Flavor and Nutrition: Not Just Inside
This idea has a very sound basis when you know a little more
about citrus. While the interior of the fruit is certainly sweet and juicy, a
great deal of valuable flavor actually resides in the peel. It’s full of intensely
flavorful citrus oil. In fact, these oils impart most of the familiar
fragrance we associate with oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines,
and so on.
Not only that, citrus peel is extremely nutritious—a powerhouse,
if you will. Did you know that orange peel has 3 times as much vitamin C as the
flesh of the orange? It’s also high in the plant compounds known as
polyphenols, which are under serious study for their potential to prevent cancer.
Citrus peel is high in vitamins as well.
Pith and Seeds?
The “white stuff” (technically known as pith) has health benefits too! Pith is high in pectin, which contains both valuable fiber and a substance known as prebiotics. Prebiotics encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria—the “good guys”—that boost our immune system and keep our overall health strong.
What about citrus seeds? While not especially delicious,
citrus seeds are nontoxic and won’t harm you. You may not know that they also have a
traditional use in making marmalade. Like pith, seeds contain a lot of pectin, used as a preserves thickener. Here’s a fascinating page on how to use
citrus seeds to thicken jams and jellies.
But back to using the whole fruit…every last luscious bit. If
you are the proud owner of some oranges, tangerines, or grapefruits that you’d
like to use every part of, read on. These recipes use the entire fruit every time, to delicious effect. No waste....all taste!
Recipes That Use The Whole Fruit
First, marmalade—perhaps the most well-known “dish” to use
whole citrus fruit. This customizable recipe allows you to adjust to the type
of citrus you have and to tweak the flavor. I think rosewater-grapefruit sounds
pretty intriguing!
Cakes using the whole orange are quite popular, for good
reason. In this first option, 2-3 fresh oranges are pureed, peel and all, then mixed
with butter, flour, sugar, spices, eggs, and sour cream and baked up into a delicious
looking bundt cake.
In this second version, two large navel oranges are boiled
to soften them and gentle the flavor a bit, then mixed with ground almonds, sugar,
and eggs. This very moist and well-loved recipe is also gluten-free!
Here’s another way to use whole citrus in a cake—a tangerine
upside-down cake! In this recipe, six tangerines are sliced, skin and all, to
make a gorgeous caramelized topping to a rich cake.
Interested in something more savory? You’ll find many great
options involving roasted whole citrus and meats. This beautiful citrus and
herb roasted chicken, which uses 2 whole oranges and 2 whole lemons, brings the
flavors of a Mediterranean countryside to your home.
This showstopper roasted salmon is broiled topped with two
whole sliced tangerines and one sliced blood oranges.
Finally, for a surprisingly simple yet complex dish, why not
try roasting orange slices? They will get a bit caramelized and make a great
bite alongside bread and cheese. This isn’t something people are likely to have
had before.
You can also try mixing citrus types and even sprinkling
with herbs.
How about a chocolate roasted orange tart?
Enjoy every bit of your citrus dishes. When citrus is this good—we should eat it all!
