FOODIE FRIDAY -- L is for LEMONS

vintage lemon shaped cutting board from www.kultur.etsy.com

I have been SUPER busy, and a bit under-the-weather. As a result, I missed posting last week, and for that, I apologize.

This week, I pay homage to the LEMON. That beautiful, yellow citrus fruit. In my cooking, it is absolutely INDISPENSABLE!!! I add its tart juice, or pungent zest to so many dishes...I would be lost without my LEMONS.....I LOVE to add lemon zest for a bit of ZING to MANY dishes.

excerpt From whatscookingamerica.net:

How To Zest Lemons:
Zest is the outer colored portion of the citrus peel. Freshly grated orange, lime or lemon zest packs a flavor wallop no bottles dried zest can match.

Use a citrus zester (available in the kitchen specialty shops) to obtain long, thin strands of citrus zest. A zester has five tiny cutting holes that create threadlike strips of peel.

Press firmly as you draw the zester down along the skin of the fruit. For continuous strips of zest, begin at one end of the fruit, and cut in a spiral around and down.

If you do not have a zester, use a vegetable peeler or a small, sharp knife. You will also note that many recipes call for grated zest or peel. In this case, use a cheese grater to remove the peel. When removing the skin from lemons or other citrus fruits, be sure to take only the thin outer zest or colored portion. The white pith will give your dish a bitter under taste.

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Glass lemon reamer from atasteforvintage.etsy.com