Archive for the ‘Fruits and Veggies’ Category
Lemons, limes and oranges might be the first fruits to come to mind when we think of citrus, but there are many varieties of citrus out there and they all have unique flavor profiles. Yuzu is a citrus fruit that resembles a smallish yellow grapefruit, with a somewhat bumpy rind. They have a unique flavor that is both tart and acidic, like a lemon, but also very floral, like lemon or orange blossoms. The fruit bear quite a bit of juice, but tend to have a lot of seeds, as well.
Yuzu are extremely hardy citrus and can thrive even in very cold temperatures. This typically means that a yuzu tree will bear fruit earlier in the winter than other citrus fruits, but the yuzu do fine in milder climates (as long as you’re in a citrus-friendly area) as well and can have a growing season that lasts through spring. Yuzu are not commonly seen in most markets, and Asian markets are usually the best place to find them. They’ve been becoming more popular over the past couple of years and you can also often spot them at farmers’ markets amongst the other citrus.
Yuzu juice can be used in any recipe that calls for lemon juice, including pies, cakes and tarts. Citrus fans will love the complex flavor of the yuzu and like the way that it stands out from other lemon recipes.
Rhubarb is a thick, celery-like plant with red stalks that can grow to be more than two feet long. The red and green stalks are the edible portion of the rhubarb and the leaves, which contain oxalic acid, are not edible. The color of the plant can vary widely from an extremely dark red to a pale reddish-green. Hothouse grown rhubarb tends to be lighter in color than field-grown rhubarb, and has a slightly milder flavor to it, though all rhubarb is extremely tart and has a bright, lemony flavor to it. Rhubarb is seasonal and is typically available from April – June, although it can be grown in hothouses (also known as “forced” rhubarb) for a longer growing season.
Rhubarb is classified as a fruit in the US, although it is botanically a vegetable, and is often used in the same culinary applications as berries and other fruits are. Rhubarb is not usually eaten raw, and is almost always cooked, baked or stewed with other ingredients. Since it is so tart, it requires that a lot of sugar be used to balance its flavor and that makes it a popular base for pies, cobblers, jams and preserves, all of which can handle a lot of sugar. Because of its tart flavor, rhubarb is also often paired with other red fruits, such as strawberries, to lend some additional sweetness to it.
When choosing rhubarb, look for crisp, unblemished stalks and leaves that look fresh, not wilted. Although you do not eat them along with the stalk, the leaves are still and good indicator for freshness.
Lemon curd is a thick, creamy spread that is made by cooking together lemon juice, egg yolks and sugar. Fresh lemon juice and sugar provide the flavor of the curd, while the egg yolks serve to thicken up the mixture as it cooks, just as eggs thicken up a cooked custard. Most curd recipes also call for butter to be added to the finished curd, just to add a little extra richness and an extra-silky mouthfeel. Lemon curd has a bright, sweet-tart lemon flavor. Other citrus fruits are often used to make variations on lemon curd, but you can also use purees from non-citrus fruits, such as raspberries and strawberries, to make other types of curd.
Lemon curd can be used for a variety of different things. The simplest way to use it is to spread it onto a homemade scone, into a crepe or onto a toasted English muffin. Folding some in to a plain batch of buttercream will make a delicious lemon frosting for a cake, and plain lemon curd can also be used as a filling for a cake, or as a sauce on the side. It can also be incorporated into a variety of recipes, including ice cream and tarts.
Marmalade is just as popular a topping for toast as jams, jellies and other fruit preserves are, and its strong orange flavor makes it a popular ingredient in some baked goods, as well. Marmalade is a jelly – a fruit preserve made from sugar and fruit juice, as opposed to fruit puree – that has pieces of fruit suspended it it. It is typically made with the juice, flesh and rind of oranges. Seville oranges, or bitter oranges, are the standard citrus used in marmalade (particularly in English marmalades) because their relatively high pectin content allows the preserve to set firmly and their distinctive bitter note is a pleasant contrast to the otherwise sweet orange juice.
While orange marmalade is the most common variety, marmalade can actually be made with other citrus fruits. This is great news for those who aren’t fans of the bitterness that many traditional marmalades contain. These blends – like the Three Fruit Marmalade pictured above – use sweet oranges, lemons, limes and even grapefruits to create a sweeter preserve that still has that zesty citrus flavor.
Alongside the big, decorative pumpkins typically used for making jack-o-lanterns around Halloween that they stock at most markets, you’ll also see smaller pumpkins with names like “sugar pumpkins” or “pie pumpkins.” Large pumpkins tend to have watery and stringy flesh, so they’re not a great choice for cooking with. Sugar pumpkins, on the other hand, are an excellent choice for cooking and baking applications. These smaller squashes have a firm, sweet flesh that is much smoother than that of larger pumpkins. They’re great for roasting, making soups and for making homemade pumpkin puree for pies, not just because they have a good pumpkin flavor, but also because their firmer and less stringy flesh roasts up to a much more pleasant consistency than that of a much larger pumpkin.
Sugar pumpkins are only about 6 to 8 inches in diameter and they will usually be labeled with “sugar pumpkin” or the name of another small variety of pumpkin, often with a note indicating that they’re the best choice for baking. From one pumpkin of this size, you’ll typically be able to get the same amount of puree that you do from a can of pumpkin (15-16 oz), or perhaps a little bit more.
