474826 Mon Dec 31 12:33:46 -0800 2007 33 31 Home Cooking 0 3249847 Our coop just started carrying what they call "Buddha's hand." It looks like a yellow hand or maybe more like an octopus with yellow tentacles. If you scratch it just a bit it's very fragrant. Supposed to be a source for homemade citron. Our coop started stocking them right before the holidays as something exotic. They are fairly large but also very expensive. (About $19 for one.) It would probably make sense to share one of these with someone or use them for gifts. Has anyone used these at all? What are good uses for citron that are not too sweet? Mon Dec 31 12:33:46 -0800 2007 123744 karykat 1 3250053 I thought of buying one - for use as a center piece and conversation item. It is mostly skin and pith, so you would be using it mainly for the fragrance. I have vague memory of someone using it on a recent Iron Chef America episode, though all that comes to mind is slices of the 'fingers'. paulj Mon Dec 31 13:51:01 -0800 2007 3249847 12139 paulj 2 4278135 I just saw some in the grocery store for the first time today. It seems that the fruit is mostly good for impersonating lemon zest, and as an air freshener. Hence, I think I might hang one from the rearview mirror in my Beetle. If I don't get a ticket or get accused of hanging someones hand from my mirror, then it should make my car smell great! Maybe it would also make people less likely to want to break into my car. ,) Sun Dec 28 14:19:00 -0800 2008 3250053 252076 lisanaillon 3 4399734 HA!!! I will think of this the next time I see these at the coop! Sun Feb 08 21:29:28 -0800 2009 4278135 123744 karykat 1 3250135 Here is a link to a good recipe for candied buddha's hand citron: http://www.sanfranciscofoodie.com/scraps/buddhasHand.htm I've made marmalade from buddha's hand using a standard orange marmalade recipe (I think it was from JofC). I cut the fruit into quarters and grated on a coarse grater, holding the base end of the fruit. Since buddha's hand contains no juice to speak of, I used grapefruit and lemon juice. I've had limoncello made with buddha's hand, but I didn't make it. I would guess that you could sub it for lemon in any limoncello recipe. Mon Dec 31 14:24:54 -0800 2007 3249847 16301 Non Cognomina 2 3250555 I made some "buddhacello," and yes, I just used a limoncello recipe and substituted the buddha's hand zest for the lemon zest in the recipe. It turned out pretty well -- it has a very distinct aroma. (My sister may have further comments, since I gave her a bottle for Christmas.) The basic recipe (adapted from a recipe I found here: http://hedonia.seantimberlake.com/hedonia/2007/03/limoncello_di_h.html) is: about a quarter cup of grated citron zest 1 750 ml bottle of 100 proof vodka 2 cups sugar 2.5 cups water Put zest and vodka in a glass container, cover tightly, and let steep for about two weeks. When time is up, make a syrup using the sugar and water. While it's cooling, strain solids out of vodka using a fine mesh strainer. Then strain again through cloth. (Note: cheesecloth is too coarse; I used rags torn from an old white cotton bed sheet. Be sure to wet the cloth before you start. This step can take a while, but it's worth it to get all the sediment out.) Add about half the sugar syrup to the infused vodka, taste, and keep adding until it tastes sweet enough to you (traditional limoncello is quite sweet, but yours doesn't have to be). Pour into pretty bottle(s) (e.g. the final container) and age for another two weeks. You can use this recipe to make liqueur from just about any citrus fruit, but you might want to increase the amount of zest for less aromatic fruits such as tangerines. Mon Dec 31 18:54:41 -0800 2007 3250135 138816 jlafler 3 3250622 It's delicious -- it does have a distinct, floral aroma and flavor. Mon Dec 31 19:52:22 -0800 2007 3250555 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 5300548 We grow Buddha Hand, and I've made Buddhacello. I separated the zest from the pith and infused them separately (to see how the pith portion tasted) in Everclear for a long time. The pith infusion tasted good, so I combined them. The resulting Buddhacello is flowery and wonderful. The next time, I'll just grate up the whole hand, and not worry about limiting it to the zest. After infusing, I