How to Zest a Lemon, Lime or Orange

Name: Melissa Fabbio

Bio: Melissa Fabbio is a professional chef native to Austin, TX. She is currently the Pastry Supervisor for McGuire Moorman Hospitality Group, which includes such renowned Austin restaurants as Perla's, Lambert's and Elizabeth St. Cafe. Previously, she worked for Chef Thomas Keller at the world famous Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, California. Fabbio attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Citrus zest is one of those ingredients that make people ask for your secret recipe. Just a few pinches of shredded peel add bright flavor to salads, marinades and many more dishes, and all three methods for zesting a lemon, lime or orange are simple. No matter which method you use, two requirements are always the same -- thoroughly wash the fruit first and keep the bitter white pith out of your zest.
Zesting Methods
The most effective way to zest citrus fruits is with a microplane grater, which has hundreds of tiny teeth. In a pinch, use the finest side of a box grater instead. Hold the fruit firmly in one palm and run it over the face of the grater repeatedly, pressing down lightly. Rotate the fruit whenever the white pith appears. To get strips of zest rather than shreds, use a zester. Scrape the sharp-rimmed holes at the top of the tool against the fruit peel. The third option is to use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to cut large slices of the peel away from the pith. Chop the peel into strips or shreds.

Produced by: Demand Studios

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2000922_zest-lemon-orange.html