Squeezing out every last bit...
Baking adjacent tips and tricks for making the most of your spent citrus.
Hello, welcome to newsletter no. 8. Thank you for taking the time to be here; in only a few weeks, this has become a place I look forward to being each week. Aside from being a cathartic process to empty one’s head of thoughts, ideas and musings, it also puts a metaphorical boot up one’s behind and forces me to organise the many recipes I have been developing and gathering over the last ten years.
To realise that an audience of folks read this weekly digest is the cherry on top. I hope it nourishes and inspires you with practical tips and tricks for your baking practice.
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If like me, you’ve been feeling zesty, juicing your way through the citrus season like there’s no tomorrow, then you’re going to want to know some nifty tips and tricks for making the most of every last drop of juice and strip of peel.
From candying to vinegar and cocktails, there are so many ways to use the whole of any citrus fruit. However, it’s worth noting that unwaxed organic citrus is best if you intend to use the whole fruit, free from chemical coats and nasties that will neither taste good nor do you good. Investing in good unwaxed, organic citrus is not inexpensive, but if you use it all beyond the juice and outer zest, you do get bang for your buck.
Candied Peel, Slices and Whole Fruits
With Hot Cross Bun season on the horizon, there is no better time to embrace the art of candying and all the joy that comes with it. Many people will claim to dislike candied peel in baked goods; maybe you’re one of them. However, making your own candied peel is a game changer and has become one of the essential skills I rely on in the bakery and home kitchen.
If you’ve been daunted by the idea of candying citrus or any fruit, then may I point you toward Candy Queen extraordinaire Camilla Wynne. I learnt everything I know about candying from Camilla and highly recommend her online workshops on the subject. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for her forthcoming book Nature’s Candy.
Setting aside the time to prepare the peel or whole fruit and keeping a careful eye on the process is the most challenging part. The right ratio of sugar to water, keeping the temperature low and going slow, makes for the most plump and glossy candied peel, capable of converting any naysayers with an aroma and flavour that you’ll want to put it in and on everything. Beyond sweet doughs such as hot cross buns, I love using chunks of candied peel in cookies, folding finely diced peel through creme patissiere and to decorate cakes and desserts.
Don’t sidestep the resulting syrup, which can be used as a cake soak and makes for a great glaze to add sweetness and shine to buns and pastries post-bake. You can even use it to top pancakes or French toast and to sweeten tea or cocktails.
Citrus Vinegar
Limes are one of the most intense citrus varieties; their size belies their flavour and aroma, which is inexhaustible. They’re tricky to juice if only using your hands, so instead of getting too hung up on the fact I can’t extract every drop, I toss the halves into a jar and cover them with good quality apple cider vinegar. Leave them to steep, and within a day or two, you have an infused vinegar that comes into its own when used in dressings, marinades, shrubs, and yes, that’s right…cocktails. I’ll be sharing the recipe for one of my go-to cocktails with subscribers to the Extra Credit portion of the newsletter; it makes excellent use of candied citrus syrup and citrus-infused vinegar.
Freeze Peel
I freeze any juiced citrus that remains unzested to candy in a large batch at a later date, and at this time of year, the frugality can lead to an overwhelming amount of frozen citrus halves taking up far too much freezer space. So when I stumbled across this article on Epicurious, it was a revelation. Why hadn’t I thought of it before!?! It’s well worth a read, but the gist of it is…use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest in large strips and store it in the freezer. The frozen strips have many great applications, from sprucing up a glass of water to infusing your next batch of rice or brothy beans.
Once finely chopped, it can be used in cakes and cookies, simply add it at the creaming stage or infuse it into hot milk and cream when making custard. Finely slicing the strips to combine with herbs and breadcrumbs for gremolatas is something I’ll be doing, the perfect garnish for soups, stews and pasta dishes. All in all, this technique is a much more versatile way of saving the zest if you already have plenty of candied peel stashed away, plus the strips take up so much less space in the freezer.
If you have any favourite ways to get the most out of the citrus season, feel free to share them in the comments, I’d love to hear them.
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