CITRUS SENSATIONS

When life gives you lemons… bake a cake!

SERVES 10-12

I owe the inspiration for this to a Californian institution, the Big Sur Bakery. Use whatever citrus you can find for this recipe, at least three different types is good to get the right pattern.

100g butter, softened

½ cup icing sugar,

plus 1 tbsp extra

1 tsp vanilla extract grated zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup ground almonds

2 heaped tbsp plain flour

1-2 sheets sweet short

crust pastry

Citrus fruits, peeled and sliced thinly – I used mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and orange

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp raw sugar

25g butter

2 tbsp honey, warmed, for

drizzling (optional)

1 Preheat oven to 200oC.

Line a 20cm x 30cm tart tin.

2 In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter, icing sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until smooth. Add the egg and beat until combined. Fold in the almonds and flour, mixing until combined.

3 Roll the pastry to fit the tart tin and press it lightly into the edges. Spread the mixture evenly over the pastry, then fold it over the edges to make a border. Chill the tart base in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4 Use a paring knife to remove the skin and pith of your fruit (see note). Slice into thin rounds and remove any seeds. Arrange the citrus rounds on top of the frangipane, placing them as close together as possible without overlapping. Brush the edges of the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle sugar over the entire tart, going heavy on the crust. Dot the citrus pieces with bits of butter to keep it from drying out.

5 Bake the tart in the lower two-thirds of the oven for

25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Drizzle with honey if using.

6 It’s best served warm, but still darn delicious a day later too!