PUCKER UP!
Make the most of seasonal citrus with Abigail Donnelly’s bite-sized lemon tarts, queen of puddings, zingy hotcakes and three kinds of curd.
When life gives you lemons, limes, naartjies and more – it’s time for some comfort baking. Abigail Donnelly uses her favourite seasonal citrus to make three kinds of curd, lamingtons, tartlets and a classic nursery pudding
ZEST, RIND OR PEEL?
What’s the difference between zest, rind and peel? And does it matter?
The terms zest and rind are sometimes used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. The zest is the thin, coloured outer layer of the skin, which is usually used in cakes as it contains the flavourful oils. Use a Microplane or zester, but if you don’t have those, a paring knife or vegetable peeler can be used to cut strips off the fruit. Simply slice thinly, then chop. The rind is the zest and a bit of the bitter pith and is used for when something slightly sturdier is required, such as for a stew or fruit compote. Use a vegetable peeler to cut off a strip, and then remove the pith. The peel – the whole outer layer, including the pith – is mostly used in marmalades.
CANDIED CITRUS ZEST
Prepare the citrus zest by cutting big pieces of rind off the fruit; you can use lemons, ClemenGolds, naartjies or oranges. Remove the pith as it’s bitter and won’t dry out well. Make a 1:1 sugar syrup, bring to a boil and add the rind. Cook in the simmering syrup until slightly translucent, about 15 minutes. Remove from the syrup and allow to cool, toss in caster sugar, place on a lined baking tray and dry in the oven at 100°C for about 2 hours, or until chewy. Chop and use to decorate cakes or dip in chocolate and serve with coffee. It will keep for up to a month, covered, in the fridge.
THREE-INGREDIENT LEMON TARTLETS
Makes 12
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 5 minutes Baking: 25 minutes
Woolworths frozen puff pastry 2 x 250 g sheets, thawed condensed milk 1 x 385 g can lemon juice 4T icing sugar, for dusting
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut each pastry sheet into 6 rounds of about
7 cm in diameter. 2 Place the rounds on a baking tray and bake for 15–25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 3 While the pastry is baking, mix the condensed milk and lemon juice, then chill until the puff pastry is cool. 4 Use a spoon to gently push down the puff pastry and fill with the condensed milk. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
FRAGRANT BAKED CUSTARD
Serves 2 to 4
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 5 minutes Baking: 20 minutes
free-range eggs 3 cream 2 cups caster sugar 60 g mace 3 pieces vanilla pod 1, split
ClemenGold peel 2 x 5 cm pieces freshly grated nutmeg, for serving
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C. Beat the eggs with the cream and caster sugar. Add the mace, vanilla and ClemenGold peel. 2 Pour into a small baking dish; we used two medium-sized bowls. Bake in a deep baking tray filled with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the bowls for 15–20 minutes, or until set. WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE
LEMON QUEEN OF PUDDINGS WITH BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE
Serves 6 to 8
EASY
GREAT VALUE Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes
For the pudding: hot milk 21⁄ 3 cups butter 25 g caster sugar 50 g free-range egg yolks 3 lemon 1, zested lime 1, zested fresh breadcrumbs 25 g marmalade 3T
For the meringue: free-range egg whites 3 cream of tartar ¼t brown sugar 65 g vanilla paste 1t
1 To make the pudding, preheat the oven to 170°C. Whisk together the milk, butter and caster sugar. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and slowly add the milk mixture to the yolks, whisking continuously. Add the lemon and lime zest. 2 Place the breadcrumbs in a medium-sized pudding bowl, we used a 25 x 15 cm oval dish. Pour the custard over the breadcrumbs and bake for 10 minutes, or until almost set.
3 While the pudding is baking, prepare the meringue. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy, then gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold in the vanilla paste. 4 When the custard comes out of the oven, gently spread the marmalade on the top, then cover with the meringue and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, or until the meringue is slightly caramelised. Allow to cool slightly and serve.
Cook’s note: Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. Freeze leftover sliced bread to make the breadcrumbs for the pudding.
LEMON CURD
Makes 1 small jar
EASY
Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes
free-range egg yolks 4 sugar 130 g lemon 1, zested lemon juice 1⁄3 cup salt a pinch butter 90 g
1 Place 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. 2 Using a bowl large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water, whisk together all the ingredients except the butter. 3 Place the bowl over the water and cook until the curd has thickened, stirring with a spatula. The curd should coat the back of a spoon. 4 Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. 5 Chill before serving.
Cook's note: The curd can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. Place a piece of clingwrap or baking paper directly onto the surface. Any process that requires egg yolks will form a dry layer on the surface in the fridge and should be covered to avoid this. Freeze the egg whites for later use.
WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE
DAIRY-FREE LEMON CURD
Makes 1 small jar
EASY
Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes
free-range egg yolks 5 sugar 150 g lemon 1, zested lemon juice 1⁄3 cup salt a pinch
1 Place 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. 2 Using a bowl large enough to fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water, whisk together all the ingredients. 3 Place the bowl over the water and cook until the curd has thickened, stirring with a spatula. The curd should coat the back of a spoon. 4 Chill before serving.
DAIRY-FREE, WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE
Freeze leftover bread to make breadcrumbs for the pudding base”
SMART SWAP
Use almond or oat milk to replace the coconut cream. To jazz up the pudding, pour the mixture into a greased pudding dish and make a batch of the queen of pudding’s meringue topping (see p 82). Spoon the meringue over the sago with some marmalade or apricot jam and bake until the meringue is set
POACHED GRAPEFRUIT
Peel 4 grapefruit, and tear into pieces or separate into segments. Bring 100 g sugar, 1½ cups verjuice or water, a squeeze of lime juice, 1 lime leaf and a squeeze of vanilla paste or the seeds of 1 vanilla pod to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the grapefruit and simmer for 20–30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft. Serve with the baked custard or Woolworths’ double-thick cream.