"zest" news and stories

I found myself in Westport, Connecticut and wanted to check out Chef Pietro Scotti's hot lunch place, Zest.

Chef Pietro Scotti of the famous Da Pietro's opened Zest in 2006 to cater to Westport's casual crowd, or at least the fine dining crowd when they don't feel like getting dressed up.

The first thing I noticed as I stepped down the stairs into their intimate dining room was the fresh, fanciful decor. One wall was entirely covered by a mural of stylized foliage, perhaps inspired by Sir John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland illustrations. The feel was modern, without the harsh edges of minimalism. The clientele was mostly lunching ladies, and I spotted one very well-behaved child. Yes, there is a kids' menu.

Perhaps I'm cheating, or defeating the steaming purpose, but what follows is a ridiculously quick and simple way to season your broccoli giving it both depth and a light bite.

Just as your broccoli is about to be finished steaming, melt some butter in a pan. Just as it completely melts, turn the heat off and sprinkle the butter with some lime or lemon zest. Let it sit for a little bit as you get everything in order, and once the broccoli is in a dish, simply pour the small amount of butter and zest over the broccoli, then give it a few twists of black pepper, and -- the important final touch -- garlic salt. No, not that powdered stuff that comes in a shaker, but garlic-flavored sea salt. A few sprinkles of that gives that nice bite of salt and the richness of garlic, which is the perfect match to the citrus butter.

Added tip: I keep a jar of zest in my freezer from previously used key limes, so for this, I just picked up a pinch out of the jar and tossed it in the pan. Freezer zest is a great way to completely use up your fruit and quickly flavor a dish.

Recently, someone asked me if there was a difference between the "zest" of a citrus fruit and the "peel." In short, the answer is yes. The peel is the name for the whole skin of the fruit, which is comprised of two layers: the zest and the pith. The zest is the colored, outer surface of the fruit while the pith is the soft, white inner layer. The vast majority of recipes will call for the zest of a fruit only. The pith is actually bitter and gives an unpleasant aftertaste if eaten, but the zest contains the very flavorful oils/essence of the fruit.

Once you know what the zest is, the question is how to get it off. The layer is very thin compared to the fruit as a whole, but it can be cut off with a knife and then chopped into fine pieces. A more efficient way is to use either a zester (pictured) or a microplane, both of which are tools that slice off only the zest from a fruit. A zester produces long, thin strips that need to be finely chopped, while a microplane naturally creates a very fine chop that needs no further alteration before being added to a recipe.

Meyer lemons are not like ordinary lemons. They are actually a hybrid fruit, a cross between tangerines or mandarin orange and lemons, which is native to China. Meyer lemons were introduced to the United States shortly after the turn of the 20th century by a man named Frank Meyer, hence the name of the fruit. Most of the lemons are grown in California, but they are also cultivated in states like Texas and Florida.

Meyer lemons are smaller and more spherical than most lemons, with a thin peel that turns slightly orange or goldenrod-colored when it is ripe. The thinness of the peel, when compared to that of more traditional lemon varieties, is very noticeable and it does make the fruits more delicate. As a result of this, for many years, these fruits were not widely available outside the immediate areas in which they were grown, but they are now enjoying a more widespread popularity.