How to add a dash of zest to your next icing, crepe suzette or custard. Try these simple recipes!

Zest is the outer rind of an orange, lemon or other citrus fruit. Special knives to remove the rind, called zesters, can be found in specialty cookware shops but they are not really needed.

Zest is an excellent flavourer for cake mixes, creams, custards and desserts. It may be candied, pickled in vinegar, or used to flavour sugars. According to the encyclopedia, Larousse Gastronomique, candied orange zest is called orangettes and is often chocolate coated. Yum!

There are two basic ways to zest. First wash the orange well.
1. Place a grater on a sheet of baking paper and grate, moving the orange as you go, to avoid cutting into the white pith.
2. Peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler.



Finely slice or chop the zest as required in the recipe.



Orange custard
Serves 4.

You'll need:
1 egg yolk (size about 60g)
2 tsps finely grated orange zest
30g caster sugar
1/2 cup milk

Here's how
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolk, orange zest and sugar for about five minutes or until the mixture forms a ribbon. Bring milk to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour hot milk slowly onto creamed egg and whisk well. Return to the pan and, using a wooden spatula, stir over medium heat until custard thickens slightly and lightly coats the back of the spatula. Do not allow the custard to boil as the eggs will curdle. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl, whisking a few seconds more. Cover and refrigerate when cold.

Orange cream
Into a bowl put 300ml cream, one teaspoon of grated orange zest, one tablespoon of icing sugar and one tablespoon of Grand Marnier. Using electric beaters, beat until soft peaks form. Excellent with a simple chocolate cake or on top of fruit salad for dessert.

Orange sauce for ricotta crepes
Crepes can be cooked in advance and frozen, Defrost, fill with this simple mix and heat close to serving time.

Place 30g of sultanas in a cup of orange juice and soak for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the juice. Mix together 200g of ricotta, one teaspoon of finely grated orange zest, quarter teaspoon of vanilla and the sultanas.
Place a large tablespoon of mixture at the edge of each crepe, fold in half and then half again. Put the filled crepes in an ovenproof dish and bake for 10 minutes.

Serve topped with orange sauce: melt 50g of unsalted butter in a pan with a quarter of a cup of caster sugar over low heat. Add the reserved juice and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Cool for 3-4 minutes, then pour over the filled crepes. Delicious with poached orange segments.

Orange icing
Beat 60g of unsalted, softened butter in a bowl with electric beaters until pale. Beat in half a cup of icing sugar, one tablespoon of orange juice, then another quarter cup of icing sugar. Excellent on orange cup cakes!

Chocolate orange peel candies

Makes about 48.

You'll need
3 medium oranges
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
200g dark compound chocolate, chopped

Here's how
1. Cut the oranges into quarters and remove peel. Discard the flesh. Scrape all the white pith from the peel and cut each quarter lengthways into 1cm strips
2. Place the orange peel in a small heavy-based pan, cover with water. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Drain the peel thoroughly, then return to the pan. Repeat this boiling process twice more. Pat peel dry with absorbent paper.
3. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a medium heavy-based pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add peel. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, slightly, boil without stirring for 15 minutes or until the peel is translucent. Remove from the heat immediately.
4. Drain the peel. Place on a wire rack covered with a sheet of foil. Leave overnight to dry at room temperature.
5. Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Stand over a pan of simmering water, stir until the chocolate has melted and is smooth. Cool slightly. Using two forks, dip peel pieces one at a time into the chocolate to coat. Lift out, drain excess chocolate, then place on a sheet of greaseproof paper to set. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 4 weeks.

Note: excellent using lemon peel and white chocolate too. Any leftover chocolate? Dip one half of shortbread or wholewheat biscuits in the chocolate and leave to set.

Apricot orange puffs



Ready to eat in 25 minutes. Serves 4.

You'll need
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
200g can apricot halves
125g cream cheese
3 tsps caster sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tsps sugar
1 tbsp apricot jam
Icing sugar, to dust

Here's how
1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Cut the pastry sheet into four squares. Drain four of the apricot halves well.
2. Place the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in a bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture into four and spread evenly over each of the pastry squares, leaving a 1cm border all round. Place one apricot half, cut-side-down, in the centre of each square and brush the edges of the pastry with water. Bring the corners of the square together in the centre like a pyramid. Pinch the bottom corners of the square together to seal. Fold back the points of the pyramid to reveal the apricot.
3. Brush the pastry with egg white, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Glaze with warmed apricot jam and lightly dust the edges with icing sugar. Serve warm.