Fruits of the Season

One of the many reasons that I love living in Melbourne is that we have such well-defined seasons. At the moment we are right in the middle of a very cold winter. Everywhere I look I see bare trees, grey clouds and people wearing thick coats and gloves. The other thing I see is the delicious array of mandarins in the grocery stores, a sure sign of the colder weather.

Mandarins originally hail from Southern China and are named after the Chinese officials of the Imperial Court – the ‘Mandarins’. Luckily for those of us who live in Australia, this juicy fruit is widely available and comes in a variety of types. It is high in vitamin C, which makes it a perfectly timed seasonal fruit to help stave off winter colds.

Mandarins are an extremely versatile fruit and whilst they are delicious on their own, they can be included in a variety of cooking and baking recipes. I recently made a delicious mandarin pudding, which I adapted from the Monday Morning Cookbook Recipe and included BARLEYmax flour for an extra fibre boost. I love cooking with BARLEYmax flour as I find, unlike some other alternative flour types, that you don’t need to change too much of a regular recipe to accommodate the different flour structure. It adds a delicious nutty flavour and a light brown colouring to most baked goods.

This pudding recipe is a perfect warmer winter and can be enjoyed with a dollop of fresh cream or ice cream for real comfort food.

Ingredients

50g butter, at room temperature
100g castor sugar
2 tsp finely grated mandarin zest
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup BARLEYmax flour
½ tsp baking powder
200mL full cream milk
1/3 cup mandarin juice
Cream or ice cream to serve

Method

Preheat an oven to 180°C . Butter 4 x 1-cup ovenproof ramekins.
Beat the butter, sugar and zest until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix well. Stir in the milk and juice.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the batter and mix until smooth.
Pour into the prepared ramekins, then place them in an ovenproof dish. Pour boiling water into the dish until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the puddings are golden. Serve immediately with cream or ice cream.

Recipe adapted from Monday Morning Cooking Club: The Feast Goes On

I’d love to hear from you – what’s your favourite winter treat?