Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Trick or Treat

When pal Sari brought me the Buddha's Hand citron as a Hallowe'en trick, despite its creepy appearance I kept it in a basket on the dinner table and enjoyed it for weeks for its light and fresh perfume. I wasn't sure how to use it in cooking despite some fairy intense internet research.

Then, last evening as I was preparing a Cornish hen and butter-braised Brussels sprouts for dinner, I thought, "Man, this little bird would taste great with that and a few mushrooms" so I sliced three big mushrooms, chopped some green onion and, feeling a little squeamish, cut off two of the smaller digits from the Buddha's Hand and sliced them very thinly.

While I was wielding a big knife, I halved the hen and browned it in a little olive oil in a wide frying pan, skin side down, then flipped it over and added the mushrooms, green onion and citron slices to the pan, stirring them a few times to brown them and to coat with the pan juices, then put on a lid and allowed it all to sizzle gently for about 20 minutes. I'm always surprised at how long Cornish hens take to cook given their diminutive size.

After removing the hen halves to warmed plates, I reduced the pan juices for a few minutes on higher heat, adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors and a big grinding of fresh black pepper.

The Buddha's Hand added an amazing amount of flavor with just a tiny tang of bitterness that we enjoyed very much. This was definitely not a trick, but rather a very nice treat!

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4 Comments:

Anonymous Rodney Ferguson said...

Hi Zoomie,

Rodney here. What a great blog!! I just started a diet, and your ideas are making me hungry. I don't know what citron is, but you make it sound wonderful with the hens. I also love what your photos. I'm taking hints. Oh, got my blog up, but not exactly running www.philosopyoffun.com. Of course the most fun thing in the world is food and all that entails.

Thanks for your advice,
Rodney

Wednesday, November 11, 2009  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Rodney, woohoo! Congrats on Philosophy of Fun! I'll check back frequently to see your latest posts. If you click on the word "citron" in my post, it will take you to another post about the Buddha's Hand. Also, if you want any assistance with figuring out how to post photos or links, shoot me an email or give me a call.

BTW, I emailed Sherry about my decision. Keep in touch.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009  
Blogger Chilebrown said...

I have a buddha's hand tree in the back yard. We planted it two years ago. The fruits are still pretty small. When it gets a little bigger you will have citron's galore.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Chilebrown, Wow! Thanks! I can wait and in the meantime I can experiment with some store-bought ones.

Thursday, November 12, 2009  

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