No Baklava for You

Ron and I had a dinner party last night, featuring Greek food. It included a Greek Summer Salad, Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), Spanakopita (spinach pie), and Moussaka (baked layers of eggplant and ground lamb, with bechamel sauce and cheese on top). Not a low cal' menu, this. A special meal for friends.

Perhaps I should have tackled making Baklava. But, as Ron explained to our guests, with the other things I was making, if he had asked me to make Baklava, my head would have exploded. He's right. So I opted for this easier, lighter dessert. I found this recipe a few months ago in the Chicago Tribune, and highly recommend it.

LEMON-YOGURT ICEBOX TART (or PIE)

Ingredients:

Tart/pie dough or shell of your choice

2 cups Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat)

2/3 cup lemon curd

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 teaspon powdered gelatin

2 tablespoons water

Whipped cream (optional)

Garnish of choice

Bake pie shell and cool for at least one hour, to room temperature. (I used a store-bought graham cracker crust instead.)

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon curd, honey, and vanilla. Put the water and gelatin in a small microwave-safe cup and let sit for 5 minutes. Microwave for 10-15 seconds, stirring once or twice, until the gelatin is dissolved. Do not allow to cool. Thorooughly whisk the hot, dissolved gelative into the yogurt mixture and pour into the pie shell.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours - preferably overnight. Garnish as desired. The recipe suggests fresh whipped cream and sliced citrus or berries. I just drizzled it with a little honey and scattered pine nuts.

Enjoy!