WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LIMONI

Books of beauty, books that feel good to hold, books embossed, books bound with stitched thread – these are the books we love. Books, moreover, that edify and delight.

Limone is the second in a series Le Sirenuse is creating that focus on the iconic ingredients of the Amalfi Coast. The first, published in 2023, was Pomodoro. Each small volume contains a compendium of texts tracing the ingredient’s history, botanical and medicinal properties, cultural significance and place in legend and folklore, followed by four recipes courtesy of Le Sirenuse’s executive chef Gennaro Russo.

The book opens with a tribute to a poem that every Italian high school student learns, and a few learn to love: I limoni by Eugenio Montale, written in 1925 when the Ligurian poet was just 28. It centres on the narrator’s experience of walking through a cold, drab city in winter, when all of a sudden his mood is lifted by an unexpected sight. Montale writes:

Next up is a brief history of lemons in Italy, from Roman times via the Arabs in Sicily to the Medici family’s ornamental citrus collections to the once thriving lemon plantations of Lake Garda.

Amalfi has a long history of lemon cultivation, linked to the variety that Stanley Tucci has called “the best in the world”: the limone sfusato amalfitano. The central section of the book is dedicated to this versatile variety, one of the few that is sweet enough to be eaten raw.

Four lemon-centric recipes chosen and narrated by chef Gennaro Russo close out the second book in our ‘Ingredients’ series. If you’re missing Positano, you’ll find below the recipe for a classic Amalfi Coast dessert – time-consuming to make, but worth it – that will hopefully bring back good memories. Next time you come stay at Le Sirenuse, you can compare yours with the version prepared by our pastry chef Francesco Cozzolino. And you can also meet the Limone book in person. It’s placed in every guest room, alongside its cousin Pomodoro and a selection of other Le Sirenuse Little Books.

Delizia al Limone

Plenty of Italian desserts that are today considered timeless classics have surprisingly recent origins. The tiramisù, for example, did not exist before the late 1960s. An Amalfi Coast menu fixture, the delizia al limone had an even later gestation. It was created by Sorrento pastry chef Carmine Marzuillo in 1978 to compete in that year’s national chef association awards, where it won a gold medal. The recipe soon spread far and wide, but its heartland is still the Sorrentine peninsula: the fragrant lemons grown locally give it a tang that cuts pleasingly through the sweetness of the sponge cake body, cream filling and sugary glaze. The ingredients in this recipe should be enough for six regular delizias. You’ll need to invest in some dome-shaped silicone moulds with a diameter of 8 to 10cm (3 to 4 inches) to bake the sponge-cake core.

For the limoncello bath, put the water, sugar and lemon zest into a saucepan, bring to the boil and stir to dissolve the sugar, then leave to cool before adding the limoncello.

The lemon cream is made by first mixing beating together the egg yolks and sugar, then folding in the flour to create a thick batter. Next, place the milk, whipping cream and lemon zest in a pan, stir well, and bring it to just below boiling point. Leave to cool, then mix it into the pan with the egg batter, a little at time. When fully combined, place the lemon cream in a pan and heat to 85°C (185°F), stirring constantly. Cool rapidly and set aside.

To make the glaze, stir the icing sugar into the cream and whip to combine. Dilute with the water and lemon juice, amalgamate well and set aside.

It’s easiest to fill and soak the delizia domes while they are still in the moulds. To do so, excavate a space in the base with a spoon and pipe in some of the lemon cream. Then pour the limoncello bath over each delizia to soak (but not drown) the sponge. Finally, turn out onto serving plates and cover with the cream glaze. Serve topped with a bobble of whipped cream and thin strips of lemon zest.

Artwork © Anouk