Lemon mascarpone cake (with wheat free option)

 Ingredients:

For the cake

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup plain flour OR 2/3 cup rye flour
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) mascarpone cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice (make sure you keep 1 teaspoon of juice for the frosting!)

 For the frosting

• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grease an 8 inch round tin. Line if you can be bothered and lightly dust with flour (wheat-free if you're doing that version!)

Beat together oil, sugar, mascarpone cheese, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until completely smooth. Next, beat in the flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb and salt and stir until no lumps remain.

Pour mixture into tin and bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until golden, risen, and just starting to pull away from the edge of the tin. Check if it's done with cake tester - should come out clean! Cool in the tin at first, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, whip together mascarpone, icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth and thick. Spread over the cold cake.

Baked chocolatey ricotta cheesecake

For the base:

175g crunchy cocoa biscuits, anything with a classic biscuit consistency will do.
80g butter

Crush the biscuits (in a bag, with a rolling pin, or in a food processor) until fairly fine crumbs with some larger bits.  Cut the butter up and melt it in a bain-marie or microwave. Add the butter to the biscuits (in a bowl!) and use a spoon to combine thoroughly.

Butter your cheesecake tin (20 cm springform tin) thoroughly and line with greaseproof paper (on the bottom will do). Put the butter-biscuit mixture in the bottom of the tin and press down until it forms an even and compact covering over the whole base of the tin, about 1cm deep. Use the back of a spoon or your knuckles to press it down.

Put it in the fridge for 30 mins while you prepare the filling.

For the filling: 

120g dark chocolate, 50% cocoa
250g ricotta
250g greek yoghurt
3 eggs (if very big, use 2)
100g granulated sugar
35g cocoa powder
optional: grated rind of one lemon
cocoa for dusting the top of the cake

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bain-marie or microwave. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, and whisk the yolks with the sugar. Separately, whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks.
Turn out the ricotta into a large bowl and cream it for a moment or two using a wooden spoon (add the grated rind of one lemon at this stage if you like!), then add the yoghurt gradually, followed by the egg yolks/sugar mixture, the melted chocolate and finally the whipped egg whites.

Pour the mixture into the tin, in which you have already prepared the biscuit base. Smooth the top, and bake in the centre of the oven at 160°C for about 50 minutes.

When done, remove and leave to cool in the tin. When it is lukewarm, place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

When chilled, remove from the tin, dust with cocoa powder and serve, or if you like first decorate it with petals made of white chocolate and lemon slices, as below...



On a piece of greaseproof paper, sketch out petal shapes with a pencil.
Break up 75g white chocolate and melt in bain-marie or microwave. Using a spoon, fill in the petal shapes you've drawn on the paper with white chocolate. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the fridge to harden up (at least 30 minutes).

Meanwhile cut the lemon into slim slices and simmer for 10 minutes in a pan with 100 ml water and 100g granulated sugar. Remove the lemon slices and cool them on a piece of greaseproof paper.

Place one of the lemon slices on top of the cake. Around it, arrange the white chocolate petals.If you like, outline them with a little dark chocolate sauce or melted dark chocolate.


Serve the remaining lemon slices together with the cake, if you like.



Keep the cake in the fridge :-)

Lemony oaty syrupy biscuits

• 175 g butter 
• 2 tbsp golden syrup   
• grated rind of half a lemon (optional) 
• 175 g self-raising flour
• 75 g porridge oats
• 175 g granulated sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease 2 large baking trays.

2. Put the butter and golden syrup into a pan, with the lemon rind if desired, and heat over a low heat, stirring until all melted and combined.



3. Take pan off heat and add the flour, oats, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Stir, if necessary also knead with your hands, until you have a smooth dough. 
 
4. Turn out onto a clean surface and form into about 28 small balls, about 2cm thick.

5. Place the balls on the baking trays, well apart from each other as they spread significantly. Press the tops to flatten slightly.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and using a pallet knife vel sim., transfer to a cooling rack. 

Elderflower champagne

Ingredients:

2 Heads of fresh young elderflower (maybe a few more?)
2 lbs white sugar
2 lemons, rind and juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 gallon of cold water

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl or basin (not made of metal).
2. Allow to stand for 24 hours
3. Strain and bottle in clean (or sterile) strong bottles suited to high pressure fizz.
4. Label the bottles and leave for at least two weeks before serving.

