Oleo Saccharum (sugar-extracted citrus oils)

7 Apr

This is now my favorite way to extract intense citrus flavors, especially from fragrant citrus (bergamot, other sour oranges, kaffir limes, and so on). I’ve started using this in both shrubs and [citrus]cellos. Basically, you slice the peel off citrus, painstakingly scrape off any white pith so you have thin, translucent strips of peel, then pack them in sugar for about 10 hours, periodically kneading them as the oil diffuses out of the peel and liquefies the sugar. Bergamot through the afternoon, in photos: IMG_20140201_190346263 IMG_20140104_212438 DSC03334 DSC03338 DSC03339 And knobby kaffir limes getting the same treatment (I spent more time after the first photo removing pith before packing in sugar): IMG_20140111_200246880 IMG_20140111_220556519

3 Responses to “Oleo Saccharum (sugar-extracted citrus oils)”

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. More Citrus Shrubs | The Robot Must Eat - April 8, 2014

    […] ratios, as well as using oleo saccharums (citrus oils extracted from the peel with sugar: I posted some photos of the process […]

  2. Exotic Citrus Shrubs (Kaffir Lime, Yuzu) | The Robot Must Eat - October 5, 2014

    […] Oleo saccharum yields the most intense flavors (shown here, Yuzu, an east asian citrus): […]

  3. Preserving Citrus & Hot Peppers | The Robot Must Eat - March 4, 2017

    […] citrus peels rubbed in sugar to extract oils and make an oleo saccharum, my favorite way to get flavor out of citrus. I tried both bergamot from Monterey Market and a […]

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