The garden at Kamahi has a wonderful lemon tree that
provides fresh fruit all year round.
Here are some of my favourite lemon recipes:
Lemon Silk Tart
Line a round pie or flan dish with baking paper.
Roll out sweet short crust pastry
and line the flan dish.
Prick well and bake in a moderate oven until just cooked but not
yet brown.
Then beat together:
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 3 lemons
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
Pour into the pre-baked pie shell and bake at 175°C until
set and golden (approx 15-20 minutes).
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Lemon Shortbread
250 grams softened butter
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
½ cup corn flour
¾ cups icing sugar
1½ cups flour
Beat together butter, lemon zest, corn flour and icing sugar
until the mixture is very pale and creamy.
Mix in the flour to form a soft dough. Place on a piece of well
floured foil and shape into a log. Chill till firm and cut off
1 cm thick slices. Place on a baking paper lined tray and bake
at 130°C. for 25-30 minutes.
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Divine Lemon Slice
Base:
1¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
125 grams butter
¼ cup castor sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Topping:
3 eggs
1 cup castor sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla essence
Grated zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 3 lemons
¼ cup flour
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place base ingredients in a food processor and process till soft
dough beads form. Turn out and bring together. Press dough into
a baking paper lined 20cm x 30cm baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes
until slightly golden. Meanwhile prepare the topping.
Beat eggs and castor sugar till light and fluffy. Fold in grated
zest, lemon juice and flour. Mix well. Pour over hot base and
continue baking at 180°C. for 25 minutes until spongy
and golden. Allow to cool, dust with icing sugar and cut into
slices with a hot knife.
- - - - - -
Lemon Syrup Concentrate
(A favourite refreshing summer drink at Kamahi Cottage)
3 lemons
750 grams sugar
25 grams citric or tartaric acid powder
Boiling water
Place the thinly sliced peel of 1 lemon in a food processor with
2 cups of the sugar and process until sugar is yellow and oily
looking.
Juice all 3 lemons and mix with the lemon sugar.
Add the remaining sugar and citric acid and enough boiling water
to make the volume up to 6 cups (1½ litres) of syrup.
Cool and store in the fridge in a well sealed container.
Serve well diluted with iced water.
- - - - - -
Pasta with a Lemon &
Garlic Dressing
Boil approx 250 grams. dried spaghetti until al dente.
Drain well and immediately mix through the following:
1 clove chopped garlic
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces grated parmesan
Freshly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
(This dressing is also delicious over freshly boiled hot potato
chunks)
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And now a selection of recipes that we've prepared
(and then printed out) for many of our guests:
Ramekin Baked Eggs
(A breakfast
favourite at Kamahi Cottage)
For each serving:
2 thin slices bread
1 large egg
3-4 narrow slices of cheese (cheddar, feta or brie)
2 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Generously brush the base and sides of an oven-proof ramekin (1
cup capacity) with a little melted butter.
Cut a circle of bread to fit the ramekin base. Cut the other slice
into 4 triangles and line the sides with these "sails".
Insert cheese along sides.
Carefully break in the egg.
Combine cream, mustard, salt and black pepper and spoon over the
egg.
Bake 12-15 minutes until golden and cheese has melted.
(Optional: Add chopped herbs such as chives, chervil and parsley
or replace cheese with chopped bacon or smoked salmon pieces.)
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Rustic Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
1 clove finely chopped garlic
1 finely diced large potato
800 grams tinned tomatoes and their juice
1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine
! cup chicken stock
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In large pan gently sauté onion, garlic and potato until
slightly softened. Add tinned tomatoes, wine, stock, basil and
sugar and simmer until soft. Puree to desired consistency. Mix
cold milk and flour till smooth and stir into pureed soup. Simmer
for approximately 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper to
taste.
Serve with a swirl of cream and sprinkle over freshly chopped
parsley or basil.
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Asian style pasta salad
(Delicious hot or served at room temperature)
3 cups spiral pasta
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup soy or canola oil
1 clove very finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon grated green ginger
1 tablespoon honey
Cook pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente.
Drain well and place in large bowl. Immediately pour over soy
sauce, oil, garlic, ginger and honey mixture. Stir gently from
time to time until dressing is absorbed by the hot pasta.
Add any or all of the following:
½ cup chopped cashew nuts
2-3 sliced spring onions
Diced red and yellow capsicum
- - - - - -
Moroccan Chicken with Spiced
Couscous
(A dinner favourite
at Kamahi Cottage)
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon cooking oil
700 grams diced chicken breast or thigh meat
½ cup chopped dried apricots
½ cup chopped dried prunes
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons apricot or plum jam
Chop garlic and fry gently till golden.
Add chicken, dried fruits, spices and jam and stir fry till well
coated and meat is coloured.
Add stock and simmer approximately 30-40 minutes till sauce is
thickened.
Serve with spiced cous cous.
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Spiced Couscous
1½ cups couscous
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups boiling water
1 onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Pour boiling water over couscous, add salt and oil and let stand
till the grains swell and the water is absorbed.
Chop onion finely and fry in a little cooking oil with the spices
until soft.
Fork the onion and spice mix through the couscous.
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Chocolate Fudge and Fruit Slice
150 grams butter
¾ cups sugar
1 egg
70 grams sliced almonds or walnut pieces
½ cup sultanas or raisins
½ cup chopped glace cherries dried cranberries
1½ tablespoons cocoa
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Melt butter and sugar together.
Stir in all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Spread out into a baking paper lined 20cm square tin.
Bake at 180°C. for approximately 20-25 minutes.
Then melt about ¼ cup chocolate and drizzle over the top.
Cut into slices.
- - - - - -
Orange flavoured chocolate
cake
1 ¾ cups flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup freshly brewed strong black coffee
½ cup soya oil
Mix everything in a food processor until very smooth.
Pour into a baking paper lined 23-25 cm tin (or several smaller
tins).
Bake 1-1 1/2 hours at 180°C. till cooked (Test that a skewer
inserted in the centre comes out clean)
Cool and ice when cold.
Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
1-2 tablespoons soft butter
Hot water to mix to a spreadable consistency
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Plum Flan
800 gram tin red plums
200 grams butter
5 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ cup milk
1¾ cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
Line a large flan tin (23 cm) with baking paper and preheat oven
to 180°C.
Cream butter and sugar until pale coloured and fluffy. Beat in
eggs and lemon rind until well combined. Stir in flour and baking
powder with milk and spread over the base of the flan dish.
Drain plums and reserve the juice. Halve plums, remove stones
and place close together over the cake batter. Sprinkle over a
little extra sugar and bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool and remove
from the tin.
Mix reserved plum juice with 2 teaspoons cornflour or arrowroot
and heat gently till slightly thickened.
To serve - dust slices of flan with icing sugar, pour over a little
warm plum syrup and add some freshly whipped cream on the side.
