Buddha's Hand Limoncello Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 3-4 weeks steeping time
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes: around 1.2 litres/1.3 quarts of limoncello
Ingredients Needed
- 600ml/20fl oz Vodka
- 75g/2.6oz Buddha hand zest
- 600ml/20fl oz water
- 600g/21oz white or superfine sugar
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 PEEL & STEEP - Wash the fruit well and dry. Peel the zest from all of the fingers. Steep in a bottle along with the vodka for 3-4 weeks (pop a reminder in your calendar).
Step 2 SYRUP - Make a sugar syrup. Add water and sugar to a medium sized pot and bring to a simmer stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 3 minutes to create a simple syrup. Cool completely.
Step 3 MIX - Drain the zest from the vodka which should be a light yellow colour. Mix with the cooled sugar syrup and bottle.
Store in the freezer.
Personal Note
The reason why I made this limoncello is that Mr NQN brought me home a Buddha Hand. "Have you seen this before?" he asked and I nodded. I see them at greengrocers but never knew what to do with it. If anything I had filed it away to feature in a Halloween cake but had never quite done it as it isn't in season in October.
I like it when he brings me things that he thinks that I will like. However recently he brought home a bag of olives. This was less exciting to me because I was very busy and olives are a labour of love and time. They involve slicing into each olive, steeping them in water, changing the water daily preferably around the same time to remove bitterness and then making a brine and leaving them for a month.
In his defence he had no idea that olives were that much trouble. But I hate wastage so I went through the whole process. He had to change the water for the last few days and almost forgot. And we both agree that olives are underpriced after going through all of this. We've still got a few weeks to go but I don't think that the olives are going to work out as they've turned a mottled brown colour. I think he feels a bit guilty but he has been briefed now: no more olives but more Buddha Hands!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever used Buddha hand citrus? Have you ever tried preserving olives? Any tips?