T10KTotM; Candied Buddha’s Hand
Sooo… I made some candied Buddha’s Hand. But first:
Hello. I am the Buddha’s Hand. Ancient fruit. Citron mutant.
Top 10 Kitchen Things of the Moment
1 Mandoline
I have 2 hand mandolines (handolines?) and use them all the dang time. There’s the little white one (2″ blade), a bigger red one (~4.5″ blade), and a small julienne slicer that sits in a plastic box (from Daiso). Thumbs up: super fast cleanup; quick slicing action. Thumbs down: they are all LETHALLY sharp, and will actually take your thumb down if you are not careful (who really uses the safety holder, anyhow?).
2 Garlic
Yes.
3 Cheap li’l trio of multicolored paring knives from Wusthof
These guys are the greatest. They may not last forever, but they’re light and pretty darn sharp, and you can take them places without fear of losing them.
4 Awesome Bag To Nature small compost bin liners
They don’t leak even if they have been soaking in goo for a week. I like them.
5 New sponge caddy
This one is suctioned to the inside of the sink. No more disgusting puddles of festering sponge water on the sink rim!! A genius solution!
6 Dried mulberries
Yes!
7 Sunflower seed butter
This from Trader Joe’s. I think folks have been raving about this for a while, but I just now got with the program. It is double dope. I hope to make my own sugar-free version at some point.
8 Mariquita Farms’ Mystery Box
$25 for a faboo bag of assorted veggies. No subscription required! You pick up at a designated spot in SF & can also purchase additional treats from the truck (flats of San Marzano tomatoes, plums, olive oil, etc.).
9 the Buddha’s Hand on the windowsill
It hung out on the kitchen sill for a week. THEN: see below
10 Ottolenghi (the person)
I received Plenty as a gift last year, made a few recipes with middling success, then put it back on the shelf. I pulled it out again last month to hunt for unusual side salads, and then had multiple convos with people who’d just gotten it. Now it’s back in my kitchen circulation. People freaking love this cookbook. I have a secret project involving his Guardian-posted recipes that you will soon be privy to.
AND THEN…
I took the Buddha’s Hand off the windowsill and candied the dang thing!!
We are the candid citrons!! We are curing!! It is hoped that we will crystallize!!
I used this awesome and good-humored tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/Candied-Buddhas-Hand-Citron/.
The process also produced about a pint of delicious citron-infused syrup. For what, I don’t yet know.
I am the syrup. Derp dee derp dee derp.
Here’s to coming up with a worthy application for the fruits of this this gloriously fragrant, unusual looking, and generally delightful fruit.
Glad to see that you’re blogging again! I just got a ton of fabric in Sri Lanka and need to decide what to do with it. Luckily I have access to a lot of destitute tailors.
Glad to see that you’re blogging again, too! Take some pictures of that fabric & let us readers help you decide what to do with it!