Festival brings lemon into limelight.
Chef inspired by love for a versatile fruit
I love interviewing chefs. They seem to easily hold two distinct viewpoints on food in the palm of their scarred hands — one romantic and creative, and one that’s strictly practical.
So it was with chef Christophe Ithurritze of Sage restaurant at the River Cree. When asked what inspired him to create a Lemon Festival during the month of April at the restaurant, he didn’t hesitate.
“We’re in between seasons, and people are tired of beets,” says Ithurritze, who arrived at Sage nearly four years ago after years spent honing his craft in Las Vegas.
But then, a little later, he confessed that he loved lemons because they are one of the few foods perfect for use as both a scent, and a flavour. This charmed me to no end. Of course. A scent (sharp and yellow and clean) and a flavour (sometimes sweet, sometimes tart, always bright).
But lemons have other compelling properties, according to chef.
Lemons bring out the natural flavours of other foods, and as a citrus fruit, they are dripping with healthy vitamin C. There is little waste in a lemon — you can use the pulp, the juice and the zest. (Even the bitter pith, if blanched repeatedly, can be used in a candied lemon peel.)
Deglaze a pan with lemon juice, garlic and a little white wine, and you have a perfect sauce for fish or chicken. And don’t get chef started on lemonade, which his mother used to make fresh in the summer in the Basque area of France, where Ithurritze was born and raised.
“Lemons are a very affordable product, and you can find them anywhere,” says Ithurritze.
Rest assured, therefore, that if you come to the restaurant’s celebration of the lemon on Thursday, April 25, you will see the fruit in all its dazzling dimensions, starting with a scallop ceviche, and followed by a Meyer lemon orzo with crispy langostinis.
Next on the plate will be the first of the season’s fresh halibut, seared and served with preserved lemons. Lemon capers stud the breaded veal cutlets next in line, and a sweet lemon couscous with diced strawberries and white chocolate completes the effort. Watch for liberal use of lemon grass, limoncello and lemon mint.
For the evening, chef has ordered in several different varieties of lemons for use in different dishes, some of them quite exotic. The Buddha Hand lemon, which is as big as a fist with many fingers rather than a smooth, continuous surface, has very little pulp, but a generous amount of zest. It will be featured on the lemon-crusted halibut. Ithurritze’s ceviche uses fermented yuzu lemon juice, which he purchased at T and T Foods. For home use, he recommends Meyer lemons for their sweetness in a dessert dish, such as lemon curd.
For reservations or information about the Lemon Festival, one in a series of special, single-ingredient focused meals held regularly at Sage, call 780930-2636.
SCALLOPS C EVICHE
Chef Ithurritze made me one of these appetizers, and it was amazing. He uses fermented yuzu lemon juice, but it’s expensive at about $60 for a small bottle. I’ve included a substitute in the recipe, but if money is no object, try the yuzu. The fermented flavour of the lemon is remarkable; it positively buzzed in my mouth. This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients: 4 large, fresh scallops (U10 size) 1 ripe avocado 6 whole lemons 2 Tbsp (25 mL) fermented yuzu lemon juice (see note) 1/2 red onion 1/2 green apple skin-on 8 grape tomatoes 10 fresh cilantro leaves Salt and pepper to taste Procedure: Slice each scallop into 6 disks, peel and dice the avocado into small cubes. Squeeze 4 lemons and save the juice. Dice the red onion and the green apple into small cubes. Cut the grape tomato in half lengthwise. Finely chop the cilantro leaves. For the last 2 lemons, completely remove all the zest and rind. Then, using a small knife, cut each segment of the lemon apart, and reserve the pulp for use, discarding the rest of the lemon. In a small mixing bowl, add in all the ingredients (except the cilantro) and marinate for a few minutes. Using a small rubber spatula, softly mix all the ingredients. Taste for seasoning. Add in the chopped cilantro. Carefully spoon into four chilled martini glasses. Note: Chef Ithurritze says you can substitute fresh-squeezed orange juice for yuzu, straight across. Another option is offered by The Food Substitutions Bible by David Joachim, and that is to combine two teaspoons of lemon juice with one teaspoon of lime juice to yield the equivalent of one tablespoon of yuzu.