We're deep into a lemon kick right now, so we thought we'd take a moment to craft an ode to our current favorite darling. We just can't seem to get enough of that clean, tart flavor! How do you use lemon zest in your cooking?
Lemon juice has long been one of our secret ingredients for perking up dishes and adding a balancing splash of acidity. But it wasn't until this current bout of lemon obsession that we truly started appreciating lemon zest for itself. It's so versatile! Zest feels equally appropriate in a marinade for fish, a pasta salad, or a summery fruit dessert.
Zest has a certain depth that the juice lacks. In a simmered sauce or a braise like Jamie Oliver's chicken, lemon zest mellows out and adds an almost floral note. Grated over the top of a finished pasta dish, the zest heats up just enough to perfume the entire plate.
We've also been zesting lemons directly into our salads. The raw zest definitely has a more upfront flavor, but we love the bitter zing we get in every bite. It's especially nice when paired with a robust, fruity olive oil.
And of course, zest is essential for making truly lemony desserts, like our lemon ice cream and lemon spongettes. Those made with just the juice seem to somehow lack true lemony-ness, but just a few teaspoons of zest add exactly the depth and lemon flavor that we're looking for.
Are you a fan of lemon zest?
Related: Tip: Five Ways to Use Naked Lemons
(Image: Flickr member foodista licensed under Creative Commons)
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Mmm, lemon juice lemon zest, butter, parmesan cheese gently heated to create a sauce and served over pasta and fresh peas . . . my absolute favorite quick dinner.
i love lemon zest - i use it in many, many things. one of my favorite, easy weeknight dinners is lemony pasta. 2 cloves of garlic smashed and heated in a generous knob of butter or olive oil, with the zest of a lemon, a glug of white wine and a pinch of red pepper flakes over pasta (usually spaghetti) topped with chopped parsley or cilantro and a shower of parmesan. so good.
I love lemon zest in risotto, especially paired with cremini mushrooms and leeks. (Although what I really love to do with that dish is add finely chopped preserved lemon for even more zing.)
Lemon zest (or any other citrus zest) over steamed carrots, in a pot of rice, in the vodka creation of the week, on orzo, over chicken dishes of all cooking method, on asparagus....I can't think of anything that won't benefit from a quick zest.
I like to add it to a cold grated carrot salad with dill and lemon juice and olive oil.
I love lemon zest. Does it freeze well? I've been curious for those times when I only need the juice. I hate to waste the zest.
I have been using lemons so frequently that I've started buying the 5 lb bag of them at Costco, because it's only around $4. They last for a while too. I use the juice and the zests in many things. Great for marinating chicken. Love it in baked goodies or frozen desserts.
Oh, my, yes. Lemon zest actually has more lemon flavor than juice, shockingly enough. All the oils are concentrated in the skin. And occasionally, I find lemon juice a little harsh; lemon zest is somehow softer.
I love it - it adds a little zing and brightness that you just can't get any other way. I can't really think of anything lemon zest doesn't go on!
http://www.abreadaday.com
I love lemon zest! I put it in anything that calls for lemon juice, like salad dressing, lemon pound cakes, and this new favorite: oven-baked potatoes with lemon zest and rosemary and/or thyme.
I love lemon zest in my blueberry pancakes. I don't use syrup for it. Instead a spritz of lemon juice and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
please use organic lemons, "regular" lemons are usually dyed to look more attractive, and they can get away with using carcinogenic dye because it's only on the peel, which isn't considered part of the fruit. stupid, i know.
jamie oliver's lemon milk chicken. yum.
My favourite oh so simple way to use it lately is to add it to a simple vinaigrette along with lemon juice as the acid. The lemon zest adds so much flavour that I've never had so many people ask "what's in this dressing".
Also check out my tip on how to get all the zest and oil off the zester when using it in baking!
www.lemontart.ca
Lemon bars, lemon pound cake with lemon glaze and inside a roasted chicken (with garlic, kosher salt, pepper and fresh thyme)!
I have a bottle of lemon liqueur that I use to flavor a pound cake, in addition to adding lemon zest. The original recipe was a blue ribbon winner at the State Fair of Texas, and calls for lemon extract (and buttermilk) It's a winner for me--- every time I bake it. Thick golden crust and dense fragrant cake with a velvety crumb.
Everything! But especially in
lemon yogurt mousse: http://www.deborah.org/consumer/jimcoleman/desserts/LemonYogurtMousse.html
Salad Dressings
And I second tariqata's mention of risotto. There is almost no risotto recipe that's not immensely improved by the zest and juice of 1 lemon added just at the end of cooking.
Love it. I use it for salad dressing (with some good olive oil, lemon juice and maybe a little dijon), I use it for lemon scented breadcrumbs ( olive oil & garlic salt) to top fish filets which i then bake, as flavor for a quinoa salad, etc.