Right now, lemon trees all over the Bay Area are overloaded with fruit and it’s the perfect time of year to make the most of their bounty. Plus, who doesn’t need a little zing these days? Citrus adds a great dose of freshness to dishes and it’s the perfect ingredient to tide us over until the Spring vegetables arrive.
So I thought I’d share a few tips and some of my favorite recipes to make. First, lemons are a chef’s secret weapon. Great dishes rely on an interplay between sweet, salty, bitter, umami and sour. A bit of lemon is the perfect way to enhance a dish that needs a bit of acidity, without overpowering the star ingredients. Next, don’t shy away from using the whole fruit. Sometimes just a bit of the zest will add the key component to an otherwise flat-tasting dish. Use a rasp, such as the one made by Microplane, and be sure to avoid grating the bitter white pith. Also, be sure to use the zest right away, as it’s intense flavor will diminish quickly if you let it sit for too long. Finally, if you want to add a bright punch to your pan sauce, add a splash of lemon! Just be sure to add it at the very end, after you remove it from the heat.
Ready to put those humble little lemons to work? Here are a few of my favorite recipes to try:
With love,
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