I love exploring citrus, especially new-to-me ones. My approach is do as much with them as I can to help me understand the character.
Take Bergamot for instance, one of my favorite flavors. A few years ago, I found some and spent a delightful time exploring what it was like and how to use it.
Read more about Bergamot in my piece for bon appetit.
I made so many things including sugar, rubbing the zest into some white, granulated sugar – it was INTENSE.
I used some of that sugar in some meringues and they were delightful.
And what I realized which I may not have before, is that so much flavor remained in the skins so on I went to candy them – I made sugared skins and left some in syrup. Some of the candied fruit was steeped in vodka to make some extract, which ended up in my Bergamot shortbreads.
An a slice of bread – wow, wow, wow, kid of like jam which then inspired me to make some!
I present, a quick Lady Grey and Bergamot jam with the candied bergamot chopped up, and cooked in some of the syrup, and Lady Grey tea (you know I love my tea explorations).
I made some bergamot curd.
And then went on to make a bergamot bundt cake using the bergamot sugar and curd!
For details, recipes, processes, I have a 7-part series on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
And if you haven’t, and are able – subscribe. Thank you.
Have you encountered bergamot before? Are you a fan? Tell me all.
