So I was chatting today with Mum about what recipes she's thinking about. Here's what she said...
“It’s citrus season in Australia at the moment, and my first thought is to make a Lemon Delicious, a kind of self-saucing soufflé. One of the cooks in the hotel I grew up in used to make it for us. I love it because it’s a lovely dessert if you have a heavier meal because it’s very light and you don’t feel full but it has the beautiful tang of the lemons in it.”
Lemon Delicious
“This recipe is from a book called French and Gourmet Cooking which was given to my by a girl I worked with in Sydney as a wedding gift. I double the recipe and make a big pudding in a very large glass soufflé dish because people always want more. A clear glass bowl looks best (make sure it’s tempered) as you can see the separation of the layers. Or you could make individual puddings in ramekins.”
3 eggs separated
6 oz caster sugar (scant cup)
2 tbsp plain flour
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
Pinch of salt
Tbsp of dessicated coconut
Extra sugar (dessert spoon)
½ pint of milk (1 ¼ cups)
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a beater until light and fluffy. Then beat in the flour, milk, lemon rind, juice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites stiffly and whisk in two ounces of extra sugar (to make a meringue-style mix). Fold into the lemon mixture with coconut. Turn mixture into a casserole dish (I prefer a tempered glass soufflé dish) and set into a pan of warm water about half way up the dish. Bake for one hour at 350 fahrenheit (175 celsius). This pudding is delicious served with fresh cream.
Preserved Lemons
“Clean and sterilise jars. Cut lemons into quarters but don’t break the bottom (so it opens out like a petal) and stuff it with rock salt (I like Maldon) and pop into the jar. Squeeze some other lemons and put lemon juice into the quarterized lemon. Down the sides squash sprigs of rosemary, peppercorns, star anise, a clove, thyme, whatever you like. Top up the jar with hot water and seal tightly. Put it into the cupboard to preserve. It will take a good few weeks for all that salt to dissolve. When it’s ready, pull the quarter lemon out and take the pulp out with a spoon and discard that. When it’s ready, put it in the fridge. It should keep for about three months. Then you just shred the preserved lemon skin as you need it. It’s perfect in a chicken tagine, lamb cutlets, Moroccan-style salads, whatever you like.”
Other ideas for lemons:
“I always put a lemon in the cavity of a chicken when roasting. And I squeeze it all over the skin and vegetables to give it more flavour as it roasts.”
“If you ever see lemon myrtle olive oil, buy it. It’s delicious and adds flavour to stir fries, salads, chicken dishes, pasta. It’s beautiful.”
“And don’t forget a slice of lemon in your daily gin & tonic!”
Her last comment reminds me of a tea towel I saw on Etsy last year. A great motto for life, really.
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