Citrus Garden to Table
Presenter: Melissa King
Episode: 21 (15 September 2007)
Citrus trees have been grown for centuries for their lush foliage, sweetly scented blossom and bountiful supply of fruit. The fruit is high in Vitamin C and the juice, flesh or rind can be used to bring zest to all sorts of dishes.
Citrus are still as appealing today, particularly when clipped into shape, espaliered or grown in giant terracotta pots to bring a Mediterranean air to the garden.
A particularly sweet variety is called Lemonade. It has fruit that look like lemons but they’re sweeter. You can eat them fresh or as the name suggests use them in lemonade. It produces a big crop in mid-winter.
If you are limited for a space there is a particularly good new variety. Called ‘Lots a Lemons’ it is a dwarf form of the Meyer lemon which grows to just 1 to 1.5 metres tall and it gets covered in full-sized fruit so you get a lot out of a little plant. It’s the ideal choice for pots and tiny spaces.
Citron is an unusual type of citrus it is also called Buddha’s hand or fingered citron because the fruit is split into fingers. The fruit doesn’t really have flesh so it’s mainly decorative but it smells sweet, and can be used in fruit bowls in the home to delightfully scent the room.
The Kaffir lime is another great citrus to have in the garden. It does produce knobbly green fruit but it’s the leaves which are harvested. Often used in Asian Dishes (Thai dishes in particular) , the distinctive fragrance and flavour from the leaves is unforgettable.
Citrus trees should be grown in full sun. They will grow in some shade, but if there’s not enough light you’ll find they produce lots of leafy growth and less fruit.
The Recipe
Lemon Tart
You will need a 26cm flat tin.
Pastry:
250g plain flour
150g icing sugar
100g butter
1 large egg
Sift flour and icing sugar, rub in chopped cold butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs, add egg and enough cold water to make firm dough.
Rest for 15 minutes in fridge.
Roll out pastry and line a well greased flat tin.
Blind bake 160 deg c oven for 15 mins. (Definition: Blind bake means to bake a pie crust without a filling.)
Patch any cracks or holes with left over pastry so the lemon filling does not leak out.
Lemon Filling:
7 eggs
Juice of 4 lemons
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 & ½ cup cream
1 & ½ cup castor sugar
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined
Pour in to the pastry case
Bake for 30 mins at 120 deg c or until set
Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Chef Jenny Tagell
Observatory Café
Royal Botanic Gardens
Birdwood Ave
South Yarra Victoria 3141
Episode: 21 (15 September 2007)
Citrus trees have been grown for centuries for their lush foliage, sweetly scented blossom and bountiful supply of fruit. The fruit is high in Vitamin C and the juice, flesh or rind can be used to bring zest to all sorts of dishes.
Citrus are still as appealing today, particularly when clipped into shape, espaliered or grown in giant terracotta pots to bring a Mediterranean air to the garden.
A particularly sweet variety is called Lemonade. It has fruit that look like lemons but they’re sweeter. You can eat them fresh or as the name suggests use them in lemonade. It produces a big crop in mid-winter.
If you are limited for a space there is a particularly good new variety. Called ‘Lots a Lemons’ it is a dwarf form of the Meyer lemon which grows to just 1 to 1.5 metres tall and it gets covered in full-sized fruit so you get a lot out of a little plant. It’s the ideal choice for pots and tiny spaces.
Citron is an unusual type of citrus it is also called Buddha’s hand or fingered citron because the fruit is split into fingers. The fruit doesn’t really have flesh so it’s mainly decorative but it smells sweet, and can be used in fruit bowls in the home to delightfully scent the room.
The Kaffir lime is another great citrus to have in the garden. It does produce knobbly green fruit but it’s the leaves which are harvested. Often used in Asian Dishes (Thai dishes in particular) , the distinctive fragrance and flavour from the leaves is unforgettable.
Citrus trees should be grown in full sun. They will grow in some shade, but if there’s not enough light you’ll find they produce lots of leafy growth and less fruit.
The Recipe
Lemon Tart
You will need a 26cm flat tin.
Pastry:
250g plain flour
150g icing sugar
100g butter
1 large egg
Sift flour and icing sugar, rub in chopped cold butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs, add egg and enough cold water to make firm dough.
Rest for 15 minutes in fridge.
Roll out pastry and line a well greased flat tin.
Blind bake 160 deg c oven for 15 mins. (Definition: Blind bake means to bake a pie crust without a filling.)
Patch any cracks or holes with left over pastry so the lemon filling does not leak out.
Lemon Filling:
7 eggs
Juice of 4 lemons
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 & ½ cup cream
1 & ½ cup castor sugar
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined
Pour in to the pastry case
Bake for 30 mins at 120 deg c or until set
Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Chef Jenny Tagell
Observatory Café
Royal Botanic Gardens
Birdwood Ave
South Yarra Victoria 3141
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