Design*Sponge’s “In The Kitchen With…”

I was so excited when Kristina Gill of Design Sponge asked me if I’d be interested in creating and photographing a recipe for “In The Kitchen With…”. “Of course!”, I said. It is one of the sections that I always look forward to visiting.

I was thinking of flavors for the recipe and lemons, and lemonade in particular, kept coming to mind. I thought it had to be something refreshing for the summer heat. And then, I remembered the photo of Claire Clarke’s “lemon meringue” in one of my favorite pastry books “Indulge”. I went with different components, but kept a similar look.

I started out with a lemon and almond paste sponge, topped with layers of lemon cream, buttermilk panna cotta and topped with baked meringue sticks. So refreshing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

You can see the full article, photos and recipes here. Thank you Kristina!


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61 Responses to “Design*Sponge’s “In The Kitchen With…””

  1. idu says:

    Bikaina Aran!
    Izugarri gustatzen zait kolorren konbinazioa. Eta limoi usaiana, ez delako iristen..baina antzeman egiten da argazkia ikusita bakarrik

  2. Oh my god…this is beautiful. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a. a pastry chef as talented and b. a photographer that can make food look this delicious. It looks absolutely scrumptious. I’m actually going to try to make it this weekend. ( I don’t expect it to look this good though!) Wish me luck.

  3. Liska says:

    I just want to say that you’re so beautiful that someone should write a novel about you :) About a beautiful girl who loves to create beautiful things. Joanne Harris should think about that idea!

  4. cindy* says:

    congrats aran! i love this, so bright and so you!

  5. K.Line says:

    This is awesome food styling. I feel like I’ve been sucked into a magazine shoot! I want to make these… What a great talent you are.

  6. fresh365 says:

    Just visited you over there! This looks amazing- as usual!

  7. Hilda says:

    It’s incredibly gorgeous Aran, and I just love the pairing of the little light purple flowers with it. I haven’t bought Indulge but now you’ve convinced me I just have to.

  8. Seanna Lea says:

    Congratulations! I really want to try the panna cotta, though I’ll have to use the powdered gelatin I have on hand. It looks divine!

  9. Zerogluten says:

    Sigo pensando que eres la mejor. No me extraña que te inviten a participar en todo. Yo también lo haría, ya lo sabes.
    Además de una magnífica pastelera, siempre brindas tu ayuda y eso me encanta.
    Gracias por tu blog, tus recetas y tus respuestas.
    Tus fotos, envidiables, como siempre.
    Besitos sin gluten

  10. Qué belleza. Tienes el blog de mis sueños.

  11. oh this is so nice! damn you are such a celebrity now :p hehe. and the photo of you on the other site, ahh thats the first photo i think ive seen of you! i guess it’s true that only beautiful people can make beautiful things. hehe.

  12. these photos are just so lovely aran! your work is just breathtaking!

  13. Gorgeous as usual. You must have awesome lighting in your kitchen / dining room to take such great bright and airy shots. Love them all!

  14. Amazing! What incredibly beautiful creations and pictures!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  15. Vanille says:

    Beautiful and so fresh !
    Great contribution to D*S !

  16. That looks sooo delicious Aran, just stopped by Design sponge too! Good Job!! Someday I hope I get atleast 1% as talented as you are :)

  17. veggie belly says:

    wow! this is amazingly beautiful!

  18. Doreen says:

    WOW, so pretty! I always wished I had a talent to photograph my food in such a sofisticated way. Beautiful!

  19. Ana says:

    I just found your blog via Design Sponge and I’m really impressed with your photos and your recipes. I’m adding it to my favourites! Ana :)

  20. Everything looks very pretty!Amazing photos!

  21. ~Celeste~ says:

    so summery and pretty! lovely!

  22. Aran i’ve seen it and read it word by word! congrats! it turned out perfect and its such a beautiful arrangement!

  23. Jen Yu says:

    Oh, how subtle and tantalizing at the same time! Love that combination of flavors and textures. Especially like your colors in this set. Great job and congrats!

  24. Pinky says:

    Your pictures are always beautiful. And today they combine my favorite flavor (lemon) and a colour scheme I adore. Lilac and lemon with touches of pink and green is what I plan on decorating my future bakery with, and this is so close to being exactly what I have in mind.
    Your creativity is always inspiring. Thank you.

  25. Aran says:

    Thanks everyone. Glad you liked it!

  26. I love that section of Design*Sponge, too. This looks absolutely amazing. So fresh and light. Beautiful work. :)

  27. I thought I woke up in heaven Aran. What a way to begin my day. Gorgeous as ever & a treat to the senses!♥

  28. Dajda says:

    I love the delicate colours, your photos are beautiful.

  29. Julie says:

    A refreshing sight during these hot months!

