Lemons

The lemon tree has faithfully yielded crops year after year. Since the gales and unseasonal long hot spell in the past few months, the fruit have shrunk to half size and look blemished. Most of them are dry and juiceless. It takes 8 lemons to produce the juice of 2.

Lemon Curd

Adapted from Australian Women's Weekly

This delicious tangy curd is made with egg yolks and is a fantastic way to use egg yolks left over from dishes like pavlova, angel cake, macaroons and chiffon sponge. For whole egg curd, check out this recipe.

8 egg yolks

150 g (2/3 c) sugar

2 t lemon rind

135 mL (1/2 c) lemon juice (2 lemons)

80 g (4 T) butter

strip of zest

1. Combine yolks, sugar, rind and juice. Whisk. Add butter and strip of zest

2. Stir over simmering water until thickened. Allow 15-25 minutes.

3. Remove the zest. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Let cool.

4. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

Lemon Meringue Tart

To make 2 dozen tartlets or one 24 cm tart, you need 2 cups of lemon curd. This recipe works well with a good mixer like Ed Charles's (@tomatom) KitchenAid giveaway.

Lemon Curd Filling

2 c lemon curd

Meringue Topping

2 egg white

1 c sugar

1 t lemon juice

1 t cornflour

1. Beat egg white until soft peaks.

2. Gradually add sugar while beating. Beat until glossy and stiff.

3. Beat in lemon juice and cornflour.

Sweet Tart Shell

125 g butter

125 g sugar

1 egg

250 g plain flour

1/2 t baking powder

1. Beat butter, sugar and egg.

2. Add flour and baking powder. Mix to a dough. Do not overwork.

3. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Roll to 2 mm thick.

5. Line greased tart shell with pastry.

6. Prick with a fork.

7. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes until crisp and lightly golden.

Biscuit Tart Shell

This tart shell is an alternative to homemade pastry

185 g Granita, Marie, Nice or equivalent sweet biscuits

90 g butter, melted

1. Mix ingredients.

2. Press into a tart shell and refrigerate.

To Assemble

1. Fill tart shells with lemon curd.

2. Top with meringue.

3. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes until meringue sets and starts to brown.

4. Cool. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Lemon Curd and Yoghurt Ice Cream

A tangy ice cream with a soft, smooth texture. Ingredients yield a small batch. A Panasonic battery operated ice cream machine works well with this quantity.

1 x 200 g thick yoghurt, plain or flavoured (eg. SKI Apple and cinnamon with grains)

150 g lemon curd

2 T sugar, or to taste

pinch of salt

1. Mix everything.

2. Churn in an ice cream machine or pour into shallow tray and stir every half hour while freezing.

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Figs

Bountiful spring and autumn. Time to put autumn figs in preserves till next year's harvest.

Fig paste

For scones and dessert sauces, such as a coulis

1 kg fresh figs

2 c pear juice

1 T pectin (Jamsetta), optional

Blend the figs. Rub the puree through a sieve to remove seeds. In a heavy saucepan, cook the puree in pear juice with the pectin. Simmer of 30 minutes. Reduce as required to thicken. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. When cool, store in the refrigerator.

Caramelized fig paste

For scones, cheese boards and sweet-savoury dishes

1 kg fresh figs

1 c pear juice

Blend the figs. Rub the puree through a sieve to remove seeds. In a heavy saucepan, cook the puree in pear juice, stirring continuously to form a thick caramelised paste. Allow an hour or so. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. When cool, store in the refrigerator.

Fig Pickles

Firm, just about ripe figs

Salt

Sugar, made into bar syrup (1:2 water to sugar, boiled 5 minutes)

Vinegar, boiled and cool

Chilli flakes, optional

Cut figs in half. Sprinkle salt over and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Pack into jars. Pour enough bar syrup to half cover the figs. Top with vinegar. Adjust sweetness. Add chilli flakes. Cover. Leave in the fridge for at least 2 weeks before using.

