Under the Citrus Sun
Spring has sprung, the clocks have been adjusted and we are all feverishly dusting blinds and line drying linens. The signs everywhere that warm weather is not far behind and that the sun will soon shine upon us all. Oh, please let it be soon! The signs of spring take a bit longer to arrive at our grocer, however, and if you are like me, your creativity is surging and you want to cook. Perhaps entertain a few friends and make plans for the new season or maybe just prepare a special dish for your partner or family to celebrate the new additions to the garden. In any case there is always one faithful standby that remains affordable, bright and a crisp addition to early spring cooking. Citrus!
There are many ways to use citrus from the most basic techniques such as juicing or zesting to preserving or cooking. I have a few favorites and they are all quick, simple and may even satisfy your inner sun worshiper. Citrus has so many inspiring qualities from its color to its scent or its complexity of flavor, crisp nature and slight acidity. The best way to approach citrus is to simply peel and eat and get inspired. I remember being a pre-teen and my Aunt Mary and I would taxi or bus to her job at Children’s hospital in Washington, D.C where I had a volunteer job. In those days her office was in a dark, windowless room on 13th and U Street, but they were happy times and we would make the best of the lack of light in little ways. One of our favorites was to bring tangerines or navel oranges from the International Safeway grocery store and sit at her desk and peel them slowly and enjoy not just the fruit itself but the scent and we would comment all afternoon about the amazing smell from the rinds. A little sunshine goes a long way.
When there is an abundance of fruit, such as winter when you can purchase crates from your church or local charity it is best to try some techniques for preserving. Preserved lemons are not extremely complicated to prepare, although they take some time to pickle, so you could begin there. These beauties will heighten the flavor of any food and are perfect with roasts or traditional Moroccan stews. I’m going to begin here with a simpler version of preserved lemons or preserved lemon rinds. Simply remove the piths or white areas by scraping and place in a clean jar with a cover and fill with salt. It takes about 3 weeks to turn them leathery and ready to use. In order to use them, you need to soak them in water for 3 hours changing the water 2 or 3 times. Of course, the fastest and simplest way to use the rind is by incorporating a zester or micro plane tool to remove the fresh zest. In a pinch you could use a vegetable peeler for large zest and chop with your chef’s knife. This fresh rind would be perfect to brighten a risotto in the case of lemons.
Tapenade is another classic condiment that uses citrus zest and juice and lasts quite a while in a clean jar in your fridge. This is the perfect accompaniment to a cocktail (especially a perfectly dry martini) with crostini or water crackers. Tossed with pasta, either hot with prawns, perhaps, or cold with some artichoke hearts from your pantry, this condiment creates a sophisticated and quick meal. To prepare pit and chop Kalamatta olives, add capers, orange and lime juice with the zest. I prefer to reduce my juices in a pan to almost a syrup. To make this dish even more complex add some Pernod while reducing. Add the zest to the warm syrup off the heat to release even more of the essential oils. It is simple, elegant and home made.
A lemon brodetto is perfect with fish or scallops. You can prepare the brodetto up the point where you add the fresh mint and keep in the fridge until you need it. To prepare simply sauté shallots in a pan with a bit of olive oil. And lemon (or other citrus) juice and zest then slightly reduce. Off heat add the fresh mint or other herb you have on hand. There are many variations of this simple sauce. When cooking for children I often sweeten this with orange juice. I also add fresh tomato and clear tomato juice when I have an overflow in the summer. I adjust the herb to something from the garden, thyme perhaps, and make a bright tomato-lemon broth that can be served with grilled fish atop an orzo salad.
Rejuvenate the Palate with Citrus
My favorite citrus fruits are the key lime and grapefruit. I spent a few winters in the Florida Keys and yes, they do grow on trees there. The key lime is complex and has a lot of acidity which mellows a bit as it ripens. Key lime pie is perhaps the best known use of this tiny yellow and bright green gem and it’s hard to top a perfect key lime pie. In order to make mine special, however, I do often prepare individual pastry shells and serve the pie filling, enriched with whipped cream almost like a mousse, with a seasonal berry coulis which is really just a slowly cooked reduction of fruit with sugar. In the summer I leave a few whole 
fruits out of the coulis for garnish. Another common use for key limes was mojitos cocktails with rum, key lime juice, sugar and mint when mint was abundant. It’s a Cuban classic, perfect for warm weather and after all Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba!
And who could not love a grapefruit? My same Aunt Mary had lovely serrated grapefruit spoons and they made eating a grapefruit such a treat. Although we never did it, I have seen many 1950’s cookbooks and hostess books where a grapefruit was bruleed. It’s a French term that means torched or broiled with a layer of sugar. I prefer my grapefruit these days with fish or as a salad. My most common use of grapefruit this time of the year requires that you to segment the fruit. This is a simple task with a good chef’s knife. First wash and zest your fruit. Then on a steady surface evenly remove an even layer of the top and bottom of the fruit so that it would sit steadily on cutting board either way. Then starting at the top remove the outer skin and inner pith in sections. Then, over a wide bowl begin removing segments leaving the membrane connected to the center of the fruit. This way you can preserve the juice and perfect segments in your bowl. Add shaved, raw fennel, some pitted olives and fresh herbs. This is the perfect salad with an oily fish such as salmon due to the acidity and crisp texture.
No matter how you utilize the bright flavors of Citrus I am sure you will be hooked! There is something so sensuous about an ingredient that is perfectly scented, beautiful, bright and dripping with juice. If you ever doubt the complexity of flavors or the depth of citrus I have a simple experiment. Light a candle and take your citrus skin which you have removed from the fruit. Squeeze the outside rind into the flame and watch the flame intensify. These are the fruits essential oils. What other food carries such an array of flavors, textures and intensities? Just try it. I assure you, the creative sparks will fly.
