How to Use Leftover… Citrus!

The past few months of SLO Veg harvest boxes have steadfastly featured citrus of all kind: grapefruit, cara caras, tangelos, lemons…. you name it- we have sourced it! Meredith from our team shares her favorite ways to use up that looming citrus, ever present in your crisper drawer or staring at you from your dining room fruit bowl. Let’s get cookin’!

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All week I have been turning a blind eye to the accumulating tangelos, navels, and blood oranges that have been bestowed upon my countertop. I’ve done a lot in trying to conceal my citrus, pushing them into darker corners, transferring some to the fridge, even designating a section of my dining room to my citrus collection. Yet, of all the techniques I’ve tried, eating them has not been one of them. After months of featuring citrus in the boxes, I am officially “citrused” out, unwilling and unable to eat these fruits in their whole form. When my coworker tasked me with writing a blog post on how to use up extra citrus (almost like she was in on my secret), I was forced to face my demons and get creative. Not just for me, but for all of us who are experiencing some major citrus burnout. 

First, Desserts

My initial thought was to go the sweet route, I spent hours glazing over recipes for blood orange tarts, upside down cakes, and lemon poppy seed-themed treats. One great idea is to take the traditional lemon bar and turn it on it’s head with a citrus-y twist! These Salted Citrus Bars are  phenomenal crowd-pleaser and incredibly simple to make. They require quite a bit of fresh citrus juice (and butter, hehe). This Citrus Upside-Down Cake also caught my eye for all the right reasons. The recipe uses whole slices for a super bright kick in each bite. Stuck with what do with your lovely citrus peels? Candy them for a special chocolate treat!

By further inspection of many other citrus-themed sweets, I realized that they often called for a few tablespoons of fresh juice, which means that in solving my fruit problem, I’d have to make several decadent desserts, an entirely different problem that is much more difficult to resist and conceal. Next was the savory route, looking for any recipe that required a lot of volume.  

Second, Savory

Try this recipe for Crispy Honey-Orange Glazed Salmon for a fun and unique weeknight dinner meal, or this Cuban Mojo Chicken for something a little more rustic. Incorporating orange juice or grapefruit juice into your salad dressing is also a fantastic way to find new flavor in unexpected ways!

Going the savory route will definitely inspire any home cook to use up an orange or two in a new and unique fashion, but again, no luck in finding a recipe that incorporated the volume of 10 tangelos. This is not to say that I didn’t find any options, there were tons of recipes that instilled a newfound hope for my relationship with citrus, but the only thing on my research agenda was to find a way to solve my problem once and for all. 

Stumped and exhausted, I leaned back in my chair, tilting my gaze upwards to see what guiding message I could glean from the ceiling tiles…and then it hit me. Narrowing my vision back to my search engine, I typed “orange juice reduction” and was presented with a recipe from the ultimate homemaker, Martha Stewart.  

Relax & Reduce!

If you are unfamiliar, a reduction is a sauce that has been heated to alleviate excess water from its ingredients. The result is a thickened liquid that is more concentrated with naturally occurring sugars, tannins, and other flavor compounds. Vinegar reductions are very popular but reduction sauces can be made with wines, fruits, or even Béchamel. This recipe called for about nine oranges with one instruction step: place juice of the oranges into a sauce pan, heat over medium-high heat and boil until juice has reduced (in volume) by about half a cup. This step takes roughly an hour, once reduced you can store the reduction in an air-tight container for 5 days.

The reason why this recipe punctuated my drawn out search was because of its versatility. This reduction sauce is a welcome topping for brunch treats like waffles, crepes and yogurt, or even desserts like ice cream or brownies. It’s super easy to add as a mix-in to different marinades, salad dressings, or mixed beverages. So far, I’ve added it to soy sauce and rice wine vinegar to brighten up some spring rolls, and I also added it to a scone recipe that I tried out over the weekend. I even told my mom about it and she used it to make whipped orange butter for french toast. This sauce is so effortlessly delicious, and offers so many opportunities to get creative in the kitchen! 

Here’s how to make it! 

Orange Juice Reduction Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 (ish) cups of orange juice, this is about 9-10 oranges but use whatever you have on hand! You can also use juice from lemons, grapefruits, or other straggling fruits if you have them! 

Instructions: 

• Place the juice of the oranges in a medium saucepan, transfer to the stove and then heat over medium to high heat until boiling. Allow to gently boil (you may need to adjust the heat a little) for about an hour, the finished sauce should be about ½ to ¾ of the initial volume and should be a bit syrupy in texture. 
• Once the sauce is done, allow to cool and either add to a selected recipe, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. **

** Pro tip: I used a metal steeper for loose leaf tea to infuse my juice reduction with dried lavender. I just dropped it in the saucepan and let it do it’s thing as the sauce reduced. If you want to get a little spicy with this recipe, try infusing with cardamom, or star anise!

Cocktails & Other Beverages

Warmer weather here on the Central Coast means fresh ice-cold juices, smoothies, and festive cocktails! Check out some of our favorite recipes below:

Orange-Infused Cold Brew

Blood Orange & Mint Lemonade

Blood Orange Margaritas

Classic Paloma

Citrus Smoothie