Author: John Fladd

Where to find special brunches and dinners on Mother’s Day

Time to make those dinner and/or brunch reservations for Mother’s Day, which is Sunday, May 12. Know of a special meal or offering not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected] to run in next week’s Weekly Dish column.

• 110 Grill (80 Storrs St., Concord, 802-6110; 875 Elm St., Manchester, 836-1150; 27 Trafalgar Square, Nashua, 943-7443; 110grill.com) will serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu will include crab and egg flatbread, yogurt parfait, the 110 Frittata, chicken ’n’ waffles, steak and eggs Benedict, bananas Foster-stuffed French toast, the Cure Burger and brunch cocktails. Reservations are recommended.

• Alamo Texas Barbecue and Tequila Bar (99 Route 13 in Brookline; 721-5500, alamobarbecue.com) has a Mother’s Day menu that includes eggs Benedict, berry salad, cherry-glazed pork tenderloin, strawberry shortcake and a peach bellini. Brunch starts at 10 a.m.; call for reservations.

• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) will serve brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring a variety of breakfast items, an omelet station, salads, carving stations and more, as well as traditional plated meals including honey-baked ham, roast leg of lamb, prime rib and baked stuffed haddock. Dinner specials will run from noon to close. Call for reservations.

• Alpine Grove Banquet Facility (19 S. Depot Road, Route 111A, Hollis, 882-9051, alpinegrove.com) will serve brunch. Seating starts at 10 a.m.; the buffet will close at 2 p.m. The menu will include various breakfast items, roast top round of beef with demi-glace, Mediterranean chicken, mac and cheese, a pastry and dessert buffet and more. The cost is $35 for adults, $15 for children ages 5 through 12 (free for children under age 5). Reservations are required and can be made through Alpine Grove’s website.

• Artisan Hotel (17 Via Toscana in Salem, 912-8450, tuscanbrands.com) will hold a Mother’s Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy a complimentary Mom-osa. There will be a smoked salmon display, an omelet station, a carving station, a full buffet and more. Mother’s Day will have communal seating in the Grand Ballroom; full tables of six or more guests are available for advance purchase. There will be seatings at 11 and 11:30 a.m. and 1, 1:30, 3, 3:30, 5, and 5:30 p.m. Each seating is 90 minutes long. Tickets are $90 per person. Reservations are available at tuscanbrands.com.

• Atkinson Resort and Country Club (85 Country Club Drive, Atkinson, 362-8700, atkinsonresort.com) will serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring breakfast items, a carving station, entrees like baked haddock and chicken Milanese, a dessert table and more. The cost is $80 for adults and $30 for kids ages 3 through 10 (free for children under age 3). Reservations are required, and available through Atkinson’s website.

• Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) will host a Mother’s Day High Tea Brunch and Wine Pairing at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Each guest will receive a cup of hot tea, a pre-set four-course High Tea-inspired brunch, and a pre-selected flight of four wine samples (must be 21+). Non-alcoholic flight available upon request. Tickets are $59 each and available through the Vineyard’s website.

• The Bakeshop on Kelley Street (171 Kelley St. in Manchester; 624-3500, thebakeshoponkelleystreet.com) offers doughnuts and other goodies that can be ordered in advance. The shop is open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will serve a special Mother’s Day dinner from 2 to 7 p.m. Dishes will include bacon, shrimp and corn chowder, pea salad, asparagus bisque, veal saltimbocca, cider-brined Duroc pork tenderloin, and much more. The cost is $79 for adults and $42 for children 10 and under. Reservations are required and can be made through the Inn’s website.

• Belmont Hall and Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540, belmonthall.net) will serve an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with seatings at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The cost is $18.99 per person. Additionally, the restaurant will be open for walk-ins only that day — no reservations are required.

• Chez Vachon (136 Kelley St. in Manchester; 625-9660, chezvachon.com) will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will offer moms a free drink.

