Citrus season is in full swing, and if your kitchen is anything like the Food52 Test Kitchen, you are flush with spent lemons, limes, and oranges. While these zesty carcasses are great for composting, I wanted to share my favorite way to make the absolute most of these sweet and sour fruits. It only requires one other ingredient, zero cooking, and the resulting condiment tastes good on literally everything.
It’s called oleo saccharum, which in Latin means “sugary oil.” Using only sugar (hence the name) and citrus peels, you can create a syrup that is essentially a concentrated version of the flavorful oils you might see a bartender express over a drink by twisting a bit of lemon peel over your glass. Folks use it in cocktails and mocktails, but it’s also amazing spooned over ice cream or drizzled on cheese and crackers.
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To make it: Peel your leftover citrus, removing as much white pith off as possible. You can do this with a super sharp peeler or by carefully slicing along the peel. Combine the peels with an equal amount of granulated sugar by weight. With your hands, gently massage the sugar into the fruit skins until they begin to release their oils and smell fragrant. Read More >>
