Citrus Season
Plus a recipe for simple, silky lemon posset.
Baker’s Notes
Vibrant, creamy lemon; 3 ingredients
<10 minutes to make; brightens any winter day
Hi Bakers!
Citrus cures all that ails us in the winter - colds, blues, gloom and doom. Citrus season parallels cold/flu season, and I can’t help but think this is not a coincidence.
Zesty limes, juicy lemons, vibrant grapefruits, and the most insane varieties of oranges (Cara Cara! Sumo! Valencia!) show up for us during the dreariest months of the year. It’s like the gift of sunshine and vitamin C when we need it the most.
This time of year, the produce variety is bleak. The kids are sick of apples, most of the bananas turn into smoothies after being ignored all week, and pears tend to go from rock hard to mush overnight. To make more room for holiday cooking, our big fruit bowl got literally pushed to the side and forgotten.
After several days of surviving on cookies, coffee, and carbs, I could feel the bowl of mandarins glaring at me while I toasted another piece of sourdough.
It’s time we give back all that citrus the love and attention it so graciously offers to us each winter.
I saw this quote last month pondering if it’s really “cold/flu season” or “cookie/holiday cocktail/exhaustion season” that run our immune systems into the ground this time of year?
As it turns out, my grandma was right about so many things, especially health and homemaking. Passed down to my mom and now to me, all the windows get opened at the first sign of illness. Big on vitamin D and fresh air, even if it means dressing in all your layers, she made outside time a must.
It’s funny that I never heard of taking vitamin D until birthing class with my eldest. We don’t get a lot of sun here in British Columbia, so it’s just fact that you supplement with D-drops starting as a newborn. We all take them all year long.
But back to citrus and its superpowers. Lemon juice brightens up dark leafy greens and rich stews. Orange segments get added to salads when other produce is limited. And blended all together with fresh ginger and honey, you get homemade immunity shots for a fraction of the price.
Ginger Immunity Shots
2 lemons, peeled
1 orange, peeled
3-inches ginger, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and quartered (optional)
2 to 4 tablespoons local honey
¼ cup water
Throw everything in a high-speed blender and whiz it up until everything liquifies. Strain through a mesh sieve, if you want. For my kids, I pour the mix into little glasses and top with more water or a little extra honey to make it more palatable. For me, I add a splash of apple cider vinegar and swig it down. Ginger is great for its anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties and apple cider vinegar and turmeric may be good for inflammation.
Lemon Ginger Tea
I like to brew lemon ginger tea bags with added fresh ginger and lemon. Here I pour hot water over the tea bags along with a few slices of fresh ginger then stir in local honey, fresh lemon juice, and ground turmeric.
Beyond our physical health, I love citrus for adding sunshine to our long winter days in the form of dessert, of course. My husband and I are both from Northern California where my mom still has a few lemon trees that weigh heavy with fruit each year.
One of her favorite things to make with all those lemons is lemon posset. Making my own this third week of January just felt right. The holidays are officially over, the hype of the New Year is fading, and we still have yet to see snow. Needing just three ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make, these low stress - high reward lemon posset are the perfect “little something sweet” we all crave at the end of the day.
Where a traditional lemon tart is made with eggs and baked until firm, lemon posset are made with only 4 ingredients - heavy cream, sugar, salt, and lemons. It is a bit magical in the way that the lemon posset set into beautiful, thick custard without any thickening agents besides the natural pectin in the lemon juice. It is silky and thick with a similar texture to panna cotta.
Lemon Posset
The Ingredients:
Lemon peel cups, for serving
2 ½ cups (600ml) heavy cream
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
Zest of 2 lemons, plus more for sprinkling
½ cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice
The Method:
To make the lemon peel cups, slice large lemons in half horizontally. Use the edge of a spoon to scoop the flesh out into a bowl. Squeeze out the juice to use for the posset.
Place the cream, sugar, and lemon zest in a heavy bottom pan. Heat over medium heat. Stirring slowly but consistently, bring the mixture to a simmer. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to bubble for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Let cool for about 5 minutes.
Pour in the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Keep stirring until it cools and thickens slightly (it will still be in liquid form), 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully pour the lemon filling into ramekins, little jars, or lemon peel bowls.
Chill for at least 4 hours, or until firm.
Serving and Storage:
The lemon posset needs time to set up in the fridge, so plan accordingly. This also means that it is a great make-ahead recipe.
This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings. Store lightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Tips and Tricks:
Be sure to use heavy or double cream - around 33% milk fat. Anything lower, and the dessert will not set properly.
Make this recipe the morning of or night before you want to eat it.
So simple, but big rewards❤️🍋