• The Coach Stop (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022, coachstopnh.com) will serve a special Mother’s Day dinner with seatings at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Offerings include shrimp cocktail, escargot, prime rib of beer, veal Oscar and much more. Call for reservations, which are required.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) will serve Mother’s Day supper, with seatings from noon to 4 p.m. The three-course prix-fixe meal will include oysters on the half-shell, ricotta gnocchi with fiddleheads, coq au vin, grilled lamb chops, maple-bourbon panna cotta and more. The cost is $75 per person. Seating is available in the Grazing Room or in the gardens. Reservations are available through the Inn’s website.

• Copper Door (15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-2033; copperdoor.com) will offer a prix fixe Mother’s Day menu featuring bosc pear salad, prime rib, blackened salmon, wild berry shortcake and more, and extended hours. Brunch and lunch will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The prix fixe menu will be available from 2 p.m. to closing at 9 p.m.

• The Derryfield (625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, thederryfield.com) will serve brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m, featuring a carving station, bread station, salad station, dessert station and main buffet line with various breakfast items and entrees including chicken, turkey, seafood and more. The cost is $36.95 for adults, $34.95 for seniors 65+ and $21.95 for children under age 12. Call for reservations.

• Firefly (22 Concord St., Manchester, 935-9740, fireflynh.com) will serve Mother’s Day brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

• The Flying Goose Brew Pub (40 Andover Road in New London; 526-6899, flyinggoose.com) will celebrate Mother’s Day with brunch specials from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner specials from 2 to 8 p.m. The regular menu will also be available.

• The Foundry Restaurant (50 Commercial St., Manchester, 836-1925, foundrynh.com) will be open for brunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Fratello’s Italian Grille (155 Dow St., Manchester, 641-6776, fratellos.com) will serve a brunch buffet, with seatings at 11 a.m and 2 p.m. There will be an omelet station, a waffle bar, a grand buffet, a carving station, and more. Reservations are required and can be made through Fratello’s website.

• Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchino-vineyard-inc.square.site) will host a celebration of its new sparkling wine on Mother’s Day. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Each participant will have one glass of wine (your choice of sparkling, or still wine or granita) and enjoy an assortment of six gourmet small plates including Caesar salad, New England clam chowder, arancinis, butterfly shrimp, burrata, ravioli and a meatball. Finish with a signature Italian dessert. A children’s menu is available for ages 12 and under for $25; this will include chicken tenders, mac and cheese, french fries and a beverage. The cost for adults is $69. Tickets are available through Fulchino’s website.

• Gauchos Churrascaria Brazilian Steak House (62 Lowell St., Manchester, 669-9460, gauchosbraziliansteakhous.com) will serve a Mother’s Day brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call for reservations or make them through Gauchos’ website.

• Giorgio’s (524 Nashua St., Milford, 673-3939; 270 Granite St., Manchester, 232-3323; 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 883-7333; giorgios.com) will serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring salads, breads, appetizers, entrees, a carving station, omelet station, dessert station and more. Reservations can be made through Giorgio’s website.

• Granite Restaurant (The Centennial Hotel, 96 Pleasant St., Concord, 227-9000, graniterestaurant.com) will serve a special Mother’s Day dinner menu on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11, from 5 to 9 p.m. with dishes including New England crab cakes with avocado and blood orange, Faroe Island salmon, petite filet mignon with shrimp, honey-mascarpone cheesecake and more. Each mother will receive a special gift.

• Granite State Candy Shoppe (13 Warren St. in Concord, 225-2591; 832 Elm St. in Manchester, 218-3885; granitestatecandyshoppe.com) is offering 15 percent off select gift boxes of chocolate, in-store and online, through Sunday, May 12.

• The Hills Restaurant (Hampshire Hills Athletic Club, 50 Emerson Road, Milford, 673-7123, hampshirehills.com/the-hills-restaurant) will serve a Mother’s Day brunch from 9 a.m. to noon. Dishes will include pulled pork eggs Benedict, swordfish tacos, a Korean BBQ breakfast burger, coconut cake and more. Reservations are available through the website.

