When life gives you lemons

use in stir-fries and marinades.

After measuring for a recipe, I often have a pinch or two of zest on the cutting board. I tuck that into granulated sugar and use the resulting perfumed sweetener in any baking project, but especially muffins. Or I stir zest into kosher salt with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to DIY a sprinkle for chicken, salad or slices of avocado.

Juice shouldn’t go to waste, either. When you’re zesting fruit for a recipe, squeeze and freeze the juice. Use an ice cube tray to hold two-tablespoon portions. A cube can give sauce or soup zing, ice down a glass of sparkling water or activate fruit’s natural pectin in a jam recipe. Juice and zest combine with eggs and butter to make curd. While lemon curd is the go-to, I also like to use pink grapefruit, cara caras, Key limes and blood oranges. The delicious spread turns up between layers of cake or atop a cream biscuit served with afternoon tea. Make curd now, freeze it in jars (leave about an inch of head space) and it will keep for six months.

Looking for a savoury option? Preserving lemons in salt is de rigueur in Mediterranean cuisine, and I like to preserve limes in salt, as well. I quarter the fruit vertically, fill the centres with kosher salt and pack them into a clean glass jar, pressing down to encourage their natural juices to cover the fruit. (Supplement with additional juice, as needed.)

After a week in a cool, dark spot, the citrus has softened and pickled slightly. After a month, it’s even better. Citrus preserved in salt is shelf-stable if thoroughly submerged in the juice, although its colour might fade.

I chop the preserved rind for a piquant addition to poultry and fish. I add chopped preserved lime rind to elevate black bean soup.

Before the season ends, I make sure to put up a few jars of lemon squash, intensely flavoured with lemon oil, zest and juice. A squash is an old recipe, named for an Indian concentrate of fruit juices. Squashes show up in British preserving books from the early 20th century. A pre-sweetened concentrate, it makes exceptional lemonade and it’s a pantry wonder, stirred into tea, sparkling water, wine or bourbon. I make a version with ginger; when a cold is coming on, I put a glug into a hot toddy for a soothing tipple. Make a version with lime, and you’ll be ready for margarita season. When I can find exotic citrus, that’s a bonus. Buddha’s hand has little juice but copious zest, which can be confited (cooked slowly in sugar syrup) and held in the fridge to scent tropical cocktails. The zest and juice of yuzu (a Japanese fruit that can be ordered online) combine for an exquisite flavouring for gumdrops or for the fancier pâte de fruits. Kumquats can be pickled. Key limes and shortbread are best friends. Citrus likes savoury or sweet, and the opportunities to preserve are numerous. – The Washington Post