A slight change of ingredient can make a big difference! This is an interesting way to upgrade such a mainstream flavor.

The aromatic note of this fruit is very pleasant, a complex and rich blend of sweet lemon, jasmine, orange blossom. Surprising taste for a citrus, no acidity and no bitterness, round and sweet with this beautiful flavor profile confirmed on the palate.

Buddha’s hand citron is an ancient fruit from India and China, yellow, with a typical shape of fingers. Inside, no juice, just white pith.

You will use the zest, or cut the fingers in slice.

A few great applications:

- In beverages, after being infused in milk for example or even in alcohol.  “Hangar One” from Alameda California http://www.hangarone.com, makes one of my preferred Vodka lemon, “ Hangar one Citron Buddha’s hand” just fantastic in cocktails….

- In deserts, use the zest infused in creams, the zest in crepes or patisserie.

Should also try in ice creams, tea, savory applications, and seasonings…. Lemon and lime are so used and overused.

A good example of an ingredient not well known bringing a nice balance and complexity . Also a good way to reduce the amount of sugar added in a recipe, thanks to the low bitterness and the natural sweet sensation.

Try it!

A part of Science and Engineering: the raw material and their quality, the constituents, their physical and chemical properties, the resistance to constraints, pressure, temperature, the possibilities for combinations, for assembling, shaping and finally the ability for lasting while keeping the initial properties…

A part of Art: Intuition and exploration of combinations of constituents, quest for proportions, aesthetic, pleasant perception through all the senses. It can be minimalistic or busy, classic or contemporary.

In both cases Balance and Harmony make the final result tasteful and enjoyable with “Un petit je ne sais quoi that makes the difference”.

In Architecture and Food the local culture bring differences but, if you think about, tasteful is universal. It is what I verify through my extensive travel around the world. Taste is local, good taste is global.

“ Yes of course and with great pleasure, it is one of my favorite!”

In New York or Paris, the waiter would look at me in astonishment… In Istanbul, Turkey I would simply confirm, already salivating, “Please bring me a Tavuk gogsu kazandibi “.

This traditional milk-based dessert is in fact a kind of browned milk pudding, with a burnt surface (origin of the name Kazan=cauldron and Dibi=bottom) giving the appearance and flavor of a crème brulee, to which very thinly peeled chicken breast  (tavuk göğsü) is added, giving a pleasant creamy, flan like texture.

Believe me, it is delicious!

This is what I like about food and beverages when traveling the world, great surprises that challenge the established culinary orthodoxies, continuously opening new doors to creativity.

Simple ingredients, just a different way to use chicken for the texture, and I can assure you that there is no way to detect the taste of chicken.

Bottom line; try unusual combinations of ingredients to reach a familiar taste or to create a totally new experience. It is fun, and a major source of innovation that we use at Just Pure Taste.