Citrus On The Menu and In the News

Chefs around the country use citrus to add flavor and freshness to a variety of menu items. To inspire you to create your own dishes enlivened by fresh citrus, here are a few dishes featured in recent foodservice industry publications:

Lemon, Lemon, Lemon – a spectacular multi-tiered dessert created by renowned pastry chef, Sherry Yard. Longtime pasty chef at Spago in Beverly Hills and winner of Bon Appétit’s Pasty Chef of the Year in 2000 and The James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2002. Chef Yard’s creation rises from the plate with a rectangle of Coconut Lemon Cake brushed with Lemon Syrup topped with another rectangle of cake and more syrup. Lemon Sabayon comes next, crowned with Lemon Gelato and a Coconut Wafer. Source: Pastry Chef Arts & Design, June/July 2005 issue featuring The 10 Best Pastry Chefs in America.

Crab Cakes Topped with Blood Orange Aïoli – Ann Conness, executive chef at the Los Angeles unit of the Napa Valley Grille chain, switches the citrus used in her crab cake dish with the seasons. When blood oranges aren’t available she switches to tangerines, after that Meyer lemons. "Any citrus heightens the flavor, giving it complexity," she says. Plus the citrus color added to her basic aïoli is "really pretty as a dollop on top of anything." Source: July 2005 Supplement on "Creative Condiments" from Restaurants & Institutions magazine.

Blueberry Orange Chicken Salad – Susan’s Healthy Gourmet delivers nutritious meals like "Blueberry Orange Chicken Salad" to customers throughout southern California. The salad features leafy greens, blueberries, fresh orange slices and blue cheese topped with grilled chicken breast. Source: Flavor & the Menu, Summer 2005.

Barbequed Veal Shoulder with Green Apple and Caraway Slaw – this hearty sandwich recipe from Chef Heather Terhune, Atwood Café, Chicago, IL is slathered with Summer Ale Molasses Barbeque Sauce. The unique barbeque sauce features orange juice, brewed coffee, beer, molasses, tomatoes and lots of spices. Source: July 2005, Restaurant Hospitality magazine.

Cara Cara Orange and Bibb Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette and Manchego Cheese – Chef-Partner Michael Romano of Union Square Café, New York City, recommends using blood (moro) oranges in this colorful salad when cara cara navel oranges are not available. Source: Plate magazine, July/August 2005.