When I’m thinking about creating delicious food, I can’t imagine doing so without citrus. Limes and lemons are essential to many of my favorite recipes.
My spawn is the same way. Mr. 47 and Mr. 12 can’t get enough Garlic Lime Chicken None of us can get enough Beer Can Chicken, which includes slices of lime shoved under a bird skin. Lemon is crucial in my shrimp pasta recipe. Luscious Lemon bars are in regular rotation here.
Now I have another cookbook to feed our addiction: “Citrus” by Valerie Aikman Smith & Victoria Pearson ($19.95 Ten Speed Press.)*
“Citrus” is a cook’s book. Smith doesn’t wax poetic about the joys of citrus. She gets to the business of preparing dishes with citrus and offers tips about each kind of citrus fruit.
The book is divided into chapters with each devoted to a different fruit, such as lime, lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine and “the rest,” which refers to yuzu, kumquat and citron.
There are several recipes in each of the following categories:
Breakfast
Starters
Mains
Salads, Soups & Sides
Desserts
Drinks
Pantry Staples
I’m most excited about trying recipes for pantry staples, including Preserved Limes and Orange Bitters. Making my own bitters for cocktails has been on my to-do list for a few years now. There are also simple recipes for citrus oil and citrus salt.
One of the highlights of the book are the bright shots of food, styled simply. Victoria Pearson is the photographer. Most of the recipes are illustrated with a photo.
I’ll probably try the Lime and Chile Salted Almonds first followed by perhaps a main dish of Linguine with Clams and Lime. There’s a recipe for Dark Chocolate Waffles with Maple Kumquats, which looks really great.
Keep in mind that if you’re in rural New England or any rural area, you may not be able to try as many of the recipes. There are several recipes for citrus fruits that I just can’t easily get in rural Maine, like citron and yuzu.
Here’s what the publisher says:
A visually stunning collection of 75 inventive, foolproof recipes that highlight the use of citrus.
This sunny, citrus-infused collection showcases lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, and limes as well as out-of-the-ordinary kumquats, pomelos, Buddha’s hand, and yuzu in everything from breakfast to dinner, drinks to dessert. Seventy-five delicious, foolproof recipes include Tangerine Sticky Ribs, Burnt Sugar Meyer Lemon Tart, Citrus Crisps, and Havana Mojitos, while beautiful photography captures the essence of citrus on the plate. From miniature clementines to aromatic makrut limes, delicate Meyer lemons to ruby-hued grapefruits, the zesty,
tangy flavors of Citrus will brighten up both your kitchen and your cooking.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