Elderflowers appear in early to mid May. The champagne should be ready to serve with strawberries in June.

Lemon Curd

For this recipe you will need a microwave oven (conventionally it is done in a double boiler saucepan).

Makes about three jars.

Ingredients:

1 lb sugar
4 eggs
4 lemons
8 oz butter

Method:

1. Find a large mixing bowl, made of glass, plastic or china (not metal).
2. Put the pat of butter in the mixing bowl and warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it.
3. Add the grated rind and juice of the lemons to the bowl.
4. Add the sugar.
   
5. Put the bowl in the microwave again and heat it for a minute or two till it's all runny. Stir it.
   
6. Add the eggs and beat the mixture with a hand whisk (or a fork would probably do okay) until it's all smooth and a consistent colour and consistency all through.
7. Microwave for 30 seconds on full power. Remove and whisk the mixture again.
8. Repeat step 7 for as many times as required (about 7-8 times) until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. It must not boil. Use medium power for the last one or two sessions if you are anxious about going too far.
9. Pot into warm glass jam jars, and screw on the lids while it is still hot (or use the traditional wax paper and cellophane jam covers).
10. Use within about 4 weeks. May need to be refrigerated after opening depending on how fast you eat it.
    

Whole lemon pudding

Ingredients:

1 lb plain flour
8 oz shredded suet
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 egg mixed with milk (or plain cold water)
1 lemon
4 oz Demerara sugar
pinch of grated nutmeg
pinch of ground allspice
1/2 tbsp of cold butter, cut into bits (not obvious how you measure this in tablespoons mind you).

Method:

1. Grease a large pudding basin before you get your hands in the flour.
2. Put a large saucepan of water on to heat.
   
3. Tip the flour gently into a mixing bowl and add the suet. Grate a bit of the lemon rind into this, and add 3 teaspoons of the sugar. Mix these ingredients with a knife and then add the liquid (egg and milk, or water). Add enough liquid to mix to a soft dough with the knife and/or your hands.
4. Put the blob of dough into the pudding basin and dig a hole in the middle of it. Continue to dig it out and pull it up the sides of the basin until you have a big cavity in the middle of the dough.
5. Into the hole, place the lemon (cut in quarters), the rest of the sugar, the spices and the butter.
6. Close up the hole by dragging the sides together and make sure it all seals across the top with no cracks or holes.
7. Put a lid on the basin or tie it up with greaseproof paper and string.
8. Put the basin in the pan of water (water should come two thirds up the basin) and boil over a low heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
9. Lift the pudding basin out of the pan, remove the lid and turn the pudding out onto a serving plate (use a dish with sides, e.g. a flan dish because the juice will flow out when you cut it).
10. Serve with custard, lemon sauce, golden syrup or cream.
    

Lemon squares

Ingredients:
8oz plain flour
2oz icing sugar
1/4tsp salt
6oz cold butter or margarine
1tsp cold water

For the lemon layer:
4 eggs
1lb caster sugar
1oz plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1tsp grated lemon rind
2 floz fresh lemon juice
icing sugar, for sprinkling

1. Rub butter into flour, icing sugar and salt until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and toss until starting to sort-of form a ball.
2. Tip mixture into a lined and greased 13"x9" baking tin and press down evenly.
3. Bake at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 15-20 mins until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, caster sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon rind and juice. Use of electric mixer advised.
5. Pour the lemon mixture over the baked base. Return to the oven and bake for 25 mins.
6. Remove from oven, allow to cool, sprinkle with icing sugar and cut into squares with a sharp knife before serving.

Makes 12 large squares, or more smaller ones. Quite convincing as a pudding as well as at tea time.

Kentish apple tart

Ingredients:

6 oz shortcrust pastry
2 large cooking apples
3 oz sugar
1 egg
2 oz softened butter
rind and juice of one lemon

1. Line a pie plate with the pastry. (We use the pyrex pie plate or a small flan dish)
2. Peel the apples
3. Grate the flesh of the apples into a basin (it's best to leave the apples whole for grating: don't quarter them).
4. Add the sugar, beaten egg, butter, lemon rind and juice and mix well.
5. Put this mixture into the pastry case.
6. Bake at 375ºF, 190ºC, gas mark 5, Fan oven about 170º, for circa 35 minutes.
   

