TANGY CITRUS FRUITS are in season and offer a welcome burst of sunshine when the mercury plummets, writes TRISH DESEINE
How fortunate it is that after the Great Carb Overload of Christmas, citrus fruits have their high season in January! The vibrantly coloured, vitamin-filled reservoirs of sunshine appear so refreshing after weeks of rich food. Their versatile blend of sweetness, acidity and bitterness make them wonderful enhancers of pretty much any dish, and more often than not I find myself reaching for a lemon or lime to squeeze or grate as I’m doing a final adjustment or seasoning. In my kitchen, they are almost as important as salt and pepper, with only pomegranate molasses moving into their territory when I need some high-powered sourness.
Preserved lemons give me both lemony flavour and a little spike of pickle. My almost-finished jars of marmalade are often emptied into marinades for pork and duck or roast root vegetables and onions. A spoonful of bitter marmalade whisked into the cooking juices of any roast game gives a very decent instant sauce. Tired lemons, limes and oranges find themselves sliced beside garlic cloves and quartered onions with (quite a bit of) butter, thyme and rosemary when I’m roasting pork, poussin or chicken pieces. I really cannot do without them.
Of all the kitchen gadgets I have tried over the years, one of the best investments was a mid-range, easy-to-clean citrus juicer. It allowed me to keep cartons of juices and smoothies out of my fridge (given half a chance, my children would empty over a litre in the morning) and gave my family a proper sense of nourishing. The fresh aroma of cut orange or grapefruit peel and the hum of the machine was a very satisfying and gentle way to wake my kids and get their day off to a good start.
Citrus fruits are at their peak for the next month or so and every year I hope I will be organised enough to make marmalade during the fleeting few weeks Seville oranges are on offer. (Now that I have been invited to join local ICA meetings, I think my time has come to live up to their standards.)
With my marmalade-making endeavours sorted, I love the easy pace of January entertaining. When blood oranges arrive they, teamed with table oranges, are always spectacular with smoked fish or meats and spinach or rocket in a fresh and simple starter.
For many of us, January is a time to readjust after the festive excess and that means salad. But I find chilly days call for warming, wholesome dishes and soups-who-think-they-are-stews. A small sliver of not-so-sweet lemon tart,or a silky little pot of lemon posset are the perfect lip-smacking end to a hearty, one-pot main course.
Tarte au citron
Every year in Paris, an expert panel of writers and patissiers name the capital’s ten best tartes aux citrons. They look for the perfect combination of acidity, sweetness and texture, and a touch of creativity. The filling should be light, unctuous, not too sweet, with a good balance of lemony taste between the peel and juice, and the pastry crumbly, but not too much.
Claire Damon, of Des Gateaux et du Pain, adds olive oil to her filling and olives to the pastry while Jacques Genin includes a touch of basil in the lemon cream. Sebastian Gaudard like to mix yuzu juice to his but Cyril Lignac strays most from tradition, with hazelnuts in the pastry and a thin sheet of white chocolate with shiso leaf as garnish.
As always, I leave the interpretations and variations to the masters, and prefer to keep things simple at home. This recipe is an absolute must-have in any classic repertoire, and a godsend for mid-winter entertaining.
For 6 / 25 minutes preparation / 1 hour cooling / 25 minutes cooking
• 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 125g caster sugar
• 50g unsalted butter
• 4 eggs, beaten
For the pastry
• 250g plain flour
• 100g cold butter
• 25g caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 to 2 tablespoons very cold water
1. Sift the flour into a baking bowl. Dice the butter, drop it into the flour and rub it through with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix through lightly. Mix in the cold water, with the egg yolk loosely beaten in, and gather the pastry crumbs into a ball. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
2. Pre heat the oven to 200°c.
3. Roll the pastry out to fill a 18/20cm tart tin.
4. Put all the filling ingredients except the eggs into a small saucepan. Heat gently, without stirring until the very end to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Leave the mixture to cool down completely.
5. Mix the beaten eggs into the lemon mixture. Pour into the pastry base and bake for ten minutes. Then reduce the heat to 180°c and bake for a further twelve to 15 minutes. The pastry should be golden and the centre of the tart slightly quivering.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of hours before dusting with icing sugar and serving with whipped fresh cream.
@TrishDeseine
This article appeared in a previous issue, for more features like this, don’t miss our February issue, out Thursday February 4.
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