What's In Season: Citrus Fruits

Satsuma tangerines

After spending Christmas in sunny Florida, I've got citrus fruit on the brain. I'm craving bright, clean flavors after all the rich holiday food I've been eating. Are you all egg-nogged out, too? Lucky for us, citrus fruits are just coming into season. Delicious and nutritious (no, really!), there's nothing sweeter than a ripe, in-season orange. Plus, the vitamin C will give you a boost of immunity during these dark winter months.

Citrus fruits to try:

• Satsuma Tangerines
• Clementines
• Mandarin Oranges
• Cara Cara Oranges
• Grapefruit
• Kumquats
• Pomelo (like a milder grapefruit)
• Tangelo (a hybrid of the Pomelo and the Tangerine) 

What to do with them: 

Peel. Eat. Enjoy a naturally sweet treat that's completely guilt-free.

Halve the fruit, sprinkle a small amount of unrefined sugar on top (try Demerara or Turbinado), and put it under the broiler. Or you can take a crème brûlée torch to the top, if you have one. Dig in and enjoy the caramelized sugar against the bracing fruit.

Make citrus sugar! Cut the peel away from the fruit, scraping away any pith. Bury the strip in a jar of sugar, let it infuse, and you will have citrus-scented sugar in just a week or two. You can use the sugar to make Pain Perdu or to give an extra oomph to pancakes, fritters or sugar cookies.

Candy the citrus peel and dip one end in dark chocolate. In France, this treat is known as an "orangette" and it's traditionally made with orange peel. Why not make a version with grapefruit? To candy citrus peel, you must blanch it in boiling water at least twice in order to get the bitterness out. Next, cook the peel in simple syrup until it becomes translucent (To make simple syrup, bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has thickened). Dry the candied peel on a wire rack for at least an hour. To finish, melt dark chocolate in a double-boiler and dip 2/3 of the candied peel into the chocolate. Place it on a piece of parchment paper until the chocolate sets.

A Christmas Full of Cookies

I'm heading home... suitcase full of cookies from my sweets-lovers' cookie exchange at Craft. Not only did we bake up a variety, but everyone put their own creative spin on packaging as well. Nothing says love like a giant assortment of homemade cookies, right? I hope you all enjoy a peaceful holiday filled with the family, friends and sweet treats you love most.

Homemade Gifts

I bet many of us are in the same boat. Life keeps humming along, busy as usual, then suddenly it's mid-December... and Christmas is just around the corner. One of my favorite ways to slow down and enjoy the season is to spend some time in the kitchen. Handwritten labels, pretty ribbon, and simple wrapping–there's just something special about a homemade gift. If you can spare just an hour (or less) this weekend, you can put together something more thoughtful than anything you can buy in a store. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Vanilla Sugar: Use a ratio of 1 vanilla bean per two cups of granulated sugar. My favorite beans are the Bourbon variety from Singing Dog Vanilla, available online. Split the bean and scrape the seeds into the sugar. Grind the mixture in a food processor and pass through a strainer to get the large bits out. Dust vanilla sugar on top of pie crusts, dip sugar cookies in it just before baking, or just sprinkle a little in your coffee.

2. Hot Cocoa Mix: Use a ratio of 1 part cocoa powder to 2 parts granulated sugar. The cocoa powder you use makes a huge difference in flavor. If you can, splurge for the good stuff! I recommend Valrhona. To spice things up a bit, add some ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or ginger to your mix. Serious Eats has a great marshmallow-making tutorial if you want to make your gift complete.

3. Mulled Cider Spice Kit: Get some cheesecloth and make a pretty pouch of spices that can be dropped into a steaming pot of cider. Or, fill a vintage mason jar with layers of star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom and coriander. You could also accompany your gift with an apple-friendly liquor, such as calvados or even plain brandy.

Holiday Cookie Swap!

It's December, the month of eggnog, gingerbread and best of all, Craft's annual holiday cookie swap! On December 16, eleven of us are meeting at Craft to exchange our favorite holiday treats. It's a major job perk to be surrounded by so many fellow sweets lovers.

I will be sharing my Mocha Chip Brownies (recipe to come in my cookbook) and leaving with ten more reasons to indulge my sweet tooth. An email with the full cookie roster went around last week and my mouth is already watering.... Chocolate cayenne cookies with sea salt, lemon ricotta cookies, oatmeal cream pie cookies, and everything else sounds so delicious.

It's not too late to plan your own cookie swap. For inspiration, check out some of my favorite cookbooks devoted to cookies, below. Better yet, dig up an old family recipe. Variety is the spice of the cookie swap, so don't be afraid to bring something unique. Happy baking!

What's In Season: Persimmons

Now that we're past Thanksgiving, can I say a word about pumpkin? Even though technically it's a vegetable, pumpkin gets the starring role in so many autumn desserts. It was a good run, but it's time to make room for some lesser known fall fruits.

Have you tried persimmons? Popular in Japan, persimmons look like little orange tomatoes on the outside, with sweet, slightly musky flesh on the inside. Fresh persimmons would taste fabulous with a dollop of honey and a sprinkle of sea salt. Or you could cook them down into a compote and make a sweet/savory cheese garnish. I use a persimmon puree (with a hearty dose of brandy) to make Persimmon Pudding, a dense, moist cake. The bright orange slices look so festive when arranged on top!

What are your favorite fall fruits? Anything unusual?

Persimmon Pudding! Recipe to be published in my cookbook.