Our Michelin Chefs Cook series puts the spotlight on ingredients handled by expert hands, highlighting the beauty of simple seasonal ingredients and pantry basics and exploring their full potential from the simple to the sophisticated.
Thanks to modern farming we are used to seeing lemons and oranges available all throughout the year. But the truth is that the colder months of the year are when most citrus fruits are at their peak. Lemons in particular, are their juiciest best over the months of January to March, while mandarins are ripe from the end of autumn up until February.
Find out how to brighten up more than just a grilled fish with these five recipes from Michelin starred chefs. There’s Gordon Ramsay’s lemon curd dessert pizza, Josiah Citrin’s duck a l’orange, Mauro Colagreco’s Menton lemon appetiser, Heston Blumenthal’s orange granita, and finally a look at Massimo Bottura’s world famous dessert Oops! I dropped the lemon tart.
5 Michelin star chef recipes with citrus
1. Gordon Ramsay’s lemon curd pizza in Naples
Gordon Ramsay makes a dessert pizza with lemons he found in Amalfi at a popular pizzeria in Naples. A pizza topped with lemon curd and lemon juice - we dare you to try it.
2. Josiah Citrin’s duck a l’orange
Score, season, sear and bake a duck fillet to medium-rare perfection with LA-based Michelin star chef Josiah Citrin. Follow on with oranges prepared two ways, and both raw and cooked turnips that create a mix of textures in this classic dish.
3. Mauro Colagreco’s green asparagus, yogurt, melon citrus, chickweed dish at Mirazur
Mauro Colagreco, of Best Restaurant in the World 2019, Mirazur, is a fan of the Menton lemon and utilises this fragrant citrus in many of his signature dishes. Find out how he highlights the bright flavours of lemon in this asparagus, yogurt and chickweed dish recipe.
4. Heston Blumenthal’s orange and ginger granita
Heston's recipe for orange and ginger granita uses just five recipes and is a great recipe to use as a base for many other granita flavours. It's also no waste - the peels, flesh, and juice are all used to create a fragrant orange granita balanced perfectly with fresh ginger.
5. Massimo Bottura's Oops I Dropped the Lemon Tart
Oops! I dropped the lemon tart is one of Massimo Bottura's most famous dishes, served at his restaurant Osteria Francescana. The story behind the dish is just as interesting - watch him explain how it came about and how this lemon tart dish is constructed.