Lemon squash

1 orange
3 lemons
3 pints of water
4 lbs sugar (or less?)
2 oz (50g) citric acid (or less)
1 oz (25g) tartaric acid (or less)

1. Put the sugar and salts in a large plastic bowl
2. Pour boiling water onto the sugar and salts
3. Stir till dissolved.
4. Grate the rind of the fruits.
5. Squeeze the fruits and add the juice to the bowl
6. Leave overnight.
7. Strain into a jug and pour into bottles using a funnel

Ordinary bottles will do, but make sure they are well cleaned. Screw the tops on.

Use as squash, diluting with water. It keeps well.

Elderflower Wine

2 heads of elderflower
2 lbs white sugar
2 lemons, rind and juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 gallon cold water (8 pints)

1. Put all the ingredients into a large plastic bowl or bucket and allow to stand for 24 hours.
2. Strain the liquid into a jug and pour into the bottles, using a funnel if you have one.
3. Bottle in strong bottles (bottles designed to hold pressurised liquids, e.g glass cider bottles. The tops must be sturdy as well as the bottles). Tighten the caps again before putting away for storage.
4. Leave for 2 weeks at least. If the bottles stay airtight this will be drinkable for at least a year, probably many years later.

Luscious lemon flavoured cream

Three dessertspoonfuls of creme fraiche (about half a pot)
Juice of half a lemon
three teaspoons of sugar

Mix all together energetically.
Pour over strawberries or raspberries, or generally serve it with anything that needs cream, or chill to make ice cream.

Beetroot in citrus sauce

Ingredients:

about 2 lbs beetroot (no tops required)
water to cover
1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
1 lemon, rind and juice
1 orange, rind and juice
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 oz butter

NB items 1 to 4 of the method should be done a bit in advance, or you can reheat beetroot that is already boiled and ready from another day.

1. Scrub the beets carefully (we want to use some of the cooking water, so we don't want dirt in it).
2. Put them in a pan and cover them with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for about 45 minutes to an hour until tender.
3. Drain off the liquid into a jug (we need about half a pint of this: the rest can go).
4. Allow the beetroot to cool a bit, then peel them and slice them thinly.
5. Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste in a jug, with a little of the cooled beetroot stock.
   
6. Add further stock to make the sauce up to half a pint.
7. Add the lemon rind and juice and orange rind and juice to the jug and mix well. Turn it into a large pan and heat gently over a low heat, stirring all the time until it thickens.
8. Add the salt, sugar and ground cloves to the sauce.
9. Add the butter and beat it in well with a wooden spoon.
10. Heat the sauce to piping hot. Then add the beetroot and continue over the heat until the beetroot is thoroughly hot through.
11. Serve hot as a vegetable accompaniment to strong dark meat or other winter meals, and with red wine.
    

It goes well with Christmas dinner or on Boxing Day.

lemon sorbet

1.5 pints of water
12 oz sugar
rind and juice of 4 lemons
2 egg whites

1. Pare thins strips of the lemon peel off, just the yellow surface, not down to the white. Add them to a pan containing the water. NB It's not clear to me whether it's better to squeeze the lemons first or later.
   
2. Add the sugar to the pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Boil rapidly for about five minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
5. Squeeze the juice from the lemons. Add it to the cooled syrup.
6. Strain the syrup into a suitable freezing box.
   
7. Add the egg whites (just as they are, not beaten).
8. Gently break up the egg whites with a fork to disperse them.
9. Place uncovered in the fast freeze section of the freezer.
   
10. About two or three hours later, check to see if it is mushy. Don't be too impatient: it needs to be really almost frozen.
11. Decant the mush into a large basin (chill this in the fridge first, especially in warm weather).
12. Whisk it until it's all white and frothy. In my view a hand rotary whisk may be better than an electric one.
    
13. Spoon the froth back into the ice cream box (you may need two), put on the lid and place it in the freezer. It will be ready in an hour or two.

This makes more than two litres in my experience.