I've been like a kid in a candy shop with all of the great produce that shows up at Central Market and Whole Foods here in Austin. I've been eating, but poorly recording, all kinds of exciting things lately, like fresh Water Chestnuts, Young Ginger, local Squashes, and 50 cent Avocados. On my most recent grocery trek I picked up a couple of unique fruits.
Check out the Kishu Mandarin, a very tiny, very flavorful little Mandarin. In China, these are called Cherry Oranges. They are sweet, tart, juicy, and seedless, a perfect little snack aside from the $5.00 – $6.00 per pound price tag. Plus, they are easy to peel and ridiculously freaking CUTE. They would look preposterously adorable in a little milk glass fruit bowl. Sigh.
Next, we have the Variegated Lemon. It's PINK on the inside. Squee!! It is a little less sour than a regular lemon, and its stripy outside makes it even more esthetically interesting. I wish I had thought of something super spicy creative to do with this, but I actually just wound up slicing it and dropping it into a pitcher of ice water. The prettiest pitcher of ice water you ever did see. I suspect these would look great candied and sitting on top of a cake or a tart or something. Garnish-wise the possibilities are endless. Then there is the obvious use, pink lemonade.
Have you tried any curious citrus lately? Bhudda's hands, Yuzu, or something really exciting that I can't even think of? I'd love to hear about it.