Savor Originals · Signature Recipes · No. 2
Straight to the brownies ↓ · Optional strawberry tree jam ↓
These lemon brownies take me straight back to my first summer in Montenegro. I was working in a little seaside bistro, surrounded by sunshine, vibrant colours and the wonderful oddities of a country that would eventually become home. We put them on our first summer menu, and they flew out the door.
Originally, we served them with raspberries. Perfectly respectable, if a little boring. Then winter arrived, bringing with it the strawberry tree, a peculiar Mediterranean plant whose beautiful red fruit tastes considerably less exciting than it looks. Even the birds seem reluctant to eat them. Its Latin name, Arbutus unedo, famously inspired the observation that one fruit was quite enough. Apparently, even the Romans were sick of their shit.
Naturally, I decided to make jam.
With a little sugar, lemon and patience, those disappointing little fruits become something genuinely wonderful, and a surprisingly good companion to the bright, buttery brownies. Raspberry still works, of course, but where's the adventure in that?
Lemon Brownies
Bright, buttery, and unapologetically lemony
Makes: 9 large or 16 small squares
Prep: 15 minutes · Bake: 22–28 minutes
Tin: 20 cm (8-inch) square tin
Allow: 37–43 minutes, plus time to cool completely and let the glaze set.
Ingredients
For the brownies
- 150 g caster sugar
- Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 130 g plain flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the lemon glaze
- 100 g icing sugar
- 2–3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- A little additional finely grated lemon zest, optional
Method
- Prepare the tin. Preheat the oven to 175°C (160°C fan). Line a 20 cm square baking tin with parchment, leaving enough overhang to lift the brownies out once cooled.
- Make lemon sugar. Place the caster sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Rub them together thoroughly with your fingertips until the sugar becomes fragrant and slightly damp. This releases the aromatic oils from the zest and distributes them throughout the mixture.
- Melt the butter. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan, then allow it to cool slightly. Add it to the lemon sugar and whisk until combined.
- Add the eggs. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon juice. Continue whisking for about a minute until the mixture looks smooth, glossy, and slightly lighter in colour.
- Add the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then fold into the wet mixture using a spatula. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing will encourage gluten development and make the brownies tougher.
- Bake. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared tin and bake for approximately 22–28 minutes. The edges should be set, with the centre still slightly soft. A skewer should emerge with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
- Cool and glaze. Allow the brownies to cool completely. Whisk the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick but pourable glaze, then spread it over the surface. Leave to set before cutting into squares.
- Serve. Enjoy on their own, with fresh raspberries, or with a spoonful of strawberry tree jam if you're feeling particularly Montenegrin.
Serving with jam? The optional strawberry tree version is below. Raspberries work beautifully too.
Cook Like a Pro
Zest is where the lemon lives. Most of the characteristic lemon aroma comes from oils in the peel, not the juice. Rubbing the zest into sugar is one of the easiest ways to extract that flavour without adding excess liquid.
Don't overbake them. We're after a dense, soft texture, not a fluffy lemon sponge. The centre should be just set when you remove the tin from the oven.
Glaze only when cool. A warm brownie will absorb the glaze rather than allowing it to form that lovely sharp, sugary layer on top.
Strawberry Tree Jam
Making something wonderful from a thoroughly underwhelming fruit
This is the little extra from the Montenegro story. You don’t need it to make the brownies, and you don’t need to go hunting for a strawberry tree. Fresh raspberries are a perfectly good way to get on with dessert.
Makes: Approximately 1 small jar, depending on yield
Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 30–45 minutes
Refrigerator preserve only. Transfer to a clean jar, cool promptly, and refrigerate. Use within a short refrigerated storage period or freeze for longer keeping. This experimental recipe has not been validated for shelf-stable canning.
Ingredients
- 500 g fully ripe strawberry tree fruit (Arbutus unedo)
- Water, enough to cover the fruit for the initial simmer
- Soft brown sugar, approximately 30–40% of the weight of the strained fruit purée
- Juice of 1 lemon, to taste
- Finely grated zest of ½ orange
- 1 very small sprig fresh rosemary, optional
- A small pinch of salt
Method
- Prepare the fruit. Wash the strawberry tree fruit gently, removing any leaves, stems, or damaged pieces. Use fully ripe fruit for the best flavour.
- Soften. Place the fruit in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 15–20 minutes, until the fruit is completely soft.
- Strain. Drain off most of the cooking liquid, reserving a little. Press the softened fruit through a fine sieve or food mill to remove the gritty seeds and skin while retaining as much pulp as possible. Add a little reserved liquid if needed to help it pass through.
- Weigh and sweeten. Weigh the resulting purée and add brown sugar equal to approximately one-third of its weight. Return everything to a clean saucepan.
- Build the flavour. Add the lemon juice, orange zest, and a tiny pinch of salt. If using rosemary, add the sprig now.
- Reduce. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to a soft, spoonable preserve. Remove the rosemary after a few minutes, before it dominates the flavour. The jam will thicken further as it cools.
- Cool and store. Transfer to a clean jar, cool promptly, and refrigerate. Use within a short refrigerated storage period or freeze for longer keeping. This experimental recipe has not been validated for shelf-stable canning.
Cook Like a Pro
Keep the pulp. We're making jam, not syrup. Straining out the seeds and skin is important, but throwing away all the fruit solids would leave us with very little body.
Don’t bury the fruit. Strawberry tree fruit has a delicate, unusual flavour. The orange and rosemary should be background notes, not the main event.
Taste before adding all the sugar. Some batches will be naturally sweeter than others. Start with less, taste, and adjust before the final reduction.
Browse more Signature Recipes, including oven-smoked salmon with fennel, dill and vodka.
