Garnishing with citrus. Maybe not that first idea that would come to mind when finishing off a soup, but one that actually has numerous possibilities to enhance a soup and I'm not just talking about making your soup look pretty. The citrus family—oranges, limes, lemons, etc make up a group of acidic fruits that can be squeezed directly into a soup in order to balance certain ingredients and flavors in your soup, as well as solely for decorative purposes. I found a very detailed tutorial from TLC Cooking as featured on How Stuff Works about Citrus Garnishes. I tried the citrus peel, garnish loop and the scored citrus slices. Check out how they came out and the step-by-step tutorial from TLC Cooking:
Reprinted from How to Garnish by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine as featured on TLC Cooking:
Candied Citrus Peel
To candy citrus peel garnishes:
- Wash fruit; dry thoroughly. Cut strips of peel from fruit with vegetable peeler.
- Place the strips of peel on cutting board. If necessary, scrape cut side of peel with paring knife to remove white membrane.
- Cut peel into very thin strips.
- Combine equal amounts of sugar and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Boil 3 minutes. You will need about 1-1/2 cups each of granulated sugar and water for each piece of whole fruit.
- Carefully add strips of peel to boiling mixture.
- Reduce heat to low. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until peel turns completely translucent.
- Place wire strainer or sieve over bowl. Spoon strips of peel into strainer or sieve; drain thoroughly.
- Add additional sugar to a re-sealable plastic food storage bag. Add strips of peel; seal bag. Shake until strips are evenly coated with sugar. Remove strips from bag; place on waxed paper to dry thoroughly.
- Garnish as desired.
Citrus Knots
To tie citrus knot garnishes:
- Wash citrus fruit; dry thoroughly. Cut strips of peel from fruit with vegetable peeler.
- Place the strips of peel on cutting board. If necessary, scrape cut side of peel with paring knife to remove white membrane.
- Cut strips into 3-1/2 X 1/8-inch pieces.
- Tie each piece into a knot.
- Garnish as desired.
Citrus Loop
To make citrus loop garnishes:
To make citrus loop garnishes:
- Wash citrus fruit; dry thoroughly. Place fruit on cutting board; cut crosswise into thin slices with utility knife.
- Cut each slice in half crosswise.
- Carefully cut each half slice between peel and fruit with paring knife to loosen peel from fruit, cutting about three-fourths around the inside of the peel. (Fruit should remain attached to about one-fourth of the length of the peel.)
- Holding free end of peel, carefully curl it under, tucking it up against attached part of peel.
- Garnish as desired.
To score citrus slice garnishes:
- Wash citrus fruit; dry thoroughly. Cut a shallow groove into the peel with citrus stripper or tip of grapefruit spoon, cutting lengthwise from stem end to other end.
- Continue to cut grooves about 1/4 inch apart until completely around fruit.
- Place fruit on cutting board; thinly slice crosswise with paring knife.
- Garnish as desired.
Limes:
- Black Bean Soup
- Corn Soup
- Tortilla Soup
- Avocado Soup
- Pumpkin Soup
- Coconut Soup
Lemons:
- Chicken Rice Soup
- Lemon Orzo Soup
- Fish-based soup
Oranges:
- Carrot Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Apple Soup
What type of citrus garnishes have you used and on what type of soup?
Seriously Soupy Serena
Seriously brilliant and novel!! We have a lemon tree... ah, new inspiration!! Thanks for posting this great information.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Serena. I love using lemon to brighten up so many things. And I recently discovered that orange pairs well with garlic which might go well with one of these soup recommendations.
ReplyDeleteI love the focus on one area of food. Great concept!
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