SEASONAL BITE

Don’t just make lemonade. There is a whole world of possibilities with that zangy fruit from salt-rimmed glasses of Margaritas to crispy skinned Lemon Roast Chicken to flaky Lemon Bars that melt in your mouth.

When I consider essential ingredients in my kitchens, lemons come up so often. Every kitchen is a bit brighter and the cooking possibilities more diverse with a bowl of lemons shining the way. They tend to make year round appearances in grocery stores, but this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere lemons often load down trees with their abundance. Just last night I sliced into a freshly clipped lemon and I was overwhelmed with the seriously intoxicating scent of lemons that sent me straight back to my childhood pulling up to my grandparent’s home in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Juicy juice
Packed with vitamin C, Lemons are an ever-ready healthy cooking assistant. Their natural citric acid can be used to keep fruits such as apples & avocados from browning. The juice can also help curdle milk for a quick buttermilk substitute or into cheese, ricotta or other dairy delights. Of course, the juice also adds a subtle amount of zing to salad dressings. And they highlight beverages from lemonade to ice teas to lemonchillo.

For the most juice, select lemons that feel heavy for their size. Give them a gentle squeeze and choose the ones that feel soft, but not squishy. A touch of green on them is just fine, but brown spots indicate they are starting to rot. Eat those fast or send them to the compost if they are too, too squishy. To bring out even more juice, if they were in the fridge, bring them up to room temperature (if you have the time) then roll and press it against a table.

Feeling zesty?
One of my favorite parts of the lemon is the delightful zest. The oils tight in the skin pack tons of flavor and can be added to dishes, especially baked goods, without increasing the acid or liquid in a dish.
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To use the zest, start with an organic lemon since the pesticides reside on this outer layer. My favorite tool for removing the zest is a microplane. If I do not have one handy I use a knife or vegetable peeler to thinly cut away the yellow skin, avoiding the white pith. Next, I finely mince the zest and use as called for in recipes.

At Lilly’s Table we have a few recipes this week that highlight the golden, tangy fruit. The juice & zest add the perfect balance of flavor to Lemon Date Bars. We also went a bit daring and minced a whole lemon, rind and all into a sassy topping of Caramelized Lemons & Pistachios. Next, if you subscribe to  Lilly’s Table Meal Planning Service search ‘lemon’ for over 100 different recipes where we utilize this beautiful fruit.

Seriously, what other fruit would serve so well at any time of the day? Whether in a beverage, snack bar, squeezed on crepes for breakfast, whipped into a salad dressing such as this Lemon Poppyseed Dressing, highlighting fresh fish or roasts, not too mention all of the heavenly desserts, lemons are a shining star that bring a little brightness, zip and love to every bite.

Cook seasonally. Eat consciously. Live well,

Chef Lilly