Yuzu juice

[ElsieD]

I recently spotted a bottle of yuzu juice and on impulse, I bought it. Now I'm sitting here wondering what to do with it. It is a product of Japan and the label reads "All natural, not from concentrate, 100% pure juice". Elsewhere it says "Yakami Orchard 100% pure yuzu juice". Can I use it in place of other citrus juices in equal quantities in say, a custard? Salad dressings?

Any help appreciated.

[Takhisis]

The NY Times recently published this recipe for Yuzu chiffon cake.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/magazine/13Food-t-002.html

I've also had yuzu jam, so I suppose you could use it like lemon juice for curds. It is more tart though than lemon juice with a slight bitterness at the end.

Also, Japanese Ponzu sauce is usually some mixture of shoyu (soy sauce) and yuzu juice so you could look for recipes calling for ponzu and try making your own.

Hope this helps!

Michelle

Edited February 16, 2011 by Takhisis (log)

[heidih]

There is some yuzu discussion in the Japan forum here

[barbarataylor]

Or you can make an experiment and you can use it as you want

[JasonTrue]

Yuzu juice works nicely in salad dressings; I usually do a simple dressing with a little mustard for emulsification, honey, and olive oil. An alternative involves shallots or onions, mustard, honey, a little soy sauce, and a neutral oil. It also works in cocktails in place of lemon, if it isn't full of preservatives or salt. (If it's 100%, it shouldn't be).

I use it when making ponzu, but the zest is actually more important than the juice in a good ponzu, so I usually end up zesting a meyer lemon when in the US, since fresh yuzu are only rarely available and are very expensive in the Northwest. A mix of citrus is actually fairly nice in a ponzu, though, so you have a lot of wiggle room.

It makes a nice curd or custard, but the result is better when you can add fresh zest.

[Tri2Cook]

It's not new but Alex Stupak's recipe for Yuzu Curd was shared here. The curd is your basic citrus/sugar/egg/butter curd with a touch of agar to hold it's shape so he could slice it. Dropping the agar would give you a more traditional curd. I've subbed other citrus for the yuzu in that recipe so I don't see why yuzu couldn't step in for other citrus in other recipes... but that's with the disclaimer that I've never worked with yuzu. Never seen it where I live.

[Yiannos]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but on a recent trip I too purchased this same bottle of yuzu as @ElsieD did and was wondering if anyone had any more yuzu ideas or recipes to kick around. I did a little digging and found that this particular brand/style of juice is a little different from other yuzu juice I have tried. It is made from the second pressing of the fruit, after being juiced for drinking, and so while similar in flavor I think it is meant more for culinary use. Drinking it straight it is incredibly sour with a slight bitter note, but I'd imagine it would do well in things like sorbets or granitas, maybe cocktails. I like the salad dressing idea up above too. Anyway, was curious if anyone out there had discovered anything else interesting to make with this stuff. 

[blue_dolphin]

As @JasonTrue said, it works nicely in salad dressings.  I've made this Beetroot with Lentils and Yuzu from Ottolenghi's Plenty More. 

Susan Feniger mixes it with mayo & chili paste to make a Spicy Yuzu Mayo to serve with fried chicken.  I've used it (made with Best Foods mayo) as a dipping sauce for fried calamari. 

I like the sound of this Grilled Coleslaw with Yuzu Mayo from Heston Blumenthal but haven't made it. 

 

I also have some left in the fridge and should try it in a cocktail, as you suggest.  Maybe I will try one of these Sparkling Yuzu Gimlets, but made with gin instead of vodka. 

[ElsieD]

@Yiannos  I'm glad you have bumped up this thread.  I started this a long time ago and while I remember using it once, I can't remember what for.  Eventually, after it sat opened for quite some time in the fridge, I tossed it.  Depending on the feedback, I may need to get another bottle.

[Okanagancook]

I just remembered I have a bottle on the door of the pantry refrigerator......dang, 'best before 2012'  Probably should toss it.  Like @ElsieD I can't remember ever using it so I likely won't replace it.

[Katie Meadow]

I recently had an affair with yuzu. A terrific few months, but then I realized I was paying for everything! I'm embarrassed to say how much I spent on those teeny bottles of yuzu juice. It is a very unique flavor, but I do think it is subtle and maybe not worth using large quantities in a cake. Primarily I used it in iced tea: a fruity tea, just a little simple syrup and dash of yuzu. I have weaned myself off it and gone back to using lemon in my iced tea. It was a painful break-up but it was emptying my retirement reserves.

 

I did score some fresh yuzu fruit when it was in season. That season is not now, and it seems very short. It wasn't cheap, either, so I'm thankful for that short season. If I had a load of fresh fruit I would make a posset or custard or maybe a key lime pie subbing in yuzu. That yuzu mayo sounds pretty yummy....

Edited August 13, 2018 by Katie Meadow (log)