Citrus Recipes

Here are Geoff Jansz’s suggestions for using up surplus citrus from your backyard trees to make cordials and syrups, marmalade, a cake or a delicious lemon curd.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

• 500g (1lb) sugar
• 125g (4oz) butter
• 4 eggs rind and juice of 4 lemons

Method:

1. Wash the lemons thoroughly and cut off any scabs.
2. Grate only the yellow parts of the lemon rind (avoid the white part as it is bitter).
3. Juice the lemons and strain the juice to use immediately. Beat eggs a little. Hint: for a finer curd just use the yolks.
4. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and cook slowly until thick and smooth for about 15 minutes. Hint: Do not use an aluminium or cast iron saucepan because the acid from the lemons will react with those metals. Instead use stainless steel, enamel or one with a non-stick surface.
5. Pour into hot sterilised jars (see tips on how to sterilise jars below) and cover when cold. Store in the refrigerator and it will keep for months.

Uses:

Lemon curd can be eaten on toast or biscuits or used to fill small tarts.

Orange Marmalade

For this recipe Geoff recommends Seville oranges, which are the traditional marmalade oranges, however any orange or combination of citrus can be used. Seville oranges are available at fresh fruit markets or your greengrocer during winter. Note: This recipe makes over 5 litres of marmalade. If you don’t have a pan that holds more than 5 litres you will need to divide the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 12 oranges
• 4 lemons, juiced
• 3.75 litres water
• 4kg sugar

Method:

1. Wash fruit and cut in half lengthways.
2. Remove the seeds and cut each half into thin slices, using a very sharp knife.
3. Put the fruit into a bowl, add water and lemon juice and let stand overnight.
4. The next day put the fruit and water into a large saucepan. Hint:Do not use an aluminium or cast iron saucepan because the acid from the lemons will react with those metals. Instead use stainless steel, enamel or one with a non-stick surface.
5. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 40 minutes.
6. Put the sugar into a baking dish and place in a moderate oven for seven minutes.
7. Add sugar to the fruit mixture and stir until the sugar dissolves.
8. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly uncovered for 45 to 55 minutes.
9. After 40 minutes start testing jam to see if it is set.
10. Spoon a small amount on to a cold saucer and put it in the refrigerator for two to three minutes. If the marmalade wrinkles then it is set.
11. Remove saucepan from heat while testing the marmalade and skim scum from the top. Let it cool slightly to allow the fruit to settle.
12. Spoon marmalade into sterilised jar and seal. Makes approximately 5.25 litres. This will fill about 22 medium sized (235g) vegemite jars or 14 (375g) peanut butter jars or 16 (325g) salsa jars.

Sterilising jars

To sterilise the preserving jars wash them in soapy water. Then rinse in hot clean water. Put the glass jars into an oven at 120°C for 20 minutes.

Grapefruit juice

Ingredients:

• Grapefruits (yellow or pink) chopped mint leaves crushed ice

Method:

1. Juice the grapefruits and add some chopped mint for flavour.
2. Pour over crushed ice. The juice will keep for a few days in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer.

More Recipes

Here are some more of Geoff’s suggestions for citrus cooking to use up any surplus citrus crop.

Orange Citrus Cake

Geoff used Navel oranges which are seedless, but you could substitute any citrus fruit, to make this moist citrus cake.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 oranges
• 1 cup almond meal, also known as ground almonds (available in supermarkets)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup rice flour
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar

For the syrup: 

• juice and finely grated rind from 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 170°C.
2. Remove the seeds from your fruit, as they can give your cake a bitter tang. With the skin intact, roughly chop two oranges and using a blender, reduce them into a paste.
3. Combine the dry cake ingredients of almond meal, baking powder and rice flour.
4. Whisk the eggs together with the caster sugar for about three minutes, or until it is white and fluffy.
5. Combine dry cake ingredients, egg and caster sugar mix and orange paste.
6. Stir gently but thoroughly. Line a cake tin with baking paper, lightly greased with a little melted butter.Geoff prefers spring form cake tins, but any cake tin will suffice.
7. Tip in cake mix, and cook in the oven for 45 minutes at 170°C.
8. To make the syrup, combine sugar, orange juice and orange rind over heat.
9. Allow to boil for about three minutes.
10. Remove cake from oven at the conclusion of cooking time, and pour the syrup over the cake. 
11. Allow 15 minutes for it to absorb. Serve with a dollop of thickened cream.

