Celebrate citrus now — and save it for later

Your well-intentioned aunt and uncle, sweet people that they are, sent you a basket of citrus fruit for Christmas. It’s a really big basket of citrus fruit, and you know there’s no way you can use it before it starts to get soft and turn alarming colors. What to do?

You can freeze it.

If you’re planning on using just the juice, or juice and zest, you can simply put lemons or limes (cut oranges and grapefruit in half if they’re large), in plastic bags and toss them in the freezer. When they thaw the pulp will be mushy, but that doesn’t affect the juice.

Want to use the whole fruit — or at least most of it? Peel, removing pith, then section, removing all membranes. Spread the citrus sections on a baking sheet or tray in the freezer, and when they’ve frozen, double-bag them. Thaw in the fridge and you’re ready to go.

Even if you didn’t get a big Christmas basket, you may want to buy citrus in bulk instead of a few at a time to save money. And citrus is worth your time and attention, especially now, when it’s at its seasonal best.

“Any time we can eat fruits, I’m all for eating whole foods,” said Aurora Buffington, a registered dietitian and faculty instructor with University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. “The great thing about citrus is it’s naturally low in calories. And being a plant product, you don’t have to deal with things like cholesterol.”

The nutritional benefits of citrus fruits are many, Buffington said. The vitamin C it contains is beneficial to connective tissue, helps with iron absorption and provides antioxidants.

“That’s really good to possibly prevent the development of cancer, cataracts, heart disease — the types of things that come from free-radical damage,” she noted.

Citrus fruits also are a good source of both simple and complex carbohydrates as well as fiber, and contain phytochemicals (chemicals found in plants), which have been linked to disease prevention, Buffington added.

And you don’t have to rely on the old standards. According to Armando Mendez, produce coordinator for Whole Foods Market’s southern Pacific region, new varietals in stores include Melogold grapefruit, Sumo mandarins, Kishu mandarins, Page mandarins and Moro blood oranges.

Mendez said when choosing citrus fruits, it’s best to look for those with a strong citrus fragrance and that feel heavy for their size — both of which indicate ripeness, because they don’t ripen after they’re picked. Avoid those with soft spots or that are much larger than average. Store citrus fruits at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, or refrigerate, he said.

“They’re just great when you look at the benefits,” Buffington said. “And the clementine Cuties are great for kids, being easy to peel and being fun-sized. Anything we can do to increase fruit consumption, especially whole fruit, I’m all for.”

LOUISIANA CITRUS CREPES

Filling:

2 cups fat-free milk

1 (5-inch) vanilla bean, split lengthwise

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Dash of salt

3 large egg yolks

½ cup reduced-fat sour cream

Crepes:

½ cup fat-free milk

5 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons butter, melted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

Remaining ingredients:

1 cup navel orange sections (about 2 medium)

1 cup red grapefruit sections (about 2 medium)

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

8 mint sprigs (optional)

To prepare filling, pour 2 cups milk into a medium, heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add seeds and bean to pan. Cook milk over medium-high heat to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat.

Combine ½ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, dash of salt and egg yolks, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add 1 cup hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 1 minute; remove from heat. Spoon into a bowl; discard vanilla bean. Stir in sour cream. Place plastic wrap on surface of custard. Chill thoroughly.

To prepare crepes, combine ½ cup milk and next four ingredients (through egg) in a blender. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Process until smooth. Chill 1 hour.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium heat. Coat pan lightly with cooking spray. Pour about 3 tablespoons batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 2 minutes. Carefully lift the edge of the crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. Turn crepe when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned; cook 1 minute or until center is set.

Place crepe on a towel; cool completely. Repeat procedure until all of batter is used. Stack crepes between single layers of wax paper to prevent sticking.

To prepare remaining ingredients, combine citrus sections, ¼ cup granulated sugar and chopped mint; toss gently to dissolve sugar.

Place one crepe on each of eight dessert plates; spread about 1/3 cup chilled filling over each crepe. Fold each into a triangle. Top each serving with ¼ cup fruit mixture. Sprinkle crepes evenly with powdered sugar. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Serves 8.

— Cooking Light

CITRUS SALAD WITH SPICED VANILLA SYRUP

½ cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out and reserved

4 whole allspice

2 green cardamom pods, crushed to release seeds

2 grapefruit, preferably 1 pink and 1 white

1½ pounds blood oranges (all one variety, or a mix of Moro, Sanguinelli and Tarocco, if available)

Zest of ½ lime (use a five-hole zester)

In a small saucepan, heat sugar with ½ cup water, the vanilla-bean pod and seeds and spices over high heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, steep 30 minutes, then strain.

Meanwhile, cut peel (including all white pith on outside of fruit) from grapefruit, following curve of fruit. Slice grapefruit crosswise into rounds about ¼ inch thick, removing any seeds. Arrange on a large platter. Repeat with oranges.

Drizzle citrus with about 1/3 cup spiced syrup. Scatter lime zest on top. Serve with a little more syrup if desired.

Serves 6.

— Sunset

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at reviewjournal.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.