Calamondins

Paul's calamondin bonsai has picked up an unfortunate outbreak of aphids. God knows where they came from in this weather. So he picked all the fruit hanging on it before he took it outside to treat it.

Nine little sour orange limes. As with the blood oranges, I like something that doesn't look as it tastes. These look like perfect little oranges, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball, but the flavour is like an intense lime, with an amazing citrus fragrance.

One went into a batch of friands, since I had 6 eggwhites in the freezer. I halved the calamondin, removed the seeds and chopped it really finely, before proceeding with my usual friand recipe. They were buttery, citrussy and just the thing with a cup of coffee.

The other eight went into a very small batch of marmelade. I used this recipe, which is very simple. Because the calamondins have thin, loose peel like a tangerine, it was very simple to get every scrap of flesh and pith out of them. I overcooked the marmelade a bit, so the flavour is very rich and caramelly and it has set very firmly. I think a batch of home made bread is in order, to provide a fitting base for a lovely preserve. Or maybe a marmelade rolypoly pudding. Or some scones.