The Lemon Book - Natural Recipes and Preparations (6 page)

Remove the biscuits from the oven, unstick them from the baking tray and leave them to cool on a wooden chopping board before eating.

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LEMON JAM

500g very fragrant lemons

650g cane sugar

Wash and dry the lemons, grate the zest of half of the lemons and completely peel the other half (remove both pith and zest).

Cut the fruit into pieces and remove the pips.

Lightly squeeze the pieces and pour the juice into a saucepan with the sugar and 4 soup-spoonfuls of water.

Bring to the boil while stirring over a low heat.

Cook for 5 minutes, add the lemon pieces and the grated zest, then cook for a hour.

Pour the boiling jam into glass jars which can be hermetically sealed, close and leave the pots upside-down on the worktop until they have completely cooled.

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LEMON SORBET

3 very juicy lemons

100g cane sugar

250ml whipping cream

Completely dissolve the sugar in the juice of the three lemons.

Pour into a chilled ice-cube tray and place in the freezer for an hour.

Put the resulting ice-cubes in the food processor and mix until it forms a mousse.

Whip the cream in a chilled bowl and fold the mousse into it. Mix well.

Put the mixture in the freezer for an hour.

Mix again in the food processor and put it back in the freezer for 2 hours before serving.

The portions of sorbet can be garnished with mint leaves.

Thrill seekers may like to add a pinch of Espelette pepper or a drop of vodka!

A vegan version of this sorbet can just as easily be made by omitting the cream.

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LEMON TIRAMISU

A fabulous alternative to traditional tiramisu with coffee...

30 sponge fingers

750g mascarpone

2 eggs

3 lemons

1 soup-spoonful of cane sugar

2 soup-spoonfuls of maple syrup

limoncello
(optional)

Beat the egg yolks and 1 soup-spoonful of sugar with an electric whisk, add the grated zest of two lemons and the mascarpone.

Whip the egg whites and fold them delicately into the cream.

Peel the third lemon with a zester and put the zest aside.

Squeeze the lemons and dilute the juice with a little water, sweeten with two soup-spoonfuls of maple syrup or apple syrup, (taste to check for acidity and adjust accordingly).

You can also add a soup-spoonful of Limoncello  if you wish to give the tiramisu a more pronounced taste.

Soak the biscuits in the juice and use them to line a cake dish. Spread a layer of cream on the biscuits, add a second layer of soaked biscuits and finish off with the cream.

Decorate with the lemon zest and keep in the fridge for at least two hours before serving.

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DRINKS

LEMON-FLAVOURED WATER WITH MINT

A delicious and refreshing summery drink.

3 or 4 good-quality lemons

a large bunch of mint

organic, sugar-free apple syrup

Wash the lemons and cut them into 1cm-thick slices.

Pile the slices into a glass carafe, alternating with sprigs of mint.

Add cold, pure water in which a soup-spoonful of apple syrup has been diluted.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then enjoy!

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AUNT ANNA'S LIMONCELLO RECIPE

This Italian-style digestive liqueur can be served throughout the year. My aunt's recipe:

5 good-quality lemons

500ml distilled alcohol

500g sugar

Peel the lemons with a peeler or zester, without removing the pith.

Put the zest in a large glass jar, cover with alcohol and leave to macerate for a week. Shake the jar from time to time.

Prepare sugar syrup: put 500g of sugar in half a litre of water, boil it up and turn off the heat when the syrup is transparent. Leave to cool.

Strain the macerated alcohol, mix with the syrup, and it's ready!

Alex's tip: Why not retrieve the zest, cut it into julienne strips and keep it in a small glass jar in the fridge for future cakes and desserts.

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“CREME DE CITRON”

A sweet and creamy version of limoncello...

5 good-quality lemons

500ml distilled alcohol

1kg sugar

1l organic full UHT milk

1 vanilla pod (or a few drops of organic vanilla extract)

In the same way as for the limoncello, peel the lemons with a zester, without removing the pith.

Put the zest in a large glass jar, cover with alcohol, close and leave to macerate for a week. Shake the bottle from time to time.

In a saucepan, boil 1l of UHT milk with 1kg of sugar and a vanilla pod.

When the sugar has completely dissolved, turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Remove the vanilla pod, mix with the strained macerate and bottle.

Keep refrigerated and serve cold.

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CURIOSITIES

In the eighteenth century, Casanova advised his lovers to place half a squeezed lemon inside their vagina. The acidic lemon juice was supposed to act as a spermicide and the half-lemon to act as a physical barrier to the spermatozoa... the ancestor of the modern diaphragm was born (warning, effectiveness not guaranteed!!).

In Cuba, shamans stick pins in lemons while reciting magic formulas for their powerful love spells.

Lemon juice can work as invisible ink: write with a quill on a sheet of paper, then warm the paper with the flame of a candle (but not too close) to see the writing appear.

The only property lacking in lemons is any aphrodisiac power: according to popular tradition, the prospective husband should avoid drinking lemon juice on his wedding day. It was supposed to impair his sexual performance (which has yet to be proven...!).

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CONTACT

You can find me:

on my French blog:
www.petitsmenusbio.com

on my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petits-Menus-Bio/282217251898063

on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/PetitsMenusBio

on Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/petitsmenusbio/pins

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Legal Deposit November 2012