Looking for ideas for all those left-over citrons?
Chef Moshe Basson from the Eucalyptus restaurant in Jerusalem has a couple of interesting suggestions.
By MOSHE BASSONFish in citron cream sauce and vegetables(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)FISH IN CITRON CREAM SAUCE AND VEGETABLES Serves 6■ 1.5 kg. fresh salt water fish (sea bream or grouper). Ask your fishmonger to fillet it and keep the skin on, but reserve all the bones and heads for stock■ 1 green etrog (citron), sliced very thinly (about 1 mm.), seeds removed■ 1 cup of frozen peas■ 6 artichoke hearts, fresh or frozen■ 1 onion or leek, roughly chopped■ 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped■ 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped■ 2 garlic heads, broken into cloves and peeled■ A few sprigs fresh thyme, chopped■ 1 Tbsp. Moroccan preserved lemons■ 100 ml. cooking cream or almond milk■ A pinch of saffron strands■ 2 bay leaves■ Salt and pepper■ 500 ml. olive oilFor the fish stock:In a pot, place fish heads and scraps along with the onion, carrot and celery. Add the bay leaves, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, and strain.For the artichoke and garlic confit:Slice the artichoke lengthwise into 1-cm. slices. In a small pot, add garlic, artichokes and a little of the thyme. Add just enough olive oil to cover the vegetables and bring to a very low simmer. Cook for approximately 20 minutes until the garlic and artichokes are tender, being careful not to fry them.Cook the peas as instructed on the package.Divide stock between a large and shallow pot, and a smaller saucepan. Bring both to a boil.In the large pot add salt and pepper to taste, and carefully add the fish fillets. Place them in one layer (do not stack them) and cook, simmering, until they turn opaque and white. Remove from heat.In the small pot, add the saffron, a little of the thyme and the slices of etrog. Continue cooking to reduce by ¹⁄3. Once reduced, add 1 Tbsp. Moroccan lemon, cream or almond milk and bring to a boil. Season with ½ tsp etrog zest, salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm. Do not boil again as this will cause the sauce to curdle.Before serving, remove the fish from the broth. Place on baking sheet, skin side down, and drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for just a few minutes in a 200° oven.In plates or shallow bowls, spoon in the sauce, making sure there is plenty of citron. Make a bed for the fish with the artichoke and garlic confit, and place the fish fillet on top.Scatter a spoonful the peas around the fish and decorate with a few slices of the cooked etrog. Finish sprinkling etrog zest over the fish.CITRON CRÈME BRÛLÉE ■ 750 ml. milk or almond milk■ 750 ml. heavy cream or soy cream■ 14 egg yolks (from very fresh eggs)■ 150 gr. granulated sugar + 100 gr. for coating the fruit■ 2-3 beautiful green and fragrant etrogim (citrons)■ 100 gr. demerara sugar for caramelizing■ 1 tsp. high-quality vanilla extract (optional)Start two days ahead of serving. Slice the citron into very thin round (as thin as possible with a sharp knife, about 1 mm.) Remove any seeds and toss in a bowl with 100 grams sugar. Leave overnight covered in the refrigerator. The next day place in saucepan and add a bit of water to cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer very gently, adding water as needed, for 40 minutes. Liquid should remain clear; do not caramelize the sugar. Remove from heat, strain out the liquid and cool completely.In another saucepan, place milk and cream and bring to a simmer, stirring often. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until light in color and creamy. Add about a third of the hot milk and cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture and whisk rapidly. Add the heated egg mixture back into the pot and continue stirring with the whisk over a low flame, until the mixture is thick (about two or three minutes).Do not bring to a heavy boil and be careful not to scorch the bottom of the pan. Strain the mixture and add the citron rounds, reserving a few on the side for garnish, if you choose. Pour into individual ramekins and store overnight in refrigerator for the best flavor (you can skip this step if you are short on time).Heat oven to 160º, and transfer the ramekins into a large and deep oven tray. Add hot water to the tray, up to about the halfway point of the height of the ramekins.Put the tray into the oven, and and bake for about 30 minutes until the cream is set but not too firm (it will firm up more after cooling). Carefully remove from water and cool to room temperature, storing in the refrigerator to cool completely until ready to serve.A few minutes before serving, turn on the top grill in your oven. Coat the top of each ramekin with a thin and even layer of demerara sugar, and place as close to the grill as possible. Watch the sugar carefully to avoid it over-cooking and burning. Sugar should bubble and brown but not turn black. You can garnish with an additional reserved candied citron slice. Serve immediately.