Governor’s Mansion Recipes (Lemon Yogurt Cake, Peach Tea Punch, Wonton Ravioli)

The Governor’s Mansion hit a culinary home run with Laura Bush’s Governor’s Mansion Cowboy Cookies recipe, popularly published in 2000. Other recipes have been published from the administrations of various Texas governors.
 
 
Texas Monthly 
Governor’s Mansion Lemon Yogurt Cake
Cake

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt, whole or lowfat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes, with an electric mixer at high speed. Add egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon extract and beat until thick and pale yellow. In a separate bowl sift the flour, measure again, and sift a second time with baking soda and salt. Stir 1/3 flour mixture into batter. When well incorporated, add half the yogurt. Add half of remaining flour mixture, followed by remaining yogurt. When incorporated, end with remaining flour mixture. Stir until blended and set aside. In a clean bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until glossy. Stir 1/4 cup egg whites into batter. Fold lightened batter into remaining egg whites. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, or until done. Cool cake 15 minutes in pan before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
5 to 6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest, for garnish

Sift powdered sugar into melted butter. Add lemon juice and vanilla and stir until smooth. Add more lemon juice or water to desired consistency. Immediately pour over cooled cake, allowing glaze to drizzle down the side. Garnish with lemon zest. Serves 12 to 16.
 
Southern Living 
Governor’s Mansion Summer Peach Tea Punch
 
Prep: 5 min., Cook: 5 min., Steep: 10 min., Chill: 8 hrs. Fruit juice nectars are blends of fruit puree, water, and cane sugar. You can find them in a variety of flavors in the fruit juice aisle of the supermarket.

4 cups water
3 family-size tea bags
2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1 (33.8-oz.) bottle peach nectar
1 (6-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup Simple Sugar Syrup
1 (1-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled
1 (1-liter) bottle club soda, chilled
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add tea bags and 2 cups mint leaves. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Cover and steep 10 minutes.
2. Remove and discard tea bags and mint. Pour into a 1-gal. container; add peach nectar, lemonade concentrate, and Simple Sugar Syrup. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

3. Pour chilled tea mixture into a punch bowl. Stir in ginger ale and club soda just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes about 1 gal.

Junior League of Austin, Texas
Southern Living, JULY 2006 Austin Entertains

Your Produce Man
Mansion’s Wonton Ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients

- 1 lb. Ground Chicken
- 1 tsp minced Ginger Root
- 1 TBS Sesame Oil
- 1 TBS Cornstarch
- 1 TBS Minced Shallots
- 3 TBS Flour
- cup Heavy Cream
- to taste Salt and Pepper
- 3 ea Carrots (cut into matchsticks)
- 3 ea Zucchini Squash (cut into matchsticks)
- 2 ea Green Onions (minced)
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 TBS Soy Sauce
- 40 ea Wonton Wrappers
- 2 TBS Clarified Butter
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 1 TBS Lemon Juice
- 2 TBS Cooking Oil
- 3 ea Celery Stalks (cut into matchsticks)
- 2 cup Green Sweet Peas

Instructions

To make the Ravioli, combine Chicken, Green Onions, Minced Ginger, Minced Garlic, Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Cornstarch.
Place 1 tsp of mixture in center of each wonton wrapper.
Dip finger in water and moisten sides of wonton. Fold into a triangle and seal outer edges. Moisten the two opposite corners and twist to seal.
Allow wontons to dry for a few minutes on a sheet pan dusted with cornstarch. Cover with a slightly damp cloth.
To make sauce, saute Shallots in clarified butter over low heat for one minute. Blend in flour and cook slowly for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in chicken stock. Return to heat and bring to boil, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat and add heavy cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To cook ravioli, bring a pot of water to a simmer. Drop ravioli gently into water, adding no more than 12 or so at a time. Cook about 6 minutes. Remove gently with a slotted spoon. Keep warm.
While ravioli are cooking, saute vegetables in oil until crisp-tender, adding peas at the very end.
To serve, place sauteed vegetables on each plate, arrange 5 or 6 ravioli on top. Ladle cream sauce over both.
NOTE: This was a favorite of Governor Ann Richards.