I've had a "doh!" moment. My grandma's Italian Cookies are lemon flavored with lemon frosting. The cookies are much more cakey than you are describing, but the frosting is similar to what you've described--it gets hard on the surface but is creamy underneath. funny thing is, I have no amounts for the frosting ingredients, so I wing it every year (I make them at Christmas). I blend a T or two of soft butter with cups and cups of powdered sugar and give it a dash of lemon extract for flavor. Then stir in a few T of milk to get it to spreading consitency. Not quite to glaze thiness, but I dip the tops and you want it thin enough to smooth itself without dripping off the cookie(told you I wing it!) I wonder if it would be a brighter lemon flavor with fresh juice--or if that would sour the milk? I need to experiment more...I really need to take a trip to Arlington this weekend...LOL btw, heres a pic of my Christmas cookies and the Italian Cookies are the pink and green frosted ones, so you can see how it is smooth.

PASSOVER BROWNIES 8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet bar chocolate, chopped 1/2 C canola oil 1 C sugar 1/4 t salt 3 large eggs 3/4 C matzo cake meal Melt chocolate and oil together in medium saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temp. By hand, use wooden spoon to stir sugar and salt into chocolate mixture until combined. Beat eggs until foamy, then add to chocolate mixture and stir until totally incorporated. Add cake meal and gently stir 2-3 minutes. Batter will be thick. Let rest for 5 minutes, to soften up cake meal. Line 8" baking pan with foil, grease foil. Stir batter briefly, then spread into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, do not overbake. Cool on wire rack in pan. Passover-friendly Chocolate Mousse Cake (JM Hirsch NYT 3-29-06) Serves 10 Nonstick cooking spray (I used a little margarine) 1 T ground almonds, plus more for the pan 10 ½ oz. dark chocolate (I used semi-sweet) 1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter (I used margarine) 1 ½ c sugar pinch of salt 5 large eggs confectioners sugar (optional, even when it isnt Pesach!) Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray or grease an 8- or 9-inch spring form pan, then dust it with ground almonds, shaking off any excess. [Dont worry if some of the almond "dust" gets on the top of the cake it looks really good that way.] In a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter, sugar, and salt, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and 1 T ground almonds. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate and stir until thickened, several minutes (I put it on a lowish speed on the mixer and left it there 10 minutes). Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 45 minutes, or until the top is set and begins to crack. Remove the side of the pan and let the cake cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar if desired. MATZOH BAKLAVA 6 sheets matzoh For syrup 2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 teaspoon rose water For assembly 1 cup walnuts, chopped 1 cup shelled raw unsalted natural pistachios, chopped 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted margarine or butter, melted Briefly pass each sheet of matzoh under cold running water until wet on all sides. Layer sheets between damp paper towels and let stand until somewhat pliable but not soggy or falling apart, about 2 hours. While matzoh is softening, make syrup In small saucepan over moderately high heat, stir together 1 cup water and sugar. Bring to boil, then lower heat to moderate and cook, uncovered, until syrupy and thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, honey, and rose water and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool, then chill until ready to use. Assemble dessert Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir together walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Separate out 1/6 of nut mixture and reserve for topping cooked baklava. Transfer 1 sheet matzoh to counter. Press rolling pin once over sheet from one end to other to flatten. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Transfer to 8-inch-square pan and brush with melted margarine. Sprinkle with 1/5 of unreserved nut mixture. Roll out second sheet of matzoh and transfer to pan. Brush with margarine and sprinkle with nut mixture. Repeat with remaining matzoh sheets and remaining nut mixture, ending with matzoh sheet brushed with margarine on top. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and immediately pour chilled syrup over. Sprinkle with reserved nut mixture. Let cool, then cover and let stand at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. (Do not chill.) Cut into small squares or diamonds and serve. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Epicurious March 2007 Chef Einat Admony (Adapted by Nancy Davidson) Restaurant Taim Double Citrus Sponge Cake This moist perfect for passover cake is subtly flavored with lemon and orange peel. The cake is especially light and fluffy because egg whites and yolks are beaten separately, then folded together. 1 cup unsalted matzoh meal 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar 9 large eggs, separated 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange peel 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar (optional) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In food processor or blender, grind matzoh meal with salt and 2 tablespoons sugar until very fine (consistency will resemble flour). In large bowl,, with mixer at high speed, beat egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar until thick and lemon colored and mixture forms ribbons when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. Beat in lemon and orange peels. Fold in matzoh meal mixture until well blended. Set yolk mixture aside (mixture will stiffen upon standing). Wash and dry beaters. In another large bowl, with clean beaters and with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually sprinkle in remaining 2/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until sugar has dissolved and whites stand in stiff peaks when beaters are lifted. Do not overbeat. With rubber spatula, stire about 1/4 of beaten whites into yolk mixture to loosen. Fold in remaining whites, 1/3 at a time, just until blended. spoon batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan with removable bottom. With metal spatula, cut though batter to break large air bubbles. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched with fingers, 40 minutes. Invert cake in pan on metal funnel or bottle; cool completely in pan. Run thin knife around cake to loosen from side and center tube of pan; lift tube to separate cake from Pan side. Invert cake onto cake plate, slide knife under cake to separate from bottom of pan. Remove cake from pan and if you like, sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Passover Banana Almond Torte (recipezaar) 12 servings 1¾ hours 40 min prep 7 large eggs, separated, at room temperature 1-1/3 cups sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon fresh grated orange rind 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups) 1 cup matzo cake meal 1 cup coarsely grated blanched almonds 1 pinch salt 1. Set oven rack at middle of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until thick and pale, add sugar gradually, beating. Beat until very thick. 3. Beat in lemon juice and rind. Add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT egg whites). Beat until combined well. 4. In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks. 5. Stir 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into the banana mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly. 6. Pour into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan (3 ½ inches deep) with a removable bottom. Bake about 55 to 60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 7. Invert pan onto a bottle neck, let torte cool upside down. 8. Run a knife around edge of pan; remove side of pan. Run a knife under bottom of torte to release it. 9. Transfer carefully with two spatulas to a serving plate. Matzo Crêpes Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups whole milk 1 1/3 cups matzo meal 4 large eggs 1/4 cup vegetable oil plus additional for brushing skillet Blend milk, matzo meal, eggs, oil, and salt in a blender until smooth. Let batter stand 30 minutes. Stir batter before using. Lightly brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet with oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Holding skillet off heat, pour in 1/3 cup batter, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Return skillet to heat and cook crêpe until top is set and edge and bottom are golden, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and loosen edge of crêpe with a flexible heatproof spatula. Quickly invert skillet over a plate to release crêpe. Make 11 more crêpes in same manner, brushing skillet lightly with oil for each and stacking crêpes on plate as cooked.

Here you go! Date Pinwheels -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baker's Catalogue editor P.J. Hamel reports that this is her all-time favorite Christmas cookie. She writes: "My own memories include the soft brown dough, the dates bubbling on the stove, the tricky process of rolling the filling inside the dough, and the magical way the refrigerator would make the sticky mass solid and sliceable. And the taste! Waiting till just the right moment, the cookies hot out of the oven but the filling cool enough not to burn, my sister and I would greedily eat date pinwheels till Mom made us stop. No, date pinwheels aren't beautiful; in fact, they're usually kind of plain-looking, the spiral of dates often a bit out of whack. But these homely little gems strike just the right note on my Christmas cookie spread. "Remember to share this recipe with a younger friend; it's up to all of us to pass along this type of old and trusted recipe to the next generation of bakers." Dough 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter 2 cups (15 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar, packed 3 large eggs 4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Filling* 1 3/4 cups (9 1/4 ounces) chopped dates 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar 3/4 cup (6 ounces) water 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) finely diced pecans or walnuts *Though this filling is easy enough to make, if you want to use purchased date (or fig) filling, go ahead. You'll need about 2 cups (24 ounces) of filling. Dough: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Chill the dough till it's firm enough to roll out, at least 1 hour. Filling: While the dough is chilling, make the filling. In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the dates, sugar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and boil the dates gently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened to about the consistency of very soft jam. Stir in the finely diced nuts, and set aside. Assembly: Divide the dough in half; each half will weigh about 21 ounces. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into a 9" x 12", 1/4"-thick rectangle. Spread half the filling (about 11 ounces) over the entire surface of the dough; the filling is sticky and stiff, but if you keep wetting your fingers, you can push and spread it around without too much trouble. Roll the dough up, lengthwise, to make a log. It's somewhat delicate, but a baker's bench knife or spatula helps the job along. Wrap each log in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for several hours, or overnight. If you have a double baguette pan, slip the wrapped dough into the wells to help preserve their round shape. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and if it's flattened out at all roll it till it's round again; the log may lengthen a bit, and that's OK. Cut the log into 1/3" slices, and place the slices 1 1/2" apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Baking: Bake the cookies for 10 to 11 minutes, or until they're a very light brown, reversing the baking sheets (top to bottom, and front to back) midway through the baking time. Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Yield: about 8 dozen pinwheels. ©2007 The King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Until the UK joined what was then the EEC and had greater exposure to/from the rest of Europe, it had in the minds of many the WORST food in Europe. Unless bland, greasy, overcooked food is your thing. Standard advice back in the 70s and 80s for finding restaurants in London was to go to Soho and look for a Chinese or Indian place or other foreign food and avoid local restaurants at all costs. I give the English credit for creating trifle (which isn't all that different from strawberry shortcake and many pastry concoctions common on the Continent) but not for execution. Same for the other areas of Britain. Food there has improved from the few decades of foreign influence but the local traditions are still hideous. Unless local favorites like jellied eel, steak and kidney (yes real kidneys) pie, haggis or baked beans on toast, among others, are your idea of good food. Have you ever heard this one: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Heaven: The Cooks Are French, The Policemen Are English, The Mechanics Are German, The Lovers Are Italian And The Bankers Are Swiss. In Hell: The Cooks Are English, The Policemen Are German, The Mechanics Are French, The Lovers Are Swiss And The Bankers Are Italian. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Friends don't let friends use most English or British recipes and also not most food products.