Lime cordial

You need lime juice, lime zest, sugar and water and an enamel saucepan. Zest is the coloured skin of the lime (not the white pith, which can be bitter). To get the zest use a fine grater or a zester (available at kitchenware shops).

Ingredients: 

• Juice of 10 West Indian limes or five Tahiti limes (approx. 1/4 cup)
• Zest of 10 West Indian limes or five Tahiti limes
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint (finely chopped)

Method:

1. In an enamel saucepan or pot heat water and sugar adding half the quantity of zest.
2. Boil for eight minutes.
3. Add lime juice to bring liquid up to 1 1/4 cups and vinegar.
4. Bring back to the boil and boil for 15 minutes.
5. Add the remainder of the lime zest and freshly chopped mint. Switch off heat and allow to infuse for three minutes.
6. Strain and allow to cool.

Lime cordial keeps in the fridge for about a week. Dilute at the rate of 1 part cordial to 5 parts water. Serve with slices of lime and ice.

Orange syrup

Ingredients: 

• 12 – 15 oranges (you will need enough oranges to make 1 litre of juice)
• 1 cup of sugar zest of two oranges

Method:

1. Squeeze enough oranges to make 1 litre of juice. Freshly squeezed or ange juice must be used straight away otherwise it will lose its flavour. Hint: Roll oranges on the bench a few times to make them easier to juice.
2. Strain the juice into a saucepan and reduce over a medium heat to quarter of the original amount (about 250mL).
3. Add one cup of sugar and the zest of two oranges. Hint: To prevent zest from being caught in the grater, wrap grater in baking paper and grate oranges over it. Remove paper and scrape off zest.
4. Stir and simmer for a further two minutes over medium heat.
5. After the liquid has cooled, strain and pour syrup into a sterilised bottle. Note: To sterilise, wash bottle in hot soapy water and dry in an oven at 120°C for 20 minutes.
6. Store syrup in fridge for up to three months (bottles must be properly sterilised for syrup to keep – see hints on sterilising bottles below).

Uses

Orange syrup can be folded through cream or ice-cream, used as a syrup for cakes, added to melted butter to make a great sauce for crepes, mixed through scones or bread, mixed with soda water to make soft drink, added to salad dressings or added to gravy to make a sauce for Duck a l’Orange.

Homemade Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 5 lemons (Geoff recommends the ‘Meyer’ variety)
• 125g sugar
• 625ml water
• 2 litres soda water

Method:

1. Wash lemons well.
2. Grate or finely chop the peel (or zest) from two lemons (do not use the white pith).
3. Juice the zested lemons along with the remaining lemons. Hint:Popping the lemons in the microwave for 30 seconds (until they are just warm to the touch) or rolling them around on the bench with your hand will release the juice making the lemons easier to squeeze.
4. Place the zest and juice into an enamel saucepan. Add water and bring to the boil. Stir in sugar. This forms the syrup, which can be used right away or stored in the fridge for two to three weeks.
5. To make the lemonade dilute the syrup with about two litres of soda water (or to taste). Decorate with slices of fresh lemon and chill with ice blocks.

Storing lemons

The easiest way to store lemons is to store them as juice. Simply cut each lemon in half and squeeze on a regular lemon juicer, pour the juice into an ice-cube tray and freeze. The frozen blocks can then be stored in the freezer in a plastic bag and used as required in drinks or cooking. Limes can also be juiced, frozen and stored in this way.

Further information

Geoff Jansz has released a series of cooking videos available from Myers/Grace Bros, Target and Sanity stores throughout Australia. Alternatively contact Visual Entertainment Group direct on 1800 035 665. RRP. $29.95.