• The Homestead Tavern & Restaurant (641 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-2022, homesteadnh.com) will feature a special Mother’s Day menu featuring dishes including bacon-wrapped scallops, beef tenderloin, rack of lamb and more. Make reservations through the Homestead’s website.

• Jamison’s Restaurant (472 Route 111, Hampstead, 489-1565, jamisonsrestaurant.com) will feature a special Mother’s Day menu with dishes including seafood stuffed halibut, shrimp scampi, goat cheese stuffed roast chicken and more. Call for reservations.

• KC’s Rib Shack (837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack.net) will serve an all-you-can-eat Mother’s Day buffet from noon to 6 p.m. The buffet will feature smoked spare ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked sausage, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and more. Moms eat free.

• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898; 14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinerynh.com) offers a la carte dining on Mother’s Day at The Bistro in Amherst and Americus in Derry. Brunch, lunch and dinner menus will be offered, plus special Mother’s Day dining specials and add-on upgraded dining experiences.

• Makris Lobster & Steak House (354 Sheep Davis Road, Concord, 225-7665, eatalobster.com) will serve a Mother’s Day buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The buffet will include peel-and-eat shrimp, roasted lamb, maple-Dijon salmon, homemade pastries and more. The cost is $36.99 for adults, $31.99 for seniors, and $14.99 for children under 12. Call for reservations.

• Manchester Distillery (284 Willow St., Manchester, 978-308-2867, manchesterdistillery.com) will host a Mums & Mimosas event Saturday, May 11, from noon to 5 p.m. Enjoy cocktails and mocktails from the distillery’s tasting room as you sip, shop and hang out on the patio and backyard.

• Mike’s Italian Kitchen (212 Main St., Nashua, 595-9334, mikesitaliannh.com) will feature a special Mother’s Day menu in addition to its regular menu. Make reservations through Mike’s website.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, 673-3904, mileawayrestaurantnh.com) will serve a prix fixe dinner that includes one appetizer, such as a fresh fruit with sorbet or Swedish meatballs; a salad; an entree, with options like pork tenderloin, veal Marsala, maple-glazed salmon and more; and one dessert, such as chocolate mousse cake, carrot cake or flourless chocolate ganache cake. The cost is $49. Call to make a Mother’s Day reservation with a credit card. Table size is limited to eight guests or fewer.

• Mr. Mac’s (497 Hooksett Road in Manchester; 606-1760, mr-macs.com) is open Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with dine-in or Take and Bake that can be ordered in advance.

• New England’s Tap House Grille (1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com) will serve brunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The entire restaurant will be converted into “Brunch Heaven.”

• Pembroke Pines Country Club (45A Whittemore Road in Pembroke, 210-1365, pembrokepinescc.com) will offer a Mother’s Day Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $29.95 for adults and $12.95 for children.

• Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotis.com) has many seasonal Mother’s Day chocolates available on its website, from floral gift boxes to gift assortments of all sizes and chocolate shoes and purses.

News from the local food scene

• Duck-fat fries and adoptable dogs: The Rockingham Brewing Co. (1 Corporate Park Drive, Derry, 216-2324, rockinghambrewing.com) will host the Darbster Dog Derby on Friday, May 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. Meet, and possibly adopt, a new best friend courtesy of Darbster Doggy (109 Dover Road, Chichester, 635-4495, darbsterfoundation.com/darbster-doggy), drink good beer, and eat special pizzas and duck-fat fries from pop-up caterers Abeetz and Frites.

• Kentucky Derby party: Break out your seersucker suits and giant hats. On Saturday, May 4, The Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com) will host a Kentucky Derby party from 2 to 7 p.m. with prizes, giveaways, and samples from Bellavance Beverage and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Proper attire is strongly encouraged.

• If you’re feeling fancy: The Oscar Barn Wedding Venue (191 W. River Road, Hooksett, 340-8361, oscarbarnweddingvenue.com) will host a Champagne High Tea Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $65; this includes one glass of Champagne, food, tax and gratuity. This is a 21+ event and formal attire is requested. Tickets are available through the Oscar Barn’s website.