Fig Tart
Check out Maggie Beer's recipe. Luscious macerated figs on an almond custard (frangipane) baked in rough puff pastry.

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Plums

Plums grow well in Perth. These 2 varieties survived coastal conditions and limey soils.

Santa Rosa
Medium size, crimson red skin, light red flesh. Matures December.

Laroda
Glossy red skin, yellow-red flesh. Matures January. Low to medium chill.




Plum and Grape Conserve

500 g plums
750 g red grapes
850 g sugar
1 T pectin (Jamsetta)
50 mL lemon juice

1. Cut plum and grapes in halves and carefully remove seeds.
2. Place in a shallow saucepan. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Heat gently until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Skim off foam and residual seeds.
4. Boil on medium-high for 20 minutes before testing for gel on an ice cold saucer.
5. When jam gels to your liking, pour into sterilized jars and cover immediately.

Use as a jam or as a base for oriental plum sauce.





Fresh Plum Sauce

1 c fresh grape juice (or orange juice for duck)
2 cm cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 star anise
2 T plum and grape conserve or sugar
1 t Dijon mustard
4 plums, sliced

If pan juices are available, deglaze with grape juice. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes until plums soften. Remove cloves, cinnamon stick and star anise. Serve with pork or duck.

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Grapes

Bumper summer harvest from the garden!

Grape Jam

2.250 kg fresh ripe grapes to yield 1.5 L pulp and juice
1.25 L sugar
2 T pectin (Jamsetta)
100 mL lemon juice

1. Mash the grapes through a sieve. Retrieve the juice, pulp and skins. Remove the seeds.
2. Boil 10 minutes. Skim off foam and residual seeds.
3. Measure volume of grape mixture. Measure equal volume of sugar. Transfer to a wide saucepan.
4. Add pectin and lemon juice. Adjust lemon juice to taste.
5. Boil on medium-high for 20 minutes. Test for gel on ice cold saucer. When ready, the boiling jam looks syrupy with small bubbles 2-3 mm in diameter. Allow up to 40 minutes to gel.
6. Bottle in sterilized jars and cover immediately.

Serve with quality cheeses on crackers.




Grape and Macadamia Clafoutis

160 g grapes, halved and pitted
1 T grape jam
1 t butter, melted for greasing
60 g macadamia nuts, milled
2 eggs, beatened
250 mL cream
50 g (3 T) sugar
1 t cornstarch
icing and ground macadamia for dusting
ice cream for serving

1. Place grapes and jam in a shallow buttered dish.
2. Mix together macadamia nuts, eggs, cream, sugar and cornstarch. Pour into the ramekins.
3. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden brown on the top and custard sets.
4. Dust with icing and macadamia
5. Serve with ice cream.




Baked Custard with Grapes

160 g grapes, halved and pitted
1 T grape jam
1 t butter, melted for greasing
3 eggs, beatened
250 mL milk
300 mL cream
100 g (1/3 c) sugar
2 t cornstarch

1. Place grapes and jam in 4 buttered ramekins.
2. Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar and cornstarch. Pour into the ramekins.
3. Place ramekins in a tray with boiling water half way up.
4. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes until golden brown on the top and custard sets.

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Korean Kim Chi Pickle

Makes 1 litre

1.5 kg chinese cabbage
6 tablespoons salt
6 dried red chillies, crushed, 3 tablespoons
1 knob ginger, minced, 2 tablespoons
3 garlic cloves
6 spring onion
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder (mild chilli from Indian grocers)

Salt the cabbage. Leave for 2 hours to dewater. Rinse well. Soak for 30 minutes in fresh water. Drain well. Pat dry with clean tea towel.

Mix the remaining ingredients. Add to dried cabbage.

Pack into sterilized glass jars.

Leave at room temperature for 2-3 days until sour.

Store in the fridge. Let mature for 2 weeks.

Use within a month.

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