I am in love with...

Just recently I realized that I am in love with zest. Yes, zest, I know it's crazy but in all my years of cooking I've always included it in recipes however is just dawned on my how much I really love it. The zest of citrus fruits adds a depth of flavor that can't really be created with juice alone. The zest refers to the outer most layer of the peel of citrus fruits, the most commonly used fruits being, lemons, limes and oranges. The secret of the zest is in the very fragrant oils that are produced in peel. The most important thing to keep in mind when zesting is to only use the colored part of the peel, the white part is not zest, its the pith and its very bitter as you probably know from a bad orange peeling experience. Incorporating zest into recipes that already have citrus juice is a great way to take the recipe up a notch. As always I've included a recipe of my own to get you started, it is a delicious marinated shrimp that could be served on a skewer as an appetizer on as an entree on a bed of rice with a side of veggies. I call it kick-me because of the kick it gets from the zest and the cayenne pepper.

Kick-Me Shrimp

Serves 2

1/2 lb 16-20 shrimp, (or whatever size you like)peeled and devained
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 TB green onion chopped
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB lime juice
zest from half one lemon
zest from one lime
zest from half of one orange
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp salt for seasoning

1. In a bowl combine olive oil,spices, garlic, green onion, lemon and lime juice, lemon, lime and orange zest, pepper and salt. Mix together
2. Toss the shrimp in the mixture and coat them evenly.
3. Let the shrimp marinate for at least a half hour. (1-2 hours is best)

After marinating, the shrimp can be cooked any way you like, on the grill in the oven or in the skillet. I definitely would go for the grill especially with summer right around the corner but its up to you. Allow yourself to be creative and inspired whenever you cook.

Enjoy!