While chefs took to yuzu for its relatively obscurity--popular in Japan, the Japanese fruit cannot be imported into the US, so supply is limited to expensive yuzu juice and a very small harvest from native citrus growers--the real reason to find this fruit is that it's absolutely delicious. According to a 2003 New York Times article by David Karp, the obscure "yuzu fetches high prices, $8 to $20 a pound wholesale, and up to twice that at retail. Wholesalers tend to be secretive about sources."
Yuzu is a small, orange-yellow citrus with bumpy flesh and a delicate aroma. The juice is sour yet appealing, as if the floral notes of a tangerine met the punch of grapefuit or lime. Set in a bowl on the kitchen table, yuzus will perfume the room with their mysterious fragrance. Yuzu juice, peel, or other products may be sourced in Asian markets across the country, for use in salad dressings, soups, cakes, or a number of other dishes. Should you be lucky enough to find fresh yuzu, candied yuzu peels will make your supply stretch.
In the Bay area, yuzu can be found in November or December at the Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market, or local farmers markets. Hamada and DeSantis are two growers who visit the Civic Center Farmers Market and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, and who sometimes have yuzu to sell.
Candied yuzu can be added to breads, scones or cookies as a substitution for candied lemon or orange. They can be swirled into yuzu frozen yogurt for a healthy dessert, diced and added to salad, baked into a cake or eaten from the candy dish. Any way you choose to use them, candied yuzu peels are a rare and exotic delight.
Candied Yuzu Peels:
Ingredients:
- 6-8 yuzu, or as many as you have on hand*
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 6 cups water
- additional water to blanch
- additional granulated sugar to coat candied peels
*This recipe can easily be adjusted up if you have a greater number of yuzu. A general rule to follow when candying citrus is that your peels need to be covered by syrup, so don't be afraid to add more sugar and water if you need to.
Method:
- Slice yuzu in half and juice.
- Strain juice, discard seeds, and reserve for another purpose.
- Set yuzu peels (or cups) into a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil.
- Drain.
- Refill pot with cold water and return yuzu cups. Bring to a boil.
- Drain, and repeat one more time for third and final blanch.
- When peels have been blanched three times, drain and let cool until you are able to handle comfortably.
- Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the flesh and white pith of the yuzu. This allows you to remove the bitterness from the peel.
- In a fresh pot, bring 6 cups water and 4 cups sugar to a boil.
- Meanwhile, dice candied yuzu cups into long strips.
- Add yuzu strips to boiling sugar syrup and reduce heat to medium.
- Sitting occasionally, allow the yuzu to cook in syrup, checking after thirty minutes.
- The yuzu is finished when the peel begins to look translucent, approximately forty five minutes to one hour or longer. Do not remove yuzu from syrup until peel is shiny and translucent.
- Drain candied yuzu, reserving syrup.
- Allow yuzu peels to dry on rack several hours, or until slightly wet but not sticky.
- Toss peels in granulated sugar and return to rack.
- Let air dry overnight.
- Store peels in airtight container.
- Peels will keep indefinitely if properly stored.
Yuzu syrup, the thick liquid left over after candying, may be used to make exquisite cocktails or may be combined with greek yogurt to make a frozen yogurt base, substituting yuzu syrup for your quantity of sugar and water.