    I liked Indulge–it has my favorite blondie recipe in it.

  30. ibb says:

    Zorionak Aran, ni ere handik agertzen naiz, eta irakurle asko dituela zihur nago.
    Zorionak!!

    Eta argazkiak ere freskagarriak dira soilik ere ikusita.

  31. ChichaJo says:

    This looks gorgeous as always! Can’t wait to read your profile over at Design Sponge!

  32. morgana says:

    Qué maravilla, Aran. Todo transmite un frescor de lo más agradable. Sobre todo con los 40 grados que están cayendo por estos lares.

    Un abrazo y mi más sincera enhorabuena una vez más por tu trabajo.

  33. Esti says:

    me encanta la foto de los limones!!

  34. Laura says:

    lovely- I am wondering if you cut the meringues before or after (or during) baking? And also, how far in advance can the separate components be made? Will the curd last a day or two in the fridge? and the panna cotta- will it be okay overnight in the freezer?

    Thanks in advance!

  35. This looks incredible…thank you for posting! :)

  36. su says:

    precioso! tiene una pinta de muerte!

  37. Aran says:

    Laura- good questions. the meringues i broke into pieces after baked. i piped long sticks, baked them and then broke them. the panna cotta and cake can be frozen wrapped in plastic wrap for up to a month, but the lemon curd must be used after made because it has gelatin. If you let it sit in the fridge in a bowl, it will set and then will not be as easy to spread evenly. you might be able to spread it but it will look smoother if you build the cake once the curd is made.

    Thank you!

  38. leni says:

    they look delicious!

  39. Lylah Ledner says:

    I’ve been on a baking with lemons kick the past week. Made French lemon tarts that – if is say so myself – to die for. So, these look awesome and as soon as I get back home – I must make them!

    Great post! Lylah

  40. Another amazing post! And Congrats with “In The Kitchen With…”. I will be following!

  41. Tracey says:

    Amazing photos! It all sounds soooo good!!

    :) T

  42. Elizabeth says:

    Stunning! Baked meringue sticks, that sounds very interesting. Lemon is so refreshing during the summer and this sounds light and lovely.

  43. The sliced lemons are shockingly beautiful!! What amazing pictures! Congrats on Design Sponge, another blog we love! -Chris Ann & Kristin

  44. Oh I’m thrilled – I just purchased Indulge (hasn’t gotten here yet), so I’m glad you’re such a fan of it. Can’t wait to try something from it!

  45. just saw this you rock start you…i am so happy for and proud of you!!!!

  46. Anis says:

    hi Aran, i gave your recipe a try and it turned out fantastic the flavours, textures and most of all the the almond and lemon sponge is just pure bliss maybe beacause of the use the almondpaste great idea by the way thanks a lot for this sharing !!! in order to get a better finishing I’d like to ask you if you freeze the meringue stick before cutting them and do you cut them with a hot knife because mine scrambled while cutting them even though they were well cooked and again THANK YOU great job!

  47. Aran says:

    Anis- Never freeze meringue as the humidity and moisture of the freezer will make it to turn soggy. To cut it use a serrated knife or simply break it with your hands. I like the effect that creates too. Thanks!

  48. Melvin says:

    This is beautiful…
    Amazing always!!!
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  49. Vince says:

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    that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

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  50. Smarry says:

    I am so exciting with your blog…….. thanks for the sharing…….. keep going ahead……….

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  51. kanishk says:

    I feel like I’ve been sucked into a magazine shoot.
    wagyu beef

  52. michael says:

    Thanks for sharing with us this great recipe! I asked my wife to cook this for me and it turned out to be a wonderful cake for our dessert. It also goes well with our coffee during breakfast. Thanks again!

  53. Term Papers says:

    I asked my wife to cook this for me and it turned out to be a wonderful cake for our dessert. It also goes well with our coffee during breakfas

  54. Apron says:

    What ca I say on this except MARVELOUS.

  55. Jessjess says:

    I’m really interested in making this, but was wondering how to adapt the recipe from sheet gelatin to powdered gelatin? Or if there is a reliable online source you purchase sheet gelatin? I can’t seem to find it :(

  56. Jessjess- I like using gelatin sheets better and I usually get them online from L’Epicerie. http://www.lepicerie.com/customer/product.php?productid=121900&cat=0&page=1

    Hope you like it!

  57. Kerry says:

    Your work is fantastic, I love your blog! I was just wandering I want to make this cake and also the creme fraiche and plum mousse cake, but will they melt quickly if left out? How long do you think they would be ok for? Thanks :)

  58. Kerry- That all depends on how hot it is outside. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out in the sun for sure. I think a couple of hours at room temperature (around 75F) will be ok. Also depends how thin you cut the slices. If they are very thin, they tend to fall easier.

    Hope that helps!

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