• Three-Dollar Tuesday: Every Tuesday home game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester, 641-2005, milb.com/new-hampshire) is Three Dollar Tuesday. Hot dogs are $3. Popcorn Is $3. Sodas are $3. On Tuesday, May 7, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will play against the Harrisburg Senators at 6:05 p.m.

It’s time for Taco Tour 2024

When the Greater Manchester Chamber organized its first outing with the Taco Tour last year, there was a steep learning curve, said Cole Riel, the Director of Taco Tour Manchester.

“Last year, we were able to get a handle on logistics, like line control and helping restaurants put out product,” he said. “It’s not what we’re used to, serving 20,000 taco-loving folks.”

This year’s Taco Tour on Thursday, May 2, from 4 to 8 p.m., in downtown Manchester promises to be the biggest yet. Started in 2011 as a way to draw attention to Manchester’s vibrant food scene, the Tour has grown each year, drawing in more and more local restaurants to participate, and increasingly larger crowds to taste their tacos or Mexican-themed dishes and vote on their favorites. The restaurant with the winning taco will win bragging rights, a trophy and $1,000 to donate to a charity of its choice. Originally conceived and organized by the Hippo, the Tour was run by Intown Manchester in 2019, then took a Covid hiatus, returning last year organized by the Greater Manchester Chamber.

According to Riel, this year’s Taco Tour will include more than just tacos.

“There will be a concert stage at the corner of Elm and Bridge streets,” Riel said. “Fun acts like the ones who will be performing just add liveliness to the event.” The acts will include Harrison Goodell (harrisongoodellmusic.com) at 4 p.m., Cody James and Joe Delault (thecodyjamesgang.com) at 5 p.m., and deSoL (desol-music.com) at 6 p.m.

According to Steve Freedman of radio station 92.5 The River, which is helping sponsor this year’s live performances, the performers are particularly well-suited for Taco Tour.

“We [The River] are proud to break new artists and promote local artists,” Freedman said. “The first two acts — Harrison Goodell, Cody James and Joe Deleault — are ‘homegrown,’ and the main act, deSoL, is a Latin rock band that we at The River have supported for over 10 years. ”

There will be other fun events, such as a pet watering station and a doggie costume contest run by the Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter, and a Stonyfield Yogurt Family Zone at the Manchester YMCA (30 Mechanic St.).

This will be the second year that The Potato Concept has participated in Taco Tour, though the first year from their new brick-and-mortar location, on Hanover Street.

“We’re pretty proud,” said co-owner Brandon Rainer. “This event is the town jewel for Manchester.” The Potato Concept’s offering in this year’s Tour will be a “Potaco,” a twice-baked potato skin with seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. There will also be a “Vegan Potaco” with a black-bean salad filling.

900 Degrees Pizzeria (50 Dow St.) will serve chicken tacos with a house-made fresh pico de gallo.

“We love this event,” said 900 Degrees General Manager Dan Gove. “It’s a lot of fun; it gives us a chance to give people something completely different than we normally do.” He and his staff are preparing 1,000 tacos.

The overall mission of Taco Tour Manchester has remained the same since 2011: to make the public aware of the depth and diversity of Manchester’s restaurant scene.

“We want to provide an awesome, well-rounded experience for families and restaurant enthusiasts,” Riel said. “We want to remind them of restaurants they may have forgotten about since the last Tour. They will taste [our food] and make plans to come back shortly after.”

The tacos

More than 70 local restaurants are participating in this year’s Taco Tour. See the map for their locations. Here are their scheduled offerings:

815 Cocktails & Provisions – BBQChicken, Alabama white sauce, marinated collard greens, vidalia onions, lime

900 Degrees – chicken tacos

Alas De Frida – Birria Taco

Alley Cat Pizza – “El Gato” pizza folded with taco toppings

Annapurna – Steamed chicken and fried momo (dumplings) taco with an authentic Nepali sauce, and vegetable or pork steamed or fried momo taco with authentic Nepali sauce

