January - Jaune (Yellow)

In conjunction with this month’s theme, please listen to the following song while reading this post. Take this request seriously. It will make your day!  J

My first month is drawing to an end. I’m excited to share that I had several outlets for exploring the creative beauty and flavor of yellow food this month! First, I discovered a new (and dare I say AWESOME) yellow fruit.

There I was, calming picking out oranges, when….WHAT! It was the strangest citron I had ever seen. Bright yellow with long, spiny fingers jutting in all directions. As if a baby octopus had somehow bread with a lemon! I picked it up and was hit by a wave of sweet, lemony fragrance. A flash of memory. This tentacled anomaly was recently featured on Iron Chef. They had called it a “Buddha Hand”. I quickly googled on my phone – ahh… confirmation:

http://www.watchonepiecepoint.com/2011/05/the-heaven-fruit-of-buddhas-hand/

http://www.cafleurebon.com/new-fragrance-review-dsh-perfume-vanille-botanique-the-hand-of-buddah-and-ruba’iyat-botanical-bliss-10ml-reader’s-choice-draw/

http://www.babyluxdesign.com/babyblog/?tag=cooking

With "yellow" on the mind, I couldn't resist buying one! But what to do with it? More googling revealed that, unlike it's basic lemon cousin, the "Buddha Hand" has no pulp. It's all pith and peel, which can be used like zest for countless culinary creations, including everything from cupcakes and creams to sauces and sorbets. I settled on candied "Buddha Hand". The gummy goodness has been a tasty treat for the last several days. And as an extra bonus, I ended up with nearly a quart of "Buddha" favored simple syrup. It's perfect for flavoring teas and mixing in cocktails. Though with so much of it, I think I'll end up repurposing it as a lemon-rosemary sorbet!

Now...on to my Sunshine Supper! I can’t promise this for every color, but really – there are LOTS of yellow foods. It was surprising simple to come up with an entire dinner themed around yellow ingredients. And without even using my “go-to” curry recipes! Here’s what the meal involved (note – linked recipes are just a start; I did a lot of personal tweaking).


APPETIZER: Cheddar Corn Chowder
ENTREE: Panko crusted chicken cutlets with a lemon pan sauce and a side of sautéed yellow squash, yellow pepper, and yellow onion. 
DESSERT: Lemon Soufflé – my first soufflé ever!

So – I’d say this experiment is off to a fabulous start. In January, I discovered 1 totally new fruit and 1 totally new technique! Plus, the overall meal was still familiar/safe enough to be enjoyed alongside a 3 year old and a 5 year old. Next time I meet a kid who’s “anti-veg”, I’ll remember to camouflage the food in a shade of happy, yellow sunshine!