Taking humble, in season, oranges and lemons, I made Citrus Purée. As I type the words oranges and lemons I am reminded of the childhood nursery rhyme which refers to the bells of various Churches in London.
Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Citrus Purée ♥
When we hear the words Notre-Dame the first thought is of the Gothic Church in Paris. Just before we went to France, Notre-Dame de Paris suffered a terrible fire. We could not get close to the Cathedral, but the damage was clearly visible. We have encountered many Catholic Churches with the same name, in Rouen, Strasbourg and other small villages along the way. The term refers to Our Lady and these Churches are consecrated to the Virgin Mary. What sets these stunning buildings apart from other Cathedrals are the gargoyles and chimera. The gargoyles are used to divert rain water away from the building. Together with the chimera they were meant to be grotesque and find their roots in mythology, and not Christianity. The stunning stained glass windows serve the purpose of showcasing Biblical stories. Together with the statues, they serve as liber pauperum, books for the poor.
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Not only do they illustrate the Bible, they also showcase medieval science and philosophy. One need only look up at the stonework above the doorways to see this. The architecture alone is amazing and many innovate techniques were used during the construction. The aim of the Cathedrals was to have height, and for this they used flying buttresses. Not only did this allow for height, the buildings could be vast, and support the large windows. I am continuously blown away by the way these Cathedrals were constructed. It is worth keeping in mind that the elaborate structures were built in competition to one another, each one needing to be bigger and better. Part of the downside of this was the costs involved, and the time taken. Many were left unfinished, and some collapsed due to the roofs being too heavy. Is there a Notre-Dame Cathedral where you live?
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Citrus Purée
Ingredients
- 2 oranges
- 2 unwaxed lemons *
- 1 quill cinnamon
- 1.5 l water + more if necessary
- 50 g honey
Method
- Trim the ends of the oranges and lemons and discard
- Cut into eighths and remove the pips
- Place them together with the cinnamon into a sauce pan
- Add the water and bring to the boil on the stove top over a medium temperature
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours **
- Drain using a colander and leave to stand until completely cooled
- Place into a blender with the honey and blitz until smooth
- Store in the fridge in a sterilized glass jar
Notes
** it is important to keep the fruit covered with water so check often
Take a look at what was previously posted on Lavender and Lime on June 24:
-
- 2018 – The Tattooist Of Auschwitz
- 2015 – Interview With Neill Anthony
- 2011 – Cinnamon Buns
- 2010 – Pasta Tomato Sauce
I have a friend with some citrus trees – I think we will both love this recipe 🙂
Lucky you!
Sounds wonderful, Tandy.
Thank you AD 🙂
A huge shame about Notre Dame. The cathedrals of Europe and the UK are incredible. A nice recipe for winter, Tandy. Citrus helps with colds. I can’t share today as neither Pinterest or FAcebook are co-operating. It could be the power outages.
I will see if my settings have gone awry.
hi tandy
yes those medieval builders were amazing. this citrus puree is how they make those middle eastern cakes, isn’t it? very delicious. cheers sherry
I am not sure if the cakes use this puree, but I have made a cake using it 🙂
Tandy this is so funny but I’m going to steep some oranges in syrup. I’m so bored with the fruit in winter so I have to do what I can to keep it interesting.
I feel that way about winter vegetables 🙂
I would have loved to have seen those stained glass windows! Nothing that old here. Everything so modern. Old buildings just get knocked down to make way for the new. But this citrus puree looks so fresh and summery! I have 2 lemon tress that are doing okay!
I still need to plant a few citrus trees 🙂
Interesting puree for that cake.. 😉
It was easy to make at least 🙂