Antojitos Colombianos – chicken, pork and vegetarian Tacos

Bad Brgr – “Smash Burger Taco” and a chicken taco

Barcode Lounge & Grill – “Mac & Cheese Tacos” with pulled pork, Jerk Chicken with pickles, as well as dessert tacos

Ben and Jerry’s – Mexicone Dream Ice Cream Nachos (Americone Dream ice cream, waffle cone “chips,” caramel drizzle)

bluAqua Restrobar – “The Jaws Taco” with fresh shark

Boards and Brews – “Garlic Parmesan Ranch Tacos” with chicken tenders and fries, and sweet potato fry tacos

Buba Noodle Bar – “Bahn Mi Taco” with lemongrass beef, Asian pickles, cucumber, cilantro, umami sauce

Campo Enoteca – Polpetti (Meatball) taco

Cat Alley Cafe – Breakfast Taco with scrambled eggs, chorizo, potatoes, and queso fresco

Consuelo’s Taqueria – “Taco’n Madre” with sauteed pork served on a corn tortilla topped with green tomatillo, guacamole salsa with onions and cilantro

DeadProof Pizza Co. @ Bonfire – Street birria taco and vegan maple gochujang cauliflower taco

Diz’s Cafe – “Diz’s Magic Taco,” a beef taco with DizSpinaca, topped with shredded lettuce and pico de gallo

DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown – birria beef taco

El Rincon – “Taco Borracho,” with carnitas, pork, and beef with caramelized onion, jalapeno, and chorizo

Firefly Bistro & Bar – “Cheesy Chicken Taco” with seasoned chicken, cheddar cheese, chipotle crema, and crunchy tortilla chips in a soft flour tortilla

Granite State Candy Shoppe – “Chocolate Taco Crunch Mix,” with chocolate-drizzled waffle cone pieces with cinnamon and chocolate

Granite YMCA (The YMCA of Downtown Manchester) – Sugar cookie taco with strawberry and whipped cream filling, oreo crumble, and orange and green sprinkles

Hooked + Ignite – fried fish tacos

Industry East – Peanut chicken satay tacos, with confit chicken, Thai spiced peanut sauce, scallions, and sesame

Keys Piano Bar & Grill – Jerk chicken soft taco with cabbage slaw and ginger, or a vegan option with grilled vegetables

Kisaki – Sushi taco, with spicy crab and lettuce with tempura seaweed skin

Margarita’s Manchester -–soft flour tortilla with carnitas, garlic crema, picked radishes and fresh cilantro

Maya’s – jerk chicken & jerk beef tacos

Manchester Fire Department Central Station – smoked pork taco with cilantro lime coleslaw and a special hot sauce

Osaka – Spicy Crab with crunch and avocado wrapped with seaweed (hand rolled) and Spicy Tuna with crunch and chopped raw tuna, wrapped with seaweed (also hand rolled)

Patz Deli – “Mexican Chicken Salad” with chicken, carrots, peas, corn, mayo, sour cream, crushed Fritos, Sriracha, in a soft flour tortilla

Pho Golden Bowl – “Pho Taco,” with beef, sour carrots, rice noodles and basil

Piccola Italia Ristorante – Chicken Parmigiana with a chicken cutlet, sauce and mozzarella, and a Chicken Caesar Taco with grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, caesar dressing, Parmigiano flakes and croutons, also a dessert Cannoli Taco

Queen City Cupcakes – Churro Cupcake

Rare Breed Coffee – Iced Horchata Cortado and Caliente Hot Chocolate

Shopper’s Pub – “American Taco” with tender broiled pork in a toasted shell with sweet pickle relish and a blend of spices

Soho Bistro & Lounge – chicken, beef, steak or scallop tacos

Stashbox – biscuit & gravy tacos

Strange Brew Tavern – whiskey-marinated shredded chicken in an ancho pepper-infused crema

Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream – Ice cream tacos and nachos with waffle bowls as tacos and nacho shells

Taj India – Chicken Tikka Taco

Thai Food Connection – a wonton shell with chicken and Thai sauce

The Farm Bar and Grille – BBQ pulled pork, cheddar cheese, coleslaw, in a flour tortilla

