There is a Lemon Fairy who visits my office. True. And she is such a sweetie! To my huge delight, often when I arrive at work, I find little golden Lemon Fairy gifts left next to my keyboard. And sometimes, the Lemon Fairy leaves a BIG bowlful of lemons in the tea room with a note saying 'Please help yourself'! The Lemon Fairy's tree must be lush and splendid, for I am told that it is sooooooooo heavily laden with fruit, that a branch actually broke clean off (due to the weight of the lemons) and tumbled to the ground. Oh, to have such a bounty in my own kitchen garden.
It seems as though it has been forever that I have wanted my own lemon tree and I'm happy to report that now, almost a lifetime on, I do. In fact I have three! Peter and I picked out a sweet dwarf lemon (and a dwarf lime, too) at the nursery at Pialligo last weekend and have planted them in terracotta pots. Autumn is apparently the 'ideal time' for planting citrus and we have chosen sunny spots as their homes, so here's hoping they both fare well.
This recipe, adapted from Indulgence - stylish food at home (Murdoch Books), is a celebration of my little lemon tree and my sheer love of passionfruit. Passionfruit and lemons are two of the fruits that I always keep in my kitchen and I quite often reach for a lemon when cooking. A splash of lemon adds another dimension of flavour to sweet and savoury dishes alike. The citric acid in lemons helps other fruit and vegetables to keep their colour when exposed to the air and is also useful to preserve the colour of fruit when making jam. This is not to mention that the pectin in lemons is beneficial when making jams and sauces. Forgive me for asking, and I really don't mean to sound risqué, but do you have any Fairies in your office? And what of your lemon tree, if you have one. Do you have any lemony secrets to share? LEMON AND PASSIONFRUIT CUSTARDS 4 free range egg yolks 1/4 cup caster sugar 1/3 cup low fat milk 1/3 cup pouring cream seeds and pulp from one or two passionfruit 50mls lemon juice First, preheat your oven to 140 degrees C. Whisk the combined egg yolks and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the milk and the cream. Add the fresh passionfruit pulp and juice, and the lemon juice. Pour equal quantities of the custard mixture into little ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and pour in water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custards for around 30 minutes, then remove them from the baking tray and set aside to cool on a wire rack. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Serves 2-4. LEMON CAT'S TONGUE BISCUITS 60g cultured unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup caster sugar 1/2 teaspoon very finely chopped lemon zest 4 egg whites 65g plain flour Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Combine the (soft) butter, caster sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Cream together with a wooden spoon. Beat by hand until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the egg whites. Then whisk in the flour and mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and, using a 1cm plain piping nozzle, pipe 8cm long strips shaped like cat's tongues onto the baking paper. Make sure you allow room between each one to allow the biscuits to spread as they bake. Bake for about 7-8 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Dust the biscuits with icing sugar and serve with the custards. (This quantity makes plenty). Lemon Langues des Chats or Lemon Cat's Tongues
Now, make the Lemon Cat's Tongue biscuits...
Et voilà!
Tell me dear readers, do you love lemons too?
Lizzy
21/4/2012 11:05:55 am
Lisa, thank you! You are up very early... with baby BBB? 21/4/2012 07:26:04 am
Your photos are exceptional - lovely recipe too.
Lizzy
21/4/2012 11:06:14 am
Wow, Mandy, thank you! 21/4/2012 11:00:18 am
Good morning Lizzy. The lemon fairy sounds very special...we all need more fairies like that in our lives! Good luck with your citrus trees. This recipe looks beautiful, as always. I am immediately hungry :)
Lizzy
21/4/2012 11:06:57 am
Good morning Jane, we do indeed! Thank you for your good wishes. The little citrus trees certainly won't be neglected, we love them already! 21/4/2012 11:17:40 am
Yum! I think I'm the dessert fairy at my husband's work. They got most of the macarons from the hop!
Lizzy
21/4/2012 11:23:28 am
LOL, that would make your husband a very popular guy... good plan. If you are a fairy, you are a very special person!
Lizzy
21/4/2012 12:24:30 pm
Jen, thank you... my Lemon Fairy is a very special person! xo 21/4/2012 01:01:56 pm
Beautiful photos Lizzy, the yellow is so cheering!! Great to see some more passionfruit inspiration. Yum!!
Lizzy
21/4/2012 03:35:26 pm
Thanks so much, Mrs M. I am very touched by your kind compliment. I just adore passionfruit! 21/4/2012 04:51:26 pm
Lizzy, what a beautiful looking recipe. I want a plate of it right now! I also want a lemon fairy who also doubles up as a smoke salmon fairy. And maybe a shoe fairy, too :)
Lizzy
21/4/2012 05:21:40 pm
Come over Christina! LOL, re the shoe fairy and the smoked salmon fairy. I am with you! 21/4/2012 06:12:40 pm
So glad you joined the hop! The custards and biscuits both sound delightful, and I'm quite envious of your lemon fairy! :)
Lizzy
21/4/2012 06:36:05 pm
Hi there, thank you Laura! I love the Lemon Fairy!
InTolerant Chef
21/4/2012 08:20:50 pm
Lovely combination indeed! Luscious lemonyness :)
Lizzy
21/4/2012 08:53:38 pm
Yummy, indeed... especially with the passionfruit! 22/4/2012 05:25:13 am
I wish I had a lemon fairy!!
Lizzy
22/4/2012 08:13:35 am
Thank you... I think EVERYONE should have a lemon fairy!
Lizzy
22/4/2012 10:03:48 pm
LOL, too funny. I love the yellows too, so bright and happy. The flower is a Chinese lantern, one of my favourite potted plants.
Lizzy
23/4/2012 08:07:22 am
Hiya... oh, you are so fortunate! There are lots of lemony ideas on my web site and also this blog hop. Happy cooking! Thank you for your kind words!
Lizzy
23/4/2012 09:06:46 pm
Wow, thanks Erica! Oooooh, a quince fairy! I wonder if your quince fairy and my lemon fairy are related?! Thanks for visiting!
Lizzy
24/4/2012 12:37:09 pm
Moya, thank you. I hope you will try these. Soooooooo yummy! Comments are closed.
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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