by Lynn Greene
It’s peak season for citrus
Oranges, lemons best buy right now
Oranges, tangerines, grapefruits and lemons are in season
right now, and usually that means they are reasonably priced
as well. The majority of oranges come from California and
Florida; generally, the Florida oranges are thin-skinned
and very juicy (juice oranges), while oranges from California
have a thicker rind and are better for eating (naval oranges).
Choose oranges and tangerines that are heavy for their
size; if it seems light, it may be old and dehydrated.
Color is not always the best indicator of flavor, since
the rind can be dyed. Store the fruits either in the fridge
or on the counter for up to two weeks. Fruits maintained
at room temperature will juice better than refrigerated
ones.
The acidity of lemons is what makes it essential in many
culinary preparations. Lemon juice can be used to “cook”
the seafood in ceviche, offer balance in rich sauces and
soups, create refreshing beverages and be fermented into
an alcoholic beverage like limoncello. The lemon zest makes
a great flavoring agent in sweet and savory dishes, while
the rinds from thick-skinned lemons are great for making
candied lemon peel.
Zest, by the way, can be made from any citrus fruit. It
is the colored part of the rind — the inner part is called
the pith and is bitter. When a recipe calls for zest, you
can grate the lemon or orange lightly to remove the zest.
Once you’ve grated the zest, you can still use the fruit
to eat or to squeeze for juice.
Orange pork chops
— Recipe courtesy of Sunkist.
6 pork chops, 3/4 inch thick
salt
black pepper
milk
flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. allspice, ground
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. orange zest
3/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsps. honey
2 oranges, peeled
2 Tbsp. green onions, sliced
Wipe chops with damp paper towel to dry. Dip chops in
shallow bowl of milk. In separate bowl, combine flour,
salt and pepper. Coat chops lightly with flour mixture.
Heat oil in large skillet, brown chops on both sides.
Combine allspice, citrus juices and peel. Pour over meat.
Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes and uncovered for 10 more
minutes.
Remove chops from skillet to warm serving dish. Peel oranges
and cut off each end, then slice each orange into three
thick slices. Blend honey into pan juices; add orange slices
and glaze briefly on each side.
Top each pork chop with an orange slice, pour over remaining
sauce and sprinkle with green onions. Serve at once.
Lemon squares
— From Martha Stewart’s collection of online recipes and
my favorite lemon square (so far).
Makes 24 2-inch squares
Crust:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
3/4 tsp. salt
Filling:
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
3 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, (about 4 lemons)
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- by 13-inch glass baking
dish; line dish with waxed paper.
For crust: Cut butter, flour, powdered sugar and salt
together until combined and mixture looks crumbly. Pour
into baking dish and press evenly onto bottom with your
hands. Chill crust in freezer 15 minutes. Bake until slightly
golden, 16 to 18 minutes.
For filling: Whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, and salt
until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and milk.
Remove crust from the oven and pour filling mixture over
hot crust. Reduce oven temperature to 325 F and bake until
filling is set and edges are slightly golden brown, about
18 minutes. Removes from oven and let cool completely on
a wire rack.
Grip paper; lift out dessert, and set on cutting board.
With a sieve, dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.
— Lynn Greene is senior editor for Community Shoppers Inc., which publishes this paper. Con-tact her at lgreene@communityshoppers.com. |
