Ingredient: Citrus

From lemons to pomelos, these winter fruits liven up the kitchen

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CITRUS BASICS

Buying: Look for blemish-free fruit that feels heavy for its size. Finer pores, as opposed to bumpy and craggy ones, tend to contain more juice. Both juice and zest can be frozen.

Cooking: Citrus juice lends acidity and sweetness to everything from salads to dessert. But don’t overlook the zest, which brings a more rounded flavor to dishes thanks to the oils in the fruit’s outermost layer.

JUICY FRUIT

Citrus season arrives when we need it most, delivering sunshine via vitamin C in the dead of winter. There are three main citrus species within the larger family — mandarin, pomelo and citron — though selective and natural breeding have led to dozens of varieties.

AROUND RVA

Crescent Simples: Available online and at local markets, the grapefruit and rosemary simple syrup is perfect in a gimlet.

Little Nickel: Lacquered in an orange-honey-ginger glaze, the Salmon L'Orange cozies up next to garlicky bok choy and fluffy rice.

Gersi: Surpassing the sum of its parts — pasta, lemon, Parmigiano-Reggiano and butter — Gersi's pasta al limone is sultry, simple and special.

“I love the brightness lemon zest gives a finished product, and a little goes a long way.” —Ingrid Schatz, owner of Axelsdotter Bakery 

COOK LIKE A LOCAL

Lemon-elderflower Thumbprint Cookies

By Ingrid Schatz, owner of Axelsdotter bakery 

Ingrid Schatz of Axelsdotter bakery calls citrus zest her “secret ingredient.” For her lemon-elderflower thumbprint cookies, Schatz uses both the zest and the juice to bring big lemony flavor to the floral curd. Her recipe produces a little extra curd, which should absolutely be used to top biscuits and ice cream, or tucked inside crepes for a special treat.

Makes 16 cookies, plus extra lemon curd

Lemon Elderflower Curd

1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tablespoons elderflower cordial

6 tablespoons butter

Mix together the lemon juice, zest, sugar and eggs in a small saucepan. Whisking constantly over low to medium heat, cook the mixture until it thickens and the first bubble forms. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and elderflower cordial. I like to use an immersion blender at this point to ensure the curd is as smooth as possible. Once the butter is incorporated, transfer to a container and cover with plastic wrap in contact with the surface. Chill for one hour before use.

Buttery Thumbprint Cookie

15 tablespoons butter, soft

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup potato starch

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients until a smooth dough forms. Transfer the dough to a clean workspace and roll it into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and press onto a lined cookie sheet with the palm of your hand. Make an indentation in the center of the cookie with your thumb or with the back of a teaspoon measure to ensure even sizing throughout. Gently spoon or pipe the lemon elderflower curd into the indentation in each cookie. Bake 12-14 minutes or until the edges have barely started to turn golden. Store covered and eat within three days.