It wouldn’t be Easter if I didn’t make some variation on the Hot Cross Bun. Everyone has their own, there are literally thousands of styles, combinations and variations. This year, I went for the somewhat rustic Cranberry Walnut Whole Wheat Sourdough Hot Cross Buns version. It’s an enriched sweet (but not too sweet) sourdough brioche dough, fruit and nuts added. Eat with sweet jam or honey or make into a bacon sandwich. nom nom nom.
Me, and Crumble Bars, eh? Yep. thought I would make some more – these are Yuzu Lemon Shortbread Crumble Bars – and even though they aren’t exactly Easter-y, they are bright and tart and delicious. Never heard of Yuzu? Well, nor I had I until I tried some juice while at an Asian restaurant a while back. Yuzu is sometimes called a Japanese Lemon. Sometimes called a Korean Tangerine and has roughly been described to me as a mashup between a lemon, grapefruit and a mandarin, round, but lemon yellow. I’ve never had a fresh one, but the jam, extract and syrups are amazing.These crumble bars would be a great addition to an Easter dessert spread.
Despite the fact that I am in snowy New England it’s February, here is a little bit of tropical sunshine to warm you up, still on the topic of “Citrus” : Coconut Key Lime Pie Cheesecake, that I made as a birthday present for a friend whilst I am visiting up in the Bangor/Orono, Maine area. I have to say that the result came out phenomenal. It’s light, it’s fluffy, it’s sweet and tart, and has a lovely, clean finish. Almost all cheesecakes are quite a bit of work but the result here was great. I am very pleased.
Well, a couple of days late and likely a few dollars short for Valentines Day, but here is the next thing for “Citrus week” — Lemon Mini-Heart Cakelettes. I had actually planned to make them with a raspberry swirl in the frosting, but that didn’t work out as planned. The whole reason for these was actually trying out my new “heartlet” plan. I found it at the local ACE hardware, but they are available off Amazon too. I was actually afraid that the little tarts wouldn’t release well from the cast iron, but turned out well. I’ll have to try mini-mini pies next.
Hey! It’s Pancake Day! Why, you ask? Well, it’s the last day of Carnival (Mardi Gras or Pre-Lent, all that) and this day has historically been used (apparently since the 1400s?) to use up sugars, eggs, and fat before Lent. Not being the religious sort myself, it was just an excuse for me to make pancakes. 🙂 And because it is citrus week, I went with my absolute favorite pancake recipe: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Syrup and Berries. Light, fluffy, just sweet enough but not too tart (lemony) to overpower.