You can find citrus in nearly every cuisine around the world, from South America, through Europe, across through Asia and down to Australia. You can find it in sweet and savoury, in entrées, main courses and desserts.
You can find it from breakfast marmalade to lunchtime salads to evening roasts. You can find it in markets, grocers, delis and growing in the backyard of homes all over the world. It can be grated over the most expensive fine dining meals, squeezed over fish at the local takeaway, or packed just as it is in a child's lunchbox.
![Lemon confit pork shoulder with apple and kale slaw.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170727024602im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/i/4/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guzhx2.png/1489701188954.jpg)
It's easy to see what makes citrus so appealing. The slight sourness of the juice, balanced with the sweetness of the fruit, and the herbaceous notes of the tree are a great compliment to any dish. The acidity cuts through oiliness and the sourness enhances flavour without adding any extra salt. Here are two recipes where our hero citrus shines.
LEMON CONFIT PORK SHOULDER WITH APPLE AND KALE SLAW
Serves 6 (with leftovers)
In this dish the power of citrus comes to the fore, perfuming the meat and using its sourness to lighten an oily confit.
• 2 lemons
• 2kg pork shoulder, deboned and cut into 5cm-wide strips
• 4 garlic cloves, bruised
• 3 tsp salt, extra to season
• pepper, to season
• 1 litre extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt (optional)
• 1 green apple
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 bunch kale, stems discarded, shredded
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Peel the rind from 1 lemon and cut the other into thin wedges. Layer the pork in an ovenproof saucepan, lining the base of the pan. Add the garlic, lemon rind and wedges, salt and pepper. Pour over the oil. Place in the oven for 3 hours or until tender. Remove pan from the oven and allow the pork to cool in the oil.
For the dressing, juice the remaining lemon. Whisk the juice in a large bowl with 2 tbsp of the confit oil (used to cook the pork), the mustard and yoghurt, if using. Season with salt and pepper.
Quarter the apple and remove the core, then very thinly slice. Soak the apple in a little salted water for 5 minutes to prevent it from browning. Combine the apple, onion and kale with the dressing and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes before serving.
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add a little of the confit oil. Sear the pork on all sides for about 5 minutes until completely browned. Rest for 2 minutes, then slice into 1cm-wide pieces. Serve with the slaw.
Adam's tip The oil left over after making the confit shouldn't go to waste. It's infused with citrus and meaty flavours and is delicious in pasta, dressings, as an ordinary olive oil for pan-frying or even reserved for making more confit. It'll keep in the fridge for months.
ORANGE AND STRAWBERRY FOOL
Serves 4-6
Citrus works double duty in terms of flavour and texture. The sourness balances a sweet dessert, but its freshness also balances the silky cream in this fool.
![Orange and strawberry fool.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170727024602im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/i/3/k/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x0.png/1489634283106.png)
Orange and strawberry fool. Photo: William Meppem
• 2 oranges, rind finely grated
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp Cointreau
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 punnet strawberries, hulled, halved, sliced
• 300ml thickened cream
• 2 tbsp pure icing sugar, sifted
• 300ml Greek-style yoghurt
Segment the oranges over a saucepan to collect any juices, and discard any seeds and pith. Squeeze any remaining juice from the flesh into the pan. Stir in the rind, 2 tbsp of sugar, Cointreau and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool completely in the fridge.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract over the strawberries in a medium bowl. Set aside for at least 15 minutes to macerate.
Add the remaining vanilla extract, cream and icing sugar to a bowl and whip to soft peaks, then stir through the yoghurt.
Lightly fold spoonfuls of each fruit mixture into the yoghurt cream and divide the mixture among glasses.