Whiskey Sours : A Classic Citrus Recipe.

Whiskey Sours, they ain't fancy, but that's a big part of its appeal. Because at the end of a long day you don't always feel like challenging your palate, or even thinking very much. You just want a nice, tasty beverage thats easy to drink and helps you dissolve all the stress of the world away and start relaxing. Time for a Whiskey Sour - the comfortable T-shirt of drinks.

The true sour is a study in simplicity - Whiskey, Sugar, Citrus. Lemon is most common for the latter, but juice with any kind of noticeable acidity will work well (i prefer Lime juice). Traditional sours usually call for an egg white, an ingredient that adds a light, frothy, textural element to the cocktail.
If you want to jazz it up a bit, you can play around with the variety of Whiskey. I have made a couple of Whiskey Sours with Laphroaig, a heavily peated single malt from Islay which was pretty sublime. 

Whiskey Sour

60ml Whiskey

45ml Simple Syrup (1:1 ratio sugar:water)

30ml Lemon juice

1 Egg White

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker and dry shake until well combined, at least 10 seconds.
2. Add ice to your shaker and shake again as normal.
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

How to make Lemon Curd.

There's something about Lemon Curd that makes it so luscious, so delicious. Its a magical mixture of tart Lemonyness, sweet Sugar & creamy Egg yolks that makes it like the Chocolate of Citrus lovers, the ultimate for any Citrus Enthusiast. Made by gently cooking a mixture of fresh Lemon juice, Sugar, Butter & Eggs until thickened, its simplicity makes it even more attractive. Lemon Curd is divine on buttered toast, a simple and perfect way to appreciate the curd's cool, satiny texture. It also makes an easy and delicious filling for tarts, cakes & desserts. Its tart Lemon flavour makes it a great ingredient to balance the spiciness or the richness of other ingredients. Pair it with a Scone or slice of Toast and you'll appreciate how Lemon Curd can transform a simple, somewhat homely item into something wonderful.

Lemon Curd Recipe

250ml fresh Lemon juice, finely grated zest.

5 Whole Eggs

500gm Caster Sugar

100gm Butter, cut into small cubes.

1. Put the Lemon zest and juice, the Sugar and the Butter into a heatproof mixing bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and again until all of the butter has melted.
2. Lightly whisk the Eggs and stir them into the Lemon mixture. Whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined, then leave to cook for 10-20mins. Be careful that it doesn’t curdle by making sure the temperature remains constant, and it doesn’t get too hot. Stir regularly until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Remove the Lemon Curd from the heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools. Once cooled, spoon the Lemon Curd into sterilised jars and seal. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. It will keep (refrigerated) for 1 month.
   
   

   

   Photo: Karen Booth

How to make Limoncello.

 

I was browsing the Citrus Growers Forum the other day and came across a post about making your own Limoncello. I had always thought that Limoncello must be a closely guarded secret kept by old, weathered Italian grandfathers. Well, it turns out all you need to make truly amazing Limoncello are some good Lemons, a bottle of Vodka, and Time.
It has taken me far too long to realise how delicious, and how astoundingly easy, it is to make your own Limoncello, and with Lemons currently being in season it is perfect timing to be using them.
I first came across it in Melbourne whilst working with some incredibly funny and extremely traditional Italians at Stellini Bar. I remember someone brought in a bottle of viscous yellow liquid which was kept in the freezer and was the best, pulled out of the freezer & poured straight onto ice during those hot Melbourne summers. Limoncello is smooth and sweet with an intense lemon flavor. It can be sipped on its own, mixed into sparkling water, or shaken into cocktails. Limoncello can range from very sweet to super tart and citrusy, as the maker of the limoncello, that's something that you get to decide.

The great thing about Limoncello is how easy it is to make. Its simply infusing lemon peel/zest into vodka. No distilling or secret ingredients required. After letting the peels and vodka mingle for anywhere from a few days to a month, it's strained, mixed with sugar syrup, chilled and just like that, we have Limoncello!

Standard lemons are just fine for making limoncello, though you can also branch out into other citrus fruits like Grapefruits, Oranges, Yuzu or even the mysterious Buddha Hand-Buddhacello!

You only use the lemon zest for this project. I've found this easiest to do with a microplane thats on my grater, but you can also use a vegetable peeler. Just try to get the skin alone and as little pith as possible. With the leftover lemons, you can make a batch of Lemonade or Whiskey Sours.

The alcohol prevents any mould or bacteria from growing on the zest. Once strained, the limoncello can be kept in the freezer for at least a year, and likely much longer. If your limoncello is over a year old, discard it if it tastes off or you see any mold growing in the bottle.

1. Peel the lemons: Use a Microplane or Zester to remove the zest from 15 lemons. Try to remove only the outer yellow skin and as little of the pith as possible.
2. Cover the peels with vodka: Transfer the lemon zest to a 1 litre bottle of Vodka and screw on the lid.
3. Infuse the vodka: Let the vodka and lemon peels infuse somewhere out of the way and out of direct sunlight for about a month. The longer you let the vodka infuse, the more lemony your Limoncello. Most of the lemon flavor is extracted in those first few days, but you'll also get a stronger, bolder flavor the longer you let it sit.
4. Strain the vodka: Line a strainer with a large coffee filter and set it over a big enough vessel. Strain the infused vodka through the filter. You may need to stir the vodka in the strainer if the flow stops.
5. Prepare sugar syrup: Prepare a sugar syrup of  5 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar, bring the water to a boil and stir in the sugar to dissolve; allow to cool. Add desired amount to the infused vodka, taste, and add more simple syrup to taste. You can play with the ratios of water to sugar here, More water will dilute the alcohol base, making a less alcoholic, milder, and smoother-sipping liqueur. More sugar will make a sweeter Limoncello.
6. Bottle the limoncello: Insert the funnel in the neck of one of the bottles and fill with Limoncello.
7. Chill and store: Chill the limoncello in the fridge or freezer for at least 4 hours before drinking. Limoncello can be kept in the fridge for up to a month or the freezer for up to a year (and often much longer!)

