I was helping out the Larder section at work the other day, shucking a dozen oysters, and a thought occured to me. Picture yourself sleeping in your cosy little caravan when all of a sudden there’s a godawful hammering sound coming from above. The roof of your caravan rips wide open, you find yourself flipped over in your bed and someone squirts some lemon in your eye.

How weird would that be? What a story to tell all your oyster buddies, if not for the fact that the lemon often signals your demise.

I had a few lemons left from the last time I baked a cake, and so decided to revisit an old favourite recipe. Lemon delicious pudding is one of those desserts that never seems to go out of fashion in most people’s minds. Of course, you might not have made it in awhile because like me, you’ve forgotten how good it tastes and how much you love it. It is one of those comforting treats I want to eat while snuggled up on the couch, watching Mad Men.

Instead of a big bowl of pudding that you scoop a portion out of however, these puddings I made today are petite individual serves that retain everything that is good about lemon delicious. It’s a clever little recipe that is unbelievably easy. During the cooking process, a layer of curdy lemon forms on what becomes the top of the pudding after unmolding, while the spongey pudding below is impossibly light and moist. If you don’t like lemon, you can even substitute the required juice for a similar amount of passionfruit juice or pulp.

Another good thing about this recipe is that you can make the puddings ahead of time and reheat them by placing them in a water bath when the dessert compartment in your stomach is calling out to be filled. So, I’m including the recipe (apologies for the cup and spoon measures, but I didn’t get round to converting them into grams as I normally would) because I think you really really should try them. Even for those enjoying a spot of Summer sunshine at the moment, this pudding can be celebrated with a generous side of cherries or fresh berries.

Lemon steamed pudding :
(makes 6 (but I got 4 because I used bigger moulds); from Craft of Cooking by Tom Colicchio)

1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for dusting ramekins
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon plain flour
pinch of salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
finely chopped zest of 1 1/2 lemons

Heat the oven to 150’C. Butter and lightly sugar six 4-ounce ramekins. Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then set them aside. Sift the sugar with the flour and salt. In a mixer, using the whisk attachment, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, egg yolks, and lemon zest. Gradually add the flour mixture, then fold in the egg whites. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins. Place the puddings in a water bath (set the ramekins in a larger pan; fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins) and cover with aluminium foil. Bake until the puddings rise and are almost firm, about 25 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until the tops are lightly golden and the puddings spring back when touched, about 15 minutes more. Unmold and serve warm alone, with fresh berries, or with berry compote.

[Note: The recipe calls for the mix to be put together in a mixer, but you can also do everything by hand with a whisk and a spatula, as I did]

[Jay is helping Sam get back into the dating scene]
Sam Baldwin: What is “tiramisu”?
Jay: You’ll find out.
Sam Baldwin: Well, what is it?
Jay: You’ll see!
Sam Baldwin: Some woman is gonna want me to do it to her and I’m not gonna know what it is!

Tom Hanks’ character in Sleepless in Seattle feels about tiramisu the same way I do about cheesecake. What is cheesecake? Some sort of mysterious entity that seduces women (do we ever see men in Sara Lee commercials?), and dates back as far as ancient grecian times where it was served to athletes at the olympic games. From my past experience, cheesecake has usually translated as a heavy, rich and extremely filling affair. With a soggy biscuit base.

Despite this, every now and again a cheesecake comes along that makes me eat it, and my words. Lorraine Godsmark of Yellow Bistro makes the most divine New York style cheesecake, that I could eat any day. This one, by Kate Zuckerman from her fantastic book The Sweet Life is another contender : Goat Cheesecake enrobed in Hazelnut Brittle (my variation being the substitution of macadamia nuts for hazelnuts) is not only just as is described; tangy and light, but the mere words “enrobed” and “brittle” also had me hooked from the start.

Once the cheesecake is unmolded, the crunchy brittle is patted or pressed against the top and sides. You can serve this with a sauce or compote, but I like it on its own, as a silky, luxurious treat.

Goat Cheesecakes :

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
300g fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
140g creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 150’C. Butter or oil individual ramekins or molds.

Combine the eggs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the goat cheese until smooth. Add the creme fraiche and whisk for 1 minute. Do not overmix or the cheesecake will have a grainy texture.

Spread the batter in the prepared molds. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process, until the cheesecakes are set in the center or a thermometer in the center of the cheesecake reads between 65’C and 76’C. If the cheesecakes start to rise, remove them from the oven immediately.

Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and allow to cool. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes before removing from molds.

(For more cheesecake creations, check out Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.)

Valentine Schmalentine, I had been muttering all day. Finally home after a 16-hour day and he’s there with a glorious box of chocolates in hand. Not that we usually celebrate, but chocolate is always a welcomed sight for tired eyes. I’ll also never forget the day I came home and found that he had made a pot of vegetarian chilli. It had taken him hours and too many tears were shed over the onions, but it was truly delicious. The thought of it still warms my heart.

Some might say, the ideal sweet seduction dish is one that’s quick to make. With virtually all it’s components completed beforehand, there will be plenty of time on your hands for more important things. 😉 Afterall, who wants to be slaving over a hot stove when you could be sipping champagne?

For B this week, I made a Coconut Jelly with Black Pearls and Spiced Roasted Pineapple. The black pearls are tapioca pearls, commonly seen in bubble tea. They take only 5 minutes or so to cook, when boiled in a light sugar syrup. They are slightly chewy and provide both a texture and colour contrast to the silky smooth jelly and toothsome roasted pineapple.

Pineapple is one of B’s favourite fruits (not so much mine, as I’m allergic to the raw form). Bethonga Gold pineapples are what you should look out for, in Sydney. They’re slightly more expensive, but have an intense flavour and heady aroma (especially when roasted), and a rich yellow hue to the flesh that make other pineapples look pale and insipid in comparison.

Oh, and how can I forget the many cups of tea he has made for me when I come home tired and jaded. Now that’s my idea of seduction!

Spiced Roasted Pineapple :

1 small pineapple
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
1 piece dried citrus peel
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
cloves

300g sugar
lime juice

Trim and remove skin and eyes from pineapple. Cut into half lengthways and divide each half into 3 or 4 wedges. Trim off the hardest part of the core from each wedge. Press a clove into each wedge. Place in a lightly buttered baking tray with the spices.

In a pot, heat the sugar until it turns a golden caramel colour. Pour this over the pineapple and spices. Roast in the oven at 175’C, basting frequently, until pineapple is cooked. Cool the cooked pineapple to room temperature. Adjust the sauce with some lime juice if it’s too sweet.