DANI VENN'S LEMON 
+ ROSEMARY PUDDING

Dani Venn is a lover of cooking, colour and wild dancing. Being a Mum of two she’s a big believer in keeping things simple and fun when feeding her family.

This Mother’s Day she takes us through a scrumptious pudding recipe to add some sauce to your Sunday! 

Ingredients

• Zest of 2 lemons, finely grated

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 4 eggs, separated

• Juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed

• ½ cup plain flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1 tablespoon icing sugar, to dust (optional)

• Dollop cream or ice cream to serve

 Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees, rub melted or softened butter into a 1.5 – 2 litre casserole dish, ensuring that your casserole dish can fit into a slightly larger baking tray.
   
   
2. In a mixing bowl, rub lemon zest and rosemary into the sugar with the tips of your fingers to release the natural oils in the lemon and rosemary. Place butter in bowl of electric stand mixer fitted with the flexible beater paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar mixture together until creamy and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
   
   
3. Add egg yolks one at a time until fully incorporated before adding the next, add lemon juice and then reduce speed to the lowest setting and fold in the flour then pour in the milk. The mixture might look a little curdle and different to your usual cake batter but not to worry.
   
   
4. Pour batter into a large mixing bowl, clean stand mixer bowl fully so its sparkling clean with no oily residue and then place egg whites into clean stand mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until egg whites are thick and fluffy like clouds. Using a large metal spoon, place half the egg white mixture into the batter and fold through gently then place the remainder of the egg whites into the batter and fold until fully incorporated.
   
   
5. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish, then place in a larger baking tray. Fill the baking tray about ¾ of the way up with boiling water then carefully place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until sponge is golden and bounces back. A thin layer or gooey sauce should remain at the bottom, so you can always poke a knife in the sides of the pudding to check.
   
   
6. Remove from oven carefully, dust with icing sugar and serve pudding hot with dollop cream or ice cream.

We ask Dani a few questions...

 If you had to pick just one dish to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? 

This is like picking my favourite child, impossible to answer!! I would say dish “category” would be curry. I am borderline obsessed with spices, grinding my own spice powders and mortar and pestling my own curry pastes. There is such complexity and depth of flavour in curries from the world over and so many different ways to serve them with all kinds of veg and proteins. Of course Sri Lankan curries are my favourite and I love that I can share my interpretation of Sri Lankan flavours in my new curry simmer sauce range at Coles, much simpler then making from scratch too.

What vegetable did you dislike as a child, that you know love? 

I think its a stereotypical vegetable to dislike, but as a kid my brussel sprouts were not over boiled and let out a certain pong which I never enjoyed, but it turns out as an adult come winter I adore a Brussel Sprout. The trick is to halve them and deep fry them until crispy, blot them with paper towel and then smother in a dressing made from extra virgin olive oil, tangy English Mustard and if you can find it, Vino Cotto. Whisk together and drizzle over with a can of lentils and chopped mint and you are in for one of the best vegetable experiences of your life.

What self-care ritual do you swear by (when you have a second to yourself)? 

My bathtub is my happy place, it is fills my cup. I always emerge from it feeling renewed and revived If I am feeling fancy I might light a candle, add some drops of Lavender oil maybe put on a face mask and play some relaxing tunes. Pure bliss.

Flowers or chocolates for Mother’s Day? 

I still have so many left over Easter eggs that I have hidden from the kids that I sneakily eat when they go to bed so lets go for flowers!

Where in Australia would you love to travel to on your next vacay?

I love looking closer to home to find unique experiences, if I was to splurge I would love to go up to Broome and the Kimberlys but the next holiday I am actually going on with the kids is the Sunshine Coast in winter, because I really want to take the kids to Australia Zoo.

Recipe courtesy of Dani Venn. You can follow her on Instaram @danivenn

Photo courtesy of Dani, wearing Obus Idyll Blouse and Companion Jean (Coming Soon).