Have you ever tasted a bush lemon?
Fragrant, rough skinned, mishapen and bursting with flavour
they outshine their cultivated cousins by far.
On our recent camping trip we went for a walk along a creek bed near the camp ground.
The children had that kind of delirious fun that kids do best,
hopping from rock to rock,
splashing in puddles,
throwing little stones,
damming up little rapids.
The Little Miss and I, however, were most taken with the Bush Lemon trees.
No photo of the trees -we were having to much fun to think about taking blog photos.
Oh, but those trees! We kept finding them up the creek bank, laden with their sunny fruit.
Leaving the others behind, we decided to fill my crochet bag (so glad I had it on hand, as always) with as many as we could pick.
Ungracefully I scrambled up said tree bank, in fabulous un-lady like style,
subjecting myself to ticks (fortunately one of our companions was a doctor and could get them off for me!), scratches and a snake, in pursuit of the humble Bush Lemon.
The Little Miss stayed below to be the "catcher" and we had some wondrous mother and daughter time harvesting our bounty together.
Back home a pretty lemon, leaf intact was gifted to her teacher,
the rest are on display, filling our living area with their fragrance.
Who can harvest so many lemons and not make a lemon tart?
The favoured desert of our family,
the best way, in my opinion,
to showcase lemon-y-ness (except perhaps for lemon curd, but I may post on that next week).
My lemon tart is adapted from Donna Hay's recipe in her Modern Classics Part 2., adjusted to meet our families taste preference. I am more than sure you have your own favourite.
You will need a portion of short crust pastry (now here is my cheat hint - if time is not on your side, then make sure you have a box of careme vanilla shortcrust in your freezer).
Pop your pastry in a tart tin and blind bake for 10 min. While it is baking, get on with the filling.
You will need 3/4 cup of lemon juice, 3/4 cup of thin creme, 1 cup caster sugar and 3 eggs.
Mix the lemon and sugar in a steel bowl (or copper if you are blessed with one) over a pot of simmering water until sugar dissolves.
Mix your cream and eggs together then whisk into your lemon mixture in a constant stream, whisking continuously for about 5 min.
You should now have a luxurious, glossy lemon curd, which coats the back of a spoon.
Pour the curd into your blind baked tart shell (no need to wait for it to cool),
then pop it all back in the oven to set, which will take about 15 - 20 min in a moderate oven.
Serve warm with thick cream or ice cream. I always think a good coffee is the perfect accompaniment.
Have you posted a lemon recipe? Leave me a link, I would love to come check it out.
Trace xx
Fragrant, rough skinned, mishapen and bursting with flavour
they outshine their cultivated cousins by far.
On our recent camping trip we went for a walk along a creek bed near the camp ground.
The children had that kind of delirious fun that kids do best,
hopping from rock to rock,
splashing in puddles,
throwing little stones,
damming up little rapids.
The Little Miss and I, however, were most taken with the Bush Lemon trees.
No photo of the trees -we were having to much fun to think about taking blog photos.
Oh, but those trees! We kept finding them up the creek bank, laden with their sunny fruit.
Leaving the others behind, we decided to fill my crochet bag (so glad I had it on hand, as always) with as many as we could pick.
Ungracefully I scrambled up said tree bank, in fabulous un-lady like style,
subjecting myself to ticks (fortunately one of our companions was a doctor and could get them off for me!), scratches and a snake, in pursuit of the humble Bush Lemon.
The Little Miss stayed below to be the "catcher" and we had some wondrous mother and daughter time harvesting our bounty together.
Back home a pretty lemon, leaf intact was gifted to her teacher,
the rest are on display, filling our living area with their fragrance.
Who can harvest so many lemons and not make a lemon tart?
The favoured desert of our family,
the best way, in my opinion,
to showcase lemon-y-ness (except perhaps for lemon curd, but I may post on that next week).
My lemon tart is adapted from Donna Hay's recipe in her Modern Classics Part 2., adjusted to meet our families taste preference. I am more than sure you have your own favourite.
You will need a portion of short crust pastry (now here is my cheat hint - if time is not on your side, then make sure you have a box of careme vanilla shortcrust in your freezer).
Pop your pastry in a tart tin and blind bake for 10 min. While it is baking, get on with the filling.
You will need 3/4 cup of lemon juice, 3/4 cup of thin creme, 1 cup caster sugar and 3 eggs.
Mix the lemon and sugar in a steel bowl (or copper if you are blessed with one) over a pot of simmering water until sugar dissolves.
Mix your cream and eggs together then whisk into your lemon mixture in a constant stream, whisking continuously for about 5 min.
You should now have a luxurious, glossy lemon curd, which coats the back of a spoon.
Pour the curd into your blind baked tart shell (no need to wait for it to cool),
then pop it all back in the oven to set, which will take about 15 - 20 min in a moderate oven.
Serve warm with thick cream or ice cream. I always think a good coffee is the perfect accompaniment.
Have you posted a lemon recipe? Leave me a link, I would love to come check it out.
Trace xx
that sounds delicious. is that the same recipe as your lemon curd? you may have seen my lemon recipes already, but just in case....
ReplyDeletehttp://froggooseandbear.blogspot.com/2010/04/those-lemon-recipes.html
&
http://froggooseandbear.blogspot.com/2010/04/creative-space-with-twist-of-lemon.html
all the best making lovely lemony things that you'll no doubt appreciate all the more from the difficulty in retrieving.
They look awesome. If there is any way you can get your hands on Sophie Gray's 1st book (The Destitute Gourment) then you can put any lemon curd you make to very tasty use. Best lemony recipe ever! Loving your blog!
ReplyDeleteYour lemon tart looks, dare I say it ... good enough to eat!! Hope you enjoyed a big piece and maybe even seconds.
ReplyDeletewhat gorgeous, lemony fresh photos those are!
ReplyDeleteand to brave the ticks...they must be wonderful 'bush' lemons well worth it! yikes!
your tart looks wonderful!
i want some with my tea!
come by for a spot with me!
ciao bella
happy tuesday!
creative carmelina
That tart looks delicious, but I think I like the fun you had gathering them the best!
ReplyDeleteOoooh! my mouth has gone all funny with the mention of lemon so many times! You know when you imagine eating one and your throat waters and you go all squirmy? Thats me right now.
ReplyDeleteThat tart looks divine. Shame I only have one lonely lemon here...and that will probably just be used for a cough remedy later tonight.
Thanks for visiting me.
P.S. I find it hard to take good sized shots of my quilts and because they arent finished its even more soul destroying, x
That sounds divine. I will be sure to give it a try when I get my hands on some lemons. xo m.
ReplyDeleteWe have plenty of bush lemons and love to cook with them. Have tried your recipe twice but both times the lemon curd won't set. Shouldn't I have used a mixer? But have done it by hand instead
ReplyDeleteThanks Menke
Menke, I whisk by hand, and it sets, not sure what is going wrong. Has the mixture thickened before you pour it into the tart shell?
ReplyDelete