The HopKnot – “Walking Taco” with jalepeňo honey, beer cheese, pico de gallo, and beans

The Patio @ Hilton Garden Inn Manchester – “PB&J Taco” with blueberry tarragon jam, peanut chicken, sour cream & onion potato chips, and Sriracha aioli

The Pint Publik House – Soft flour tortilla filled with Jamaican curried chicken, cheddar-jack cheese and shredded lettuce

The Potato Concept – “Potaco” with ground beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and sour cream

The Stoned Wall Bar & Grille – A jerked chicken and kiwi salsa taco

Thirsty Moose Taphouse – “Beef & Cheese Taco” with pico de gallo and sour cream

Thousand Crane – “Teriyaki Chicken Taco”

To Share Brewing Co. – “The Elvis” with banana slices, honey drizzle and optional bacon, on a flour tortilla

TACO TOUR
When: Thursday, May 2, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Where: downtown Manchester plus a few spots outside downtown
Cost: $3 per taco, cash only
Voting: tacotourmanchester.com/voting
The Official Taco Tour 2024 Map, available on the Taco Tour website (tacotourmanchester.com/map), includes information about locations of participating restaurants, ATM’s, portable toilets, water stations and more.

Featured Photo: Previous Taco Tour. Courtesy photo.

We’ve all made impulsive kitchen purchases — exotic ingredients or fun toys — and then never used them. When faced with a new piece of kitchen fanciness, most of us are a little gun-shy.

Today’s recipe, while extremely simple to make, uses one piece of specialized equipment and one ingredient that you probably don’t already have in your pantry: a microplane zester and lemon juice powder. Should you have a grater to zest lemons with? (Yes, because it’s incredibly cool and makes zesting citrus, hard cheese or chocolate extremely easy.) Why in the world would you have a jar of lemon juice powder in your pantry? (Short answer: to make things taste lemony without making them wetter.)

You can totally get by without either of these — grate lemons with the side of your box grater with the tiny holes, and substitute lemon zest for the powder — but making a pie (this pie, anyway) will be easier and better with them.

Crust

• ½ cup (175 g) finely ground cookie crumbs – these can be stale homemade cookies, crispy grocery store cookies or even graham crackers; your blender or food processor will do a good job of crumbifying them
• 5 to 6 Tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice powder, or the zest of one lemon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, then press into a 9-inch pie pan. Build up the sides of the crust if you can, but don’t let this stress you out.

Chill the crust in your refrigerator for half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes.

Set aside to cool.

As you pull your crumb crust out of the oven, there is a very good chance that the sides will have slumped down to the bottom of the pan and there is a giant cookie grinning up at you instead of a pie crust. This is where most of us will start second-guessing ourselves and wallowing in shame:

The thing is, it doesn’t really matter. Unless you are competing on a British baking show, nobody cares. The pie will still taste great. So what if it’s in layers? Pretend this is what you meant to do, and move on.

While the crust is cooling, make the filling:

Filling

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream
• 4 eggs
• zest of 2 lemons
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, roughly the juice of 4 lemons

Add all the ingredients to a bowl, and mix thoroughly. If you are measuring your ingredients by weight, put the mixer bowl on your kitchen scale and add each ingredient, taring (zeroing out) the weight as you go. You’ll be surprised how relaxing this is.

Pour the filling into your prepared pie crust, and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the center of the pie is just a tiny bit jiggly.

Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool. Once it is cool, put it in your refrigerator.

Just before you are ready to serve, make the topping.

Topping

• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• 2 Tablespon sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice powder, or the zest of another lemon

Combine all ingredients, and beat until it makes whipped cream with medium peaks. Cover the surface of your pie with whipped cream, and garnish with even more lemon zest, if that seems like the right thing to do.

This pie has an incredibly high reward-to-effort ratio. It tastes juicy and lemony. The crumb crust with added lemonosity is a revelation. It is easy to make look pretty — just slather any mistakes with whipped cream.

Featured Photo: Photo by John Fladd.