Friday, August 28, 2009

What to do with an Etrog Citron?

I was given an enormous citron today. (I would show you a photo, but I can't locate my little digital camera. If you find it let me know, ok?) The friend who grew it suggested I make marmalade out of it. Problem is, I've already made two large batches of marmalade this summer. I can't eat my way through marmalade nearly as fast as I can make it. So I hunted for recipes, of course. It was over 90 degrees today, and I don't feel like cooking ANYTHING in my kitchen tonight. I found a smashingly easy recipe for a citron liqueur. So I now have it marinating in vodka.

Recipe:
Peel 3 citrons (or one enormous mother of a citron like I had). Discard white pith.
Put the peel in a 1-quart bottle with 2 cups vodka and close it up for a week.
Discard the peels. (I'm thinking of candying them when I take them out.)
Add 1.5 c confectioner's sugar and shake until dissolved.
Add 1 more cup vodka. Shake until clear.
Close jar and store in a cool, dark place at least 6 weeks.

The 6 weeks part is significant - this is the third booze (kumquats, loquats, and now citron) I've made this summer, and it takes 6 weeks for the sugar to dissolve into this supersaturated syrupy booze. When it's done, you'll know: there will be no more sugar on the bottom of the bottle. The first recipe I followed suggested turning the bottle upside down each day during those 6 weeks, and that helped a lot. But don't shake it.

1 comment:

Hector said...

How about your digital camera on your cell phone?