--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights at 7pm on SBS Food (Ch.33). All episodes are available anytime on SBS On Demand. ---
Where would we be without the pop of citrus colour during winter? The brightest yellows, oranges, greens and somewhere-in-betweens lift our spirits as much as they lift our dishes.
Speaking of which, nothing cuts through the drudge of winter like a citrus dish. It's impossible to taste the tang and not feel a little summer inside. Who knows why citrus feels like hot weather when it grows in anything but?
We're not complaining, though. As these recipes show, during the cool months, citrus is all you need to feel warm about the world.
Dried mandarin rind powder adds zip to white chocolate and pistachio biscotti. The best news is that you can use your new stash of dried mandarin powder any time of year to bring on the citrus cheer.
Your standard cheesy cauliflower will never be enough once you add some mandarin zest. The sweet bitterness offsets the rich creamy sauce in a very memorable way.
Blood oranges are every bit as versatile as they are beautiful, as this thick, sweet marmalade proves. Actually, make a marmalade with all the citrus fruits. It's the way to really make their flavour shine.
Duck pairs perfectly with citrus, especially blood orange. The zesty pop in this braised duck dish balances the richness of the meat like a champ.
This roast honey and orange-glazed chicken proves that duck isn't the only poultry that loves orange. It's such a simple recipe that delivers huge rewards.
The only thing that could make orange more perfect is if the word 'syrup' appears after it. Especially when that syrup is spiced with cardamom and cinnamon and poured over the cake.
If you make one pudding this month, make it this one. A special rice pudding made with coconut milk, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. It tastes as fresh as the winter dawn.
Makrut lime and lemongrass (such a happy pair) add depth to a vego green curry. Citrus prevents coconut milk and other creamy ingredients from becoming too rich and over-bearing. The result is a lighter, more layered curry dish that is endlessly satisfying.
It had to be lemon meringue tart. Lemon at his most charming.
Adam Liaw says to just whack half a pumpkin into the oven and leave. Only to return hours later to drizzle it with lemon pepper butter and get stuck in. Our kind of recipe!
Some of the lesser-known citrus fruits are well worth exploring. Tangelo has an intense tartness that it desperately wants to hide with a fresh sweetness that sings. Hear the music in this tangelo cheesecake.
Ruby grapefruit is so delicious in a salad that you'll soon find yourself slicing them in whenever you see a green vegetable. This salad is full of textures and crunch.
Grapefruit does tend to wind up in salads a lot, proving that they are not just for the warmer months. Or maybe proving citrus fruit's uncanny knack for making us feel summery. Either way, enjoy your scallop salad.
When native finger limes meet haloumi and pawpaw, the crowd goes wild.
This sweet and sour candy goes crackle, crunch, pucker. It's sweet from the caramel, sour from the tangy finger limes and perfect in every way.
Filipino calamansi tastes like a cross between a lime and a mandarin. It's every bit as yummy as that sounds, especially when in calamansi tart form.
Another small but mighty citrus fruit, this time from Japan. It's at its best when squeezed over karaage chicken. But then, everything is.
Think of a cheesecake that's so light and soft it's practically airborne. Then bring it back to earth with a lemon and yuzu jam landing. It's the ideal trip.
Middle Eastern cooks sure know how to love filo pastry. Here it's by stuffing it with cheese and cumquats then drowning it in an orange blossom citrus syrup.
Infusing fresh cumquats through gently baked fish is a heavenly way to make a very easy meal. The tartness of the fruit brings out the flavour of the fish and the juice keeps everything lovely and tender.
Lime is pretty much the perfect citrus fruit. Not too tart, not too bitter, not too sweet. It's almost like every other citrus fruit got together and made lime. Let it shine on in recipes like these arepas with lime and garlic prawns, which keeps things simple.
Everyone loves a recipe where you lay everything on a tray in the morning, leave it to mingle all day and then slide it into the oven in the evening. Minutes to make, an hour to bake and you've got a dinner the crowds will go wild for.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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