Tarte Au Citron

Saluting all the women in my life, the aunties, the grandmothers and especially the mothers-to-be, for the personal sacrifices they have already made to breathe life into their children.

I was craving a tarte au citron in the style of key lime pie, and still had a tub of cinnamon graham crackers that I couldn’t resist the last time I was in Trader Joe’s. How many children does it take to make my own weekend treat? One little sunshine to buy the lemons before bedtime. One to spend a gleeful night in the kitchen with, making lemon curd, teaching them to micro-grate “peel but not pith” and watching the 1980s Sun Wukong of the classic CCTV Journey to the West series (diu-diu-diu colourful lasers from eyes) together. Another who was just there for the sugar, blowtorch and pulling faces, because there’s always that sulky, moody one. And a last one who walks in on your work because she needs cuddles, long after the rest have gone to bed.

Unseen credit to one dad to manage bedtimes, one auntie to prevent everything from being a wreck, my own mum to orchestrate home-made popiah dinner. Truly a family project.