Lemon juice adds lightness and freshness to a dish, but it's the zest that brings pure, vibrant lemon flavour
I wonder which meaning of "zest" came first: youthful energy, vim and vigour, or the thin, outer layer of peel on a citrus fruit? Answers on a postcard, please. Not that it really matters. The point is that if you want to find a family of aromatic flavours that encapsulates feelings of effervescence and joie de vivre, look no further than the rind of our two most workaday citrus fruits, oranges and lemons.
Both are essential in my kitchen, lemons most of all. I use their juice day in, day out, but I also hanker after the zest. For while lemon juice contributes lightness and freshness to a dish, it's the zest that brings pure, vibrant lemon flavour. Lemon juice is sour and certainly fragrant, but the zest is much more deeply scented and layered. Often, the two work beautifully together, but sometimes the zest alone is what you want.
This unmistakable lemony depth comes from the potent essential oils in the zest. And this is what you need whenever you want a dish to be really lemony, rather than just really sharp. That applies in sweet contexts as much as in savoury ones. The best lemon tart, mousse, shortbread or drizzle cake are always the zestiest.
Releasing that fantastic flavour is simple, but it does need a little care. Use unwaxed fruit, if you possibly can. Wax is applied to citrus to create an appealing gloss and help it keep longer, but the wax is based on polyethylene, shellac or both, so I go for unwaxed fruit and take my chances on shelf life (lemons don't tend to hang around very long in my house, anyway). Choosing organic is one way to ensure a lemon is wax-free, but conventionally-grown, unwaxed lemons are also easy to find; if you can get only waxed fruit, dip them briefly in very hot water, then wipe with a clean cloth.
Thereafter, the trick is to release that lovely outer rind without picking up any of the spongy, white pith beneath. This is very bitter and will contaminate the zest's pure qualities. A sharp, fine grater will neatly remove the zest alone: make just one pass of the grater over the rind, turn the fruit a few degrees and grate again. Don't rub away at the same spot, or you'll inevitably take the pith.
You could also deploy one of those specialised lemon zesters with a row of little holes at the end that remove the zest in long ribbons, though they are really only worth using if you want the zest as decoration, because the strips are too thick and long to combine nicely into a mixture.
If you're zesting lemons but don't need all their juice, it's worth squeezing them anyway. Keep the juice in the fridge and use it to make a hot lemon and honey drink – this will, of course, be even more delicious if you add a little zest, too.
*Fried fish with very lemony mashed potato*
The mash is quite a surprise the first time you taste it, but you'll want to make it again. A shoo-in with fish, it's also very good with chicken or chops (lamb particularly). Serves four.
*2 tbsp olive oil*
*1 garlic clove, bashed*
*1-2 bay leaves (optional)*
*1 sprig fresh thyme (optional)*
*Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper*
*4 fillets sustainable white fish, such as haddock, coley, whiting or MSC-certified cod*
*1 large knob butter*
*Finely grated zest of 1 lemon*
For the lemony mashed potato
*500g floury potatoes, such as maris piper, peeled and cubed*
*1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole*
*Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper*
*100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for frying*
*Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon, and juice of 1-2 lemons*
For the mash, put the potatoes and garlic clove in a pan, cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until tender: 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water, and leave to dry in a colander for five to 10 minutes.
Pass the potatoes and the soft garlic clove through a ricer (or press through a fine sieve). Use a wooden spoon to combine the hot mash with the oil and some salt and pepper, then add the lemon zest and the juice of one lemon. Taste, and add more lemon juice, if you like, and enough of the cooking water to give the mash a loose, creamy consistency. Keep warm.
Heat the oil for the fish in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bashed garlic clove and the bay and/or thyme if using. When the garlic is sizzling, season the fish generously and lay skin side down in the pan. Cook for two to three minutes, then add a large knob of butter and the lemon zest. Turn down the heat a fraction and cook the fish for three to four minutes more, basting it with the pan juices.
Spoon a big dollop of the lemony potato on to four warm plates, lay the fish on top and spoon over any pan juices. Serve with a side salad.
*Chocolate and lemon zest fudge*
Cocoa and lemon share acidic, aromatic qualities that cut the richness of sugary, creamy fudge. Makes up to 40 small pieces.
