Brighten Your Mood, & Table, With Citrus!

The minute the peel is off, you can smell the freshness of blood oranges, lemons and other citrus.

Markets are packed with them right now.

They're wonderful just eating out of your hand but the juice, flesh and zest of these fruits enliven savory dishes, desserts and even cocktails.

People are familiar with navel oranges (thick skin, easy to peel), juice oranges (with their thinner skin and more juice), grapefruits, lemons and limes, but don't overlook other citrus fruits that are easy to find right now.

Kumquats are a great seasonal citrus; they have a sweet skin and sour flesh. You eat them whole, skin and all. Blood oranges often have a lovely blush to their skin and their flesh has a rich red color. Meyer Lemons are a bit sweeter and fuller flavored than our regular lemons and are featured in the Meyer Lemon Custard Cakes Wilson loves. And of course, this time of year, clementines are everywhere, a favorite grab-and-go snack, sweet, seedless and very easy to peel.

Regardless of the type of citrus, it should be blemish- and wrinkle-free and heavy for its size; that tells you it's full of flavorful juice. Store it at room temperature for up to four days, but you get the best results if it's stored in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

RECIPES

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Lemon Cream

Sophisticated lemon cream makes these simple scrambled eggs dinner table-worthy. Be sure to use wild smoked salmon, preferably from Alaska. Wild salmon is sustainable, healthful-and delicious.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons sour cream
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
1/4teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 large green onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon

Preparation
Mix sour cream, fresh lemon juice, finely grated lemon peel, and chopped fresh thyme in small bowl. Season lemon cream to taste with salt and pepper.
Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add thinly sliced green onion and sauté 1 minute. Add eggs; cook until almost set, stirring often, about 1 minute. Divide scrambled eggs between plates. Top scrambled eggs with thinly sliced smoked salmon; drizzle with lemon cream and serve.

FOR MORE RECIPES, GO TO PAGE 2.

Blood Orange Marmalade

This bright red marmalade gets its color and its floral flavor from blood oranges-small, sweet, nearly seedless oranges. Blood oranges are in season from December to June and are available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores and farmers' markets.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar, divided
1-1/2 cups water, divided
1 blood orange or regular orange, thinly sliced with peel into rounds, seeded if necessary
2-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Campari

METHOD
Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and orange slices in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low; cook until orange peel is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Pour into strainer set over medium bowl. Chop orange slices and reserve; discard syrup.
Combine remaining 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and lemon juice in another heavy medium saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add chopped orange. Reduce heat to low; cook until orange is very tender and rind is translucent, about 30 minutes longer. Mix in Campari. Transfer marmalade to small bowl and cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Meyer Lemon Custard Cakes

This comforting dessert is a cross between a soufflé and a cake.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/4 cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/3 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel
1 8-ounce container chilled crème fraîche

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter eight ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups. Whisk ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, and pinch of salt in medium bowl to blend. Combine milk, egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon peel in large bowl; whisk until blended. Add flour mixture to yolk mixture and whisk custard until blended. Using electric mixer beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ¼ cup sugar to whites and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold ¼ of whites into custard. Fold remaining whites into custard in 2 additions (custard will be slightly runny).
Divide custard equally among prepared ramekins. Place ramekins in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake custard cakes until golden brown and set on top (custard cakes will be slightly soft in center), about 27 minutes. Chill custard cakes uncovered until cold, at least 4 hours, then cover and keep refrigerated.
DO AHEAD Custard cakes can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Using electric mixer, beat crème fraîche in medium bowl until softly whipped.
Run small knife around each custard cake to loosen. Invert each cake onto plate. Place dollop of crème fraîche atop or alongside cakes and serve.

Chili-Lime Peanuts

These spicy, tangy peanuts make a great snack. Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups raw Spanish peanuts (about 10 ½ ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra-virgin)
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss peanuts, olive oil, coarse kosher salt, and sugar in medium bowl to coat evenly. Scrape mixture onto rimmed baking sheet. Roast nuts until fragrant and beginning to darken, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer nuts to large bowl. Add lime juice, hot pepper sauce, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat. Cool nuts completely.

DO AHEAD: Nuts can be made one week ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.