Garnishing with Citrus

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:  

• 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.

Scored Citrus Slices

 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. 

* I did not have a citrus stripper or tip of grapefruit spoon, so I attempted to do my best with a small knife. This resulted in a thicker and a bit messier model than the TLC one.
 

Soups that Work with Citrus Garnishes

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