took the left-over pulps (both zest and pith) and pureed them. I pressed out any remaining alcohol for the Buddhacello , and use the pulp for other things, like a marmalade or to add a citrus note to baking, salsas, sauces, etc. Wed Jan 06 10:15:50 -0800 2010 3250555 239800 smash 4 5300868 Yum. Thanks for the tip! Wed Jan 06 11:36:19 -0800 2010 5300548 138816 jlafler 1 3250148 I only became familiar with Buddha's hand through Hangar One Vodka. They have a variety called Buddha's Hand and it is my favorite "citron" vodka. I have never used one in cooking. Mon Dec 31 14:31:45 -0800 2007 3249847 95843 Living4fun 1 3250458 The wiki article says the pith is not bitter, so sections can be use whole or diced like zest to add flavor and aroma. In Asia it is used for its perfume. Another article says limited pulp is quite acid. paulj "You don't really want to cook with this thing. Use it as a centerpiece to perfume a room, astound the mailman or scare small animals and children." http://www.post-gazette.com/food/20031218buddhashand1218fnp5.asp Mon Dec 31 17:37:48 -0800 2007 3249847 12139 paulj 2 3252269 You really DO want to cook with this thing, actually. Shave it for salads, add it to anything lemon(think, Shaker Lemon Pie), put it up in vodka(thank you, Hangar One), marmalade, tagines, candied peel. All these things and more. It is delicious, rare and special. Use it for decoration, but then cook with it, please! Tue Jan 01 18:55:07 -0800 2008 3250458 11225 rabaja 3 3252326 How well does it keep? Apart from making marmalade and candied peel, most uses only require a small part at a time. paulj Tue Jan 01 19:24:11 -0800 2008 3252269 12139 paulj 4 3253610 you can get them in all different sizes, and they will last the longest when kept refrigerated. Wed Jan 02 10:44:49 -0800 2008 3252326 11225 rabaja 1 3250801 I saw them for the first time around Thanksgiving at our local Fresh Market. At $7 I thought it was a bit expensive; so at $19, it sounds exhorbitant. The produce manager told me they're mostly used as conversation pieces; their usage mostly as you would lemon zest. Tue Jan 01 03:09:41 -0800 2008 3249847 16177 zook 2 3252210 Buddha's hand fruit looks like a lemon that was adopted by a family of carrots and forced to grow underground. Click on image here to the left. Tue Jan 01 18:26:50 -0800 2008 3250801 10609 Cheese Boy 1 3250980 The Chez Panisse fruits cookbook has a recipe for shaved citron/Buddha's hand salad that looks interesting. Tue Jan 01 08:02:14 -0800 2008 3249847 112561 Egg 1 3252524 $19??? My word. I haven't seen them since I left NC in September, but there they were 7.99. I don't knokw what to use it for, but I'd expect that it is, like others say, for fragrance mostly. Good luck! Tue Jan 01 21:15:01 -0800 2008 3249847 132249 alysonlaurel 1 3252551 I candied some whole in sugar syrup and packed on each in a wide mouth jar and sent them in this years Christmas boxes! Tue Jan 01 21:34:13 -0800 2008 3249847 14341 OCEllen 2 3252581 Whole candied ones must have looked very dramatic in jars! Very creative idea. Tue Jan 01 22:01:34 -0800 2008 3252551 123744 karykat 3 3254172 They do! Great fun and tasty. I'll do some simpler candied kumquats in about a month - my tree is loaded with big ones! Wed Jan 02 12:56:56 -0800 2008 3252581 14341 OCEllen 4 4249869 Did you soak and/or blanch the citrons before candying them? I slice Buddha Hand, simmer it in syrup for 15 minutes, wait 24 hours, and simmer again for about 20 minutes to 230 degrees. Then I set the pieces out on silpats to dry. I never blanch mine to "remove the bitterness." There is residual bitterness in the finished product, but I like it. I don't think Buddha Hand needs all that heavy-handed blanching like some of the other, really bitter citrons. I'm just curious what other people do. Mon Dec 15 22:17:13 -0800 2008 3254172 248867 mikael3 5 5241473 reviving this thread, hoping for more info on whole candying of buddha's hands toodie jane, there's a recipe for while candied kumquats in David Lebovitz's Room For Dessert Thu Dec 10 06:53:16 -0800 2009 4249869 11989 pitu 6 5242912 rather, for WHOLE candied kumquats : ) Thu Dec 10 14:51:37 -0800 2009 5241473 11989 pitu 4 4399301 recipe pleaase for candied kumquats? :- ) Sun Feb 08 17:56:29 -0800 2009 3254172 11234 toodie jane 1 3252580 