NOVEMBER 2020 97clean; return strained cream to sauce-
pan. Add corn syrup and salt. Heat over
medium-low, stirring occasionally, until
bubbles appear around edge of pan, 4
to 8 minutes. Pour mixture over white
chocolate in bowl; stir gently until melted
and smooth. Gradually stir in remaining^1 / 4
cup heavy cream. Cover and chill at least
4 hours or (preferably) up to 12 hours.- Preheat oven to 325°F with oven racks
in top and bottom positions. Shape scant
tablespoonfuls (about^1 / 2 ounce each) of
cookie dough into balls, and arrange 1
inch apart on 2 ungreased rimmed bak-
ing sheets. Using a moistened thumb,
press a deep indentation into center of
each dough ball. Bake in preheated oven
until very light golden around edges, 16
to 18 minutes, rotating pans from top to
bottom and turning pans 180 degrees
halfway through cook time. Let cookies
cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Transfer
cookies to a wire rack, and let cool com-
pletely, about 30 minutes. - Transfer white chocolate–espresso
ganache to bowl of a stand mixer fit-
ted with the whisk attachment. Beat on
medium speed until stiff peaks form, 30
to 45 seconds, being careful not to over-
beat. Transfer half of ganache to a piping
bag with a^1 / 2 -inch hole cut in the corner.
Pipe about 2 teaspoons white chocolate–
espresso ganache into indentation of
each cookie. Repeat with remaining
ganache. —CLAUDIA FLEMING
MAKE AHEAD Cookie dough can be chilled
up to 3 days. Ganache can be chilled
overnight before whipping. Assembled
cookies can be chilled up to overnight.
Lemon Chiffon Pie with Saltine
Cracker Crust
PHOTO P. 95
ACTIVE 1 HR 25 MIN; TOTAL 4 HR
SERVES 8This pie’s tart and fluffy filling pairs per-
fectly with the lightly salty, extra-crispy
cracker crust, a throwback to Depression-
era baking that leaned on making the
most of less-expensive ingredients. To
create the voluminous filling, be sure to
whip the egg whites to stiff peaks; if
they’re too soft, the filling will be dense
instead of airy.SALTINE CRUST
8 oz. saltine crackers (2 sleeves),
crushed (about 3 cups)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (8 oz.), cut into
pieces, at room temperature
LEMON CHIFFON FILLING
1 / 4 cup cold water
1 (^1 / 4 -oz.) envelope unflavored gelatin4 large eggs, separated, at room
temperature
11 / 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
11 / 2 tsp. grated lemon zest plus^1 / 2 cup
fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)
3 / 4 tsp. kosher salt
1 / 2 cup heavy cream
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
1 / 2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)- Make the saltine crust: Preheat oven
to 350°F. Stir together crackers and sugar
in a medium bowl. Add butter; knead with
your hands until mixture holds together.
Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch
deep-dish pie pan. Chill 15 minutes. Bake
in preheated oven until lightly browned,
about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on
a wire rack, about 1 hour. - Make the lemon chiffon filling: Stir
together^1 / 4 cup cold water and gelatin in a
small bowl; let stand until softened, about
5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks
with an electric mixer on high speed until
thick and lemon-colored, about 1 minute
and 30 seconds. Transfer to a medium
saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar, lemon zest
and juice, and salt; stir until smooth.
Cook mixture over low, stirring constantly
using a rubber spatula and scraping down
sides of pan constantly, until mixture is
thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. (Do not let
eggs scramble. If mixture becomes too
hot, temporarily remove pan from heat,
stirring constantly, until slightly cooled.)
Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture,
and stir until dissolved. Let cool, stirring
occasionally, 1 hour. Transfer to a large
bowl; set aside. - Beat heavy cream with an electric
mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form,
about 45 seconds. Set aside. - Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with
an electric mixer on medium speed until
foamy, about 20 seconds. Gradually beat
in remaining^1 / 2 cup sugar. Increase mixer
speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form,
about 3 minutes. - Whisk about 1 cup egg white mixture
into cooled lemon mixture. Add half of
the remaining egg white mixture and half
of the whipped cream to lemon mixture;
using a spatula, fold in until almost com-
bined. Add remaining egg white mixture
and whipped cream; fold in until just com-
bined. Spoon into crust. Chill until set,
about 1 hour. - If desired, beat cream with an electric
mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form,
about 45 seconds; dollop over chilled pie.
Garnish with lemon slices. —KELLY FIELDS
MAKE AHEAD Ungarnished pie may be
loosely tented with aluminum foil and
stored in refrigerator up to 3 days.
Thumbprint Cookies with White
Chocolate–Espresso Ganache
ACTIVE 40 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30 MIN, PLUS 4
HR CHILLING
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN COOKIES
These melt-in-your-mouth cookies from
the recipe book of Fleming’s mother owe
their texture to a surprise ingredient—
cornstarch—which makes them tender
without being too dry. The espresso-
infused, buttercream-like filling is light in
texture but conveniently stable thanks to
the white chocolate.
COOKIES
11 / 3 cups all-purpose flour (about 5^3 / 4
oz.)
2 / 3 cup cornstarch (about 3 oz.)
1 / 2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter (8 oz.),
softened
1 / 2 cup powdered sugar (about 2 oz.)
3 / 4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup walnut halves (about 3^1 / 2 oz.),
toasted and finely chopped (about
(^3) / 4 cup)
WHITE CHOCOLATE–ESPRESSO GANACHE
6 oz. white chocolate, roughly
chopped (about 1^1 / 4 cups)
1 cup heavy cream, divided
2 Tbsp. ground espresso beans (such
as Illy Ground Espresso Classico
Classic Roast)
11 /^2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 / 4 tsp. kosher salt
- Make the cookies: Sift together flour,
cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl;
set aside. Beat butter in the bowl of a
stand mixer fitted with the paddle attach-
ment on medium-low speed until smooth,
about 1 minute. Gradually beat in pow-
dered sugar. Increase mixer speed to
medium-high; beat until smooth and light
in texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in
vanilla. With mixer running on low speed,
gradually add flour mixture, beating until
dough just starts to clump together,
about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides
of bowl as needed. Add walnuts, and beat
on low speed until incorporated, about 10
seconds. Cover bowl, and chill at least 4
hours or up to 3 days. - Meanwhile, make the white
chocolate–espresso ganache: Place
white chocolate in a medium-size heat-
proof bowl; set aside. Heat^3 / 4 cup heavy
cream and espresso in a small saucepan
over medium-low, stirring occasionally,
until mixture bubbles around edge of pan,
4 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat; let
espresso steep 10 minutes. Pour mixture
through a fine wire-mesh strainer into
a bowl; discard solids. Wipe saucepan