for one hour.
10. Store meringues in an air tight container, up to 5 days before serving.
To Assemble Meringue Bites:
11. Spoon or squeeze lemon curd into the meringue and serve immediately.
Meringue Recipe from: Sweet Peas and Saffron

0.1

Image from A Bowl Full of Lemons

It’s April. Happy spring cleaning!!!! Truth be told, I shudder at the thought. The sun’s out. It’s finally warm enough to step outside. The last thing I want to do is stay inside and clean. Plus, I’m kind of scared to see what is under my couch.

If it scares you, too, hang with us. We are breaking things down. Cleaning little bits of our kitchens, one 5 -minute step at a time.

First up, the garbage disposal. He’s easy to forget about. Until he’s stinky. And then you can’t ignore him.

If you’ve been ignoring your food waste disposer, read on to find out our tips and tricks for a fresh and clean garbage disposal. [Read more…]

Image from Live Simply

We are in full fledged spring cleaning mode over here. Of course we are starting with our favorite room of the house!! The kitchen!!! We love using simple and effective solutions, so we started with our favorite natural cleaners, baking soda and vinegar. Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar have long been used as safe alternatives to toxic chemicals. But we were shocked to learn that when they are used together, they are pretty much ineffective!!! What?!?! Read on to learn more…

[Read more…]