Thanks everyone. I have no idea why the ones at our coop should cost so much more. Could it be that they are organic and therefore more? I'm going to check our local Whole Foods. Thanks for all the great ideas. It's hard to imagine using THAT much peel, but marmalade and that Chez Panisse salad sound like some good options. Or sharing one with someone else who wants to experiment. Tue Jan 01 22:00:55 -0800 2008 3249847 123744 karykat 2 3252591 Actually, Whole Foods was where I saw the 7.99 ones, so that should be a good bet for you. Their prices are often high, but sometimes, because they are so large, they get good deals on exotic stuff like this. I wonder if they'd make good preserves of some kind. Tue Jan 01 22:13:50 -0800 2008 3252580 132249 alysonlaurel 3 3253421 Buddha's Hand Citron is great in creme brulee, too. It has a sweet spiciness (kind of jasmine topnotes and some kind of fruitcake spice undertones) that blends really well -- I use it where I want the brightness of citrus without the overt character of lemon. Buddha's Hands are notoriously unpredictible in keeping. If you get a fresh one, it might last for two weeks, just sitting out...or, you may come back after two days to find it completely covered in white fuzz. I find it's best to keep them in the fridge, in a container that breathes (brown paper bag, or just sitting out). You can cut off the moldy parts and use the rest, and because most Buddha's Hands have sweet pith, you can use the whole fruit. Buddha's Hands are extremely frost-sensitive, so while native to China, in the US they are mostly grown in California's Central Valley, near Fresno. Whole Foods is probably able to offer such a great price because they can buy in bulk, for multiple stores. We (I work with Hangar One) purchase them wholesale from farmers for $3 each. Wed Jan 02 09:53:08 -0800 2008 3252591 99317 taqsim 4 3253588 Fantastic idea and great background. Thanks much. Wed Jan 02 10:39:36 -0800 2008 3253421 123744 karykat 3 3253587 I think they would make fabulous marmalade. Since you would be using all the rind. You would probably have to add other juice from lemons or oranges or something, since they wouldn't yield much. Wed Jan 02 10:39:15 -0800 2008 3252591 123744 karykat 1 3253903 They are available in the winter from one of the vendors at my local (southern Cal.) farmers' market. Last year I put slices of the peel into a bunch of granulated sugar, and left it there for a week or so to flavor the sugar. I then removed the slices and discarded them (though in retrospect I bet they would have tasted delicious), dried the sugar in a very low oven, and re-pulverized it in the food processor. I have used the fragrant sugar through the year for various sprinkling purposes -- tart fruit (blackberries -- mmmmm) and waffles, for instance. Wed Jan 02 12:00:59 -0800 2008 3249847 76480 ozhead 2 4398236 What a great idea. I have a Buddha hand tree in my front yard in Palm Springs & hate letting them go to waste, so I'm always looking for ways to use them. Trying the limoncello recipe right now. Sun Feb 08 10:20:27 -0800 2009 3253903 264604 GSGPS 1 4299821 ooh, it's such a lovely find! I LOVE the buddha's hand citron! I make it into a flavored vodka, much like the limoncello recipe (and, no offense, hangar one, the homemade one's much better). I wash it, peel the rind in strips, twist them strips to make sure the oils get loose, and drop in a vodka container (better to use one with a wide mouth so you can take out the strips before it gets bitter) and store it in a dark, cool place for about 3-4 weeks. It's SO awesome. Recently I've been putting it over ice with 7-up and yuzu juice form the japanese market. I've also infused vodka this way with the etrog citron (only available after the jewish holiday of sukkot) and calamani fruit (available fresh seasonally at phillipino markets). Soon I want to try the skin and leaves of kaffir limes. or maybe kaffir limes with lemongrass and coconut milk. Mmm... Tue Jan 06 02:29:46 -0800 2009 3249847 214421 saraleib 1 5300862 I recently used one as a table decoration for a fancy dinner. Just sliced off one end to make a flat surface for it to sit on, and voila! Cheaper than flowers, and the smell is more compatible with food. Wed Jan 06 11:35:14 -0800 2010 3249847 138816 jlafler