Dried Zest.. Lime, Lemon, Orange, Tangerine, Grapefruit, etc.

Introduce

Chef :

renee

Dried Zest.. Lime, Lemon, Orange, Tangerine, Grapefruit, etc.

what is zest? zest is the outer colored peel/rind of a lime, lemon or other citric fruit. it is used for cooking to add a wonderful citrus flavor. wether it be baked goods or meals.

Ingredient

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

I've always avoided recipes with calling for zest. as I never wanted to take the time to zest everytime I cooked. for several reasons.. 1. wasn't sure what it was.. and 2. once I found out I thought it to be to much work for everytime I wanted to bake something.. but if u have a nice bowl of it on hand.. it makes it so much easier. u can even combine different citric fruits for different flavor combinations.

* Step 2

first u need to gather the things u need.

* Step 3

u need.. a large plate, a grater (or zester if u have one)(I don't and have always used the smallest part of the grater) fruit of choice, lime, lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, a clean new unused toothbrush(soft bristles)

* Step 4

stand grater so its over the plate.

* Step 5

place fruit in hand and gently scrape the fruit rind/peel over the smallest side of the grater.

* Step 6

be sure u only get the colored portion of the rind as the white part tend to be bitter instead of flavorful.

* Step 7

keep turning the fruit as u go to ensure u get all u can out of it.

* Step 8

once the lime is pretty much bare, u have a littlee bit of zest on the plate and a lot still stuck on your grater. do not use your finger!

* Step 9

this is where the toothbrush comes in handy. gently pressing scrape off zest from grater onto plate. making u sure u scrape both sides to get the maximum out of it.

* Step 10

tap grater onto plate to get anything else off and set aside.

* Step 11

now u have a plate covered in zest.

* Step 12

to dry it is very simple. spread it out as much as u can over entire plate. and let sit for a day.

* Step 13

once dry place into airtight container.

* Step 14

now u have dried zest on hand whenever u need it.

* Step 15

I do all my fruits in one day. fill a small container so when I need it I don't waste valuable cooking time. :)

* Step 16

today I did lime. the bigger the fruit the more zest u get.

* Step 17

once done with your limes.. don't throw them out!

* Step 18

they still have many uses.. squeeze them and drain of their liquids! store in airtight container in fridge.. for the next time u make lime chicken quesadillas! (recipe is in my profile)