*A few drops of sunflower oil*
*300g caster sugar*
*1 tbsp golden syrup*
*100g unsalted butter, cut into chunks*
*100ml double cream*
*50g sifted cocoa powder*
*Finely grated zest of 3 lemons*
*1 tsp flaky sea salt*
Very lightly oil a 15cm x 22cm baking dish. Put the sugar, syrup, butter and cream into a deep saucepan and heat gently (it will bubble up), stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved, then put a sugar thermometer into the pan and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture reaches 116C (soft-ball stage), then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Add the cocoa and the zest of two lemons, and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for a minute or two, until the fudge thickens, becomes slightly grainy and starts to come away from the base of the pan. Tip into the prepared dish and spread out. Sprinkle with the remaining zest and the flaky salt, leave for a few minutes to firm up, then mark it into small squares with a sharp knife, before leaving it to set completely – this will take three or so hours. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.
*Lemon tart*
In this classic tarte au citron, the zest is infused into the eggs, where it imparts its sparkling flavour before being strained out to leave a super-smooth, silky custard. Serves 12.
*4-6 medium-large, juicy lemons*
*4 large free-range eggs, plus 4 free-range egg yolks*
*250g caster sugar*
*150ml double cream*
*Icing sugar, to finish*
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
*200g plain flour*
*35g icing sugar*
*Pinch of salt*
*125g cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes*
*1 free-range egg yolk *
*2-3 tbsp cold milk (or water)*
For the pastry, put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and blitz briefly to combine (or sieve into a bowl). Add the butter and blitz (or rub in with your fingertips) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and just enough milk or water to bring it together into large clumps, then tip out on to a lightly floured surface, gently knead into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, start on the filling. Finely grate the zest of three of the lemons. Squeeze the juice from these lemons, strain into a measuring jug, and juice as many more lemons as you need to get 175-200ml juice.
Whisk the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar, then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes, then whisk one more time and leave to stand for another 10 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry fairly thinly and use it to line a 24cm tart tin, letting the excess hang over the sides. Prick the base with a fork. Line with baking parchment and baking beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, and bake for 10 minutes more, until the pastry is cooked and lightly golden. Trim the excess from the sides, and lower the heat to 150C/300F/gas mark 2.
Strain the filling into a clean bowl, skim off any froth and stir in the cream. Pour carefully into the pastry case and bake until barely set, with a slight wobble in the centre: 30-35 minutes. Leave to cool completely, and serve dusted with icing sugar. rivercottage.net for the latest news from River Cottage HQ. Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.
I wonder which meaning of "zest" came first: youthful energy, vim and vigour, or the thin, outer layer of peel on a citrus fruit? Answers on a postcard, please. Not that it really matters. The point is that if you want to find a family of aromatic flavours that encapsulates feelings of effervescence and joie de vivre, look no further than the rind of our two most workaday citrus fruits, oranges and lemons.
Both are essential in my kitchen, lemons most of all. I use their juice day in, day out, but I also hanker after the zest. For while lemon juice contributes lightness and freshness to a dish, it's the zest that brings pure, vibrant lemon flavour. Lemon juice is sour and certainly fragrant, but the zest is much more deeply scented and layered. Often, the two work beautifully together, but sometimes the zest alone is what you want.
This unmistakable lemony depth comes from the potent essential oils in the zest. And this is what you need whenever you want a dish to be really lemony, rather than just really sharp. That applies in sweet contexts as much as in savoury ones. The best lemon tart, mousse, shortbread or drizzle cake are always the zestiest.
Releasing that fantastic flavour is simple, but it does need a little care. Use unwaxed fruit, if you possibly can. Wax is applied to citrus to create an appealing gloss and help it keep longer, but the wax is based on polyethylene, shellac or both, so I go for unwaxed fruit and take my chances on shelf life (lemons don't tend to hang around very long in my house, anyway). Choosing organic is one way to ensure a lemon is wax-free, but conventionally-grown, unwaxed lemons are also easy to find; if you can get only waxed fruit, dip them briefly in very hot water, then wipe with a clean cloth.
Thereafter, the trick is to release that lovely outer rind without picking up any of the spongy, white pith beneath. This is very bitter and will contaminate the zest's pure qualities. A sharp, fine grater will neatly remove the zest alone: make just one pass of the grater over the rind, turn the fruit a few degrees and grate again. Don't rub away at the same spot, or you'll inevitably take the pith.
You could also deploy one of those specialised lemon zesters with a row of little holes at the end that remove the zest in long ribbons, though they are really only worth using if you want the zest as decoration, because the strips are too thick and long to combine nicely into a mixture.
If you're zesting lemons but don't need all their juice, it's worth squeezing them anyway. Keep the juice in the fridge and use it to make a hot lemon and honey drink – this will, of course, be even more delicious if you add a little zest, too.