  

Pomelos: The President of the Citrus Club.

If you've ever been to the supermarket and seen a giant, soccerball sized citrus then you've probably come across a Pomelo. 
Pomelos, or Citrus maxima, are native to Southeast Asia.  They are the largest of the citrus fruits, and most closely related to grapefruits. They may look intimidatingly large but these oversized fruit are mostly all pith (much thicker pith than other citrus varieties) and once peeled are a much more managable size. 
They have a textured rind ranging in colour from pale green to yellow when ripe with pulpy flesh that's creamy white, bright pink, or somewhere in between. They also have a very thick albedo (rind pith) which needs to be peeled away before eating. Like many of its relatives, pomelos can vary between being filled with seeds, to having very few or no seeds. It is a large citrus fruit, 15–25cm in diameter, usually weighing 1–2kg.
 Pomelos are like a mild version of grapefruit (which is itself believed to be a hybrid of Citrus maxima and the orange) though a pomelo is much larger than the grapefruit. They're sweeter and don't carry that occasional harsh bitter tang. It has very little of the common grapefruit's bitterness, but the enveloping membranous material around the segments is bitter, considered inedible, and thus is usually discarded. 
Next to the interesting flavour, what I like about eating Pomelos is that it feels like an adventure. It takes work to get to the sweet, pulpy flesh. Though once you do, the reward is deeply satisfying and worth every second of your efforts. After removing the thick rind and peeling the membrane from around the segments, pomelos can be eaten out of the hand, tossed into salads or salsa, made into jam, or juiced for a cocktail. You can candy the peel it, or use it to make marmalade. My favourite recipe for Pomelos was inspired by my travels to Cambodia a few years back. Here's the recipe:

Pomelo Salad

1 Polemo.

1 Capsicum.

1 Carrot.

1/2 Cucumber.

50gm Peanuts.

1 small handful of Coriander or Thai Basil

1 Radish.

1/2 Spring Onion or Shallot.

1 small Red Chilli.

50gm Fresh Coconut.

1 Avocado

​

Dressing:

1 Lime, juiced.

2 TBS Fish Sauce.

1 TBS Soy Sauce.

1 tsp Palm Sugar.

1. Peel the Pomelo & remove each segment from its outer membrane. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the Fish sauce with the Lime juice & Sugar. Stir to dissolve the Sugar completely. Set aside.
3. Crush the Peanuts into little pieces.
4. Peel & discard the skin off the Carrots & Cucumber. Then make long strips with the peeler.
5. Using a Mandoline thinly slice the Capsicum, Fresh Coconut & Radishes. Thinly slice the Spring Onion. Finely dice the Chilli.
6. In a large bowl, toss ingredients with the dressing. 
7. Arrange a mound on a plate. Garnish with the Coriander & Peanuts.

This recipe is from my book "Cook & Be Cool" its available as a free ebook here: www.blurb.com/ebooks/476025-cook-be-cool

Meyer Lemons vs. Regular Lemons

In the depths of winter when there's nothing much happening in the garden except mud & rain, there's a bright yellow beacon of flavour. Lemons, just when you need that vitamin C hit. There are many different varieties such as Eureka, Lisbon, Ponderosa, Yen Ben, Lemonade, Villa Franca. But it is Meyer Lemons that are NZ's most popular. But just what is it that makes these lemons so special? And are they really that different from regular lemons?

If you've ever wondered about the difference between Meyer lemons and regular lemons, here's what you need to know.

Regular Lemons

When we talk about regular or common lemons, we're usually referring to Eureka or Lisbon lemons. These are the two most common lemon varieties found in the produce section.

• Appearance - Compared to their Meyer counterparts, regular lemons are noticeably larger in size and pointy-er, with thick, textured, bright, sunny skin, and medium yellow pulp.
• Taste - Regular lemons are highly acidic. They're slightly sweet, but known for a tang that will make your mouth pucker.
• Availability - While there are certain times of year that trees will bear more fruit, regular lemons know no season. You'll find them readily available in the produce section all year long.

Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons were first introduced to the U.S. from China in the early 20th century by Frank Meyer, from whom they also got their name. This sweet(ish) winter citrus is thought to be a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange. And that's what really sets it apart.

• Appearance - Meyer lemons are smaller and more round than regular lemons, with smoother, thin, deep yellow to orange skin, and dark yellow pulp. The skin is more fragile to tears also. The differences are very distinct, especially when you see both varieties side by side.
• Taste - While they're moderately acidic, Meyer lemons don't have the same tang as regular lemons. Instead, they're much sweeter. Their rinds also have a more complex scent than regular lemons — a spicy bergamot fragrance that tastes and smells more herbacious.
• Availability - While regular lemons are readily available all year long, Meyer lemons are more seasonal in the shops. At home on an established tree though, you will seldom be without a lemon as they are prolific croppers. They are also more tolerant of cold than other lemons.

Bearing this in mind i have both inground at home. A Eureka & a Meyer Lemon. The Meyer i have enjoyed many Lemons so far but the Eureka is just fruiting the first time this Winter.