How to make your own citrus zest preserve

I love a little citrusy touch to some of my deserts. I think citrus zest is such an easy and convenient way to give an extra zingy taste to sweets. My mom would always add some lemon and/or orange zest in a sweet porridge or to sponge cakes, and even to the traditional Romanian cozonac. And it’s from her I learned this trick on how to save and preserve the citrus fruits’ zest, to always have it at hand.

I find this tip super useful, since sometimes it can be hard to find citrus fruits with untreated skin. Of course you don’t want to use the ones with chemicals in your food and deserts. That is why, whenever I get my hands on organic lemons or oranges, I make sure to make the best out of them. And that means using the peel as well. But not all the time I have plans on using it on the spot, so that’s when this idea comes in handy.

Save your citrus zest now, use it later!

If you are also team citrus zest – yes, there are people who hate citrus zest, I’ve met a couple or so – then you might find this useful. Here’s what you need to make your own lemon/ orange/ mixed citrus zest ‘preserve’.

Ingredients:

• lemons/ oranges/ limes with untreated skin
• sugar / vanilla sugar

Tools:

• a fine grater
• a small jar

Instructions:

1. Wash the fruit thoroughly with fresh water and pat dry. Grate the zest of your clean fruits onto a plate. Try to get only the colourful peel of the fruit, and as little as possible of the white part of the skin.
2. After grating all the zest, transfer right away in a small jar. Don’t let it dry. That way you won’t lose those fragrant oils.
3. Add 1/4-1/2 tsp. sugar on top of the zest. Adjust the sugar quantity based on how much zest you have – I would for example use 1/4 tsp. to zest from 1-2 fruits.
4. Optional – squeeze just a tiny bit of juice from the lemon/ orange/ lime and add in the jar, to help it stay moist and fresh.
5. Store the little jar in the fridge for up to a couple of months or so. Use whenever needed.
6. Next time you are using another fruit, just grate the zest and add to the jar. Make sure to add a bit of extra sugar as well and mix it all together.

Notes

*** I like to match my lemon zest with vanilla sugar, while the orange one goes with plain normal sugar.

***Can be used in sponge cakes, crepes, pancakes, french toast, porridge, butter cookies, biscuits, jams, sweet brioche bread, babka, panettone.

Hope you found this useful, let me know if you tried it.