*Fried fish with very lemony mashed potato*
The mash is quite a surprise the first time you taste it, but you'll want to make it again. A shoo-in with fish, it's also very good with chicken or chops (lamb particularly). Serves four.
*2 tbsp olive oil*
*1 garlic clove, bashed*
*1-2 bay leaves (optional)*
*1 sprig fresh thyme (optional)*
*Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper*
*4 fillets sustainable white fish, such as haddock, coley, whiting or MSC-certified cod*
*1 large knob butter*
*Finely grated zest of 1 lemon*
For the lemony mashed potato
*500g floury potatoes, such as maris piper, peeled and cubed*
*1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole*
*Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper*
*100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for frying*
*Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon, and juice of 1-2 lemons*
For the mash, put the potatoes and garlic clove in a pan, cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until tender: 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking water, and leave to dry in a colander for five to 10 minutes.
Pass the potatoes and the soft garlic clove through a ricer (or press through a fine sieve). Use a wooden spoon to combine the hot mash with the oil and some salt and pepper, then add the lemon zest and the juice of one lemon. Taste, and add more lemon juice, if you like, and enough of the cooking water to give the mash a loose, creamy consistency. Keep warm.
Heat the oil for the fish in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bashed garlic clove and the bay and/or thyme if using. When the garlic is sizzling, season the fish generously and lay skin side down in the pan. Cook for two to three minutes, then add a large knob of butter and the lemon zest. Turn down the heat a fraction and cook the fish for three to four minutes more, basting it with the pan juices.
Spoon a big dollop of the lemony potato on to four warm plates, lay the fish on top and spoon over any pan juices. Serve with a side salad.
*Chocolate and lemon zest fudge*
Cocoa and lemon share acidic, aromatic qualities that cut the richness of sugary, creamy fudge. Makes up to 40 small pieces.
*A few drops of sunflower oil*
*300g caster sugar*
*1 tbsp golden syrup*
*100g unsalted butter, cut into chunks*
*100ml double cream*
*50g sifted cocoa powder*
*Finely grated zest of 3 lemons*
*1 tsp flaky sea salt*
Very lightly oil a 15cm x 22cm baking dish. Put the sugar, syrup, butter and cream into a deep saucepan and heat gently (it will bubble up), stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved, then put a sugar thermometer into the pan and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture reaches 116C (soft-ball stage), then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Add the cocoa and the zest of two lemons, and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for a minute or two, until the fudge thickens, becomes slightly grainy and starts to come away from the base of the pan. Tip into the prepared dish and spread out. Sprinkle with the remaining zest and the flaky salt, leave for a few minutes to firm up, then mark it into small squares with a sharp knife, before leaving it to set completely – this will take three or so hours. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.
*Lemon tart*
In this classic tarte au citron, the zest is infused into the eggs, where it imparts its sparkling flavour before being strained out to leave a super-smooth, silky custard. Serves 12.
*4-6 medium-large, juicy lemons*
*4 large free-range eggs, plus 4 free-range egg yolks*
*250g caster sugar*
*150ml double cream*
*Icing sugar, to finish*
For the sweet shortcrust pastry
*200g plain flour*
*35g icing sugar*
*Pinch of salt*
*125g cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes*
*1 free-range egg yolk *
*2-3 tbsp cold milk (or water)*
For the pastry, put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and blitz briefly to combine (or sieve into a bowl). Add the butter and blitz (or rub in with your fingertips) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and just enough milk or water to bring it together into large clumps, then tip out on to a lightly floured surface, gently knead into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, start on the filling. Finely grate the zest of three of the lemons. Squeeze the juice from these lemons, strain into a measuring jug, and juice as many more lemons as you need to get 175-200ml juice.
Whisk the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar, then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes, then whisk one more time and leave to stand for another 10 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry fairly thinly and use it to line a 24cm tart tin, letting the excess hang over the sides. Prick the base with a fork. Line with baking parchment and baking beans. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans, and bake for 10 minutes more, until the pastry is cooked and lightly golden. Trim the excess from the sides, and lower the heat to 150C/300F/gas mark 2.
Strain the filling into a clean bowl, skim off any froth and stir in the cream. Pour carefully into the pastry case and bake until barely set, with a slight wobble in the centre: 30-35 minutes. Leave to cool completely, and serve dusted with icing sugar. rivercottage.net for the latest news from River Cottage HQ. Reported by guardian.co.uk 7 hours ago.