A spritz of citrus juice or some freshly grated zest may be the secret to cooking success. It makes everything taste fresher and livelier. And there’s no time when we need that more than winter. Self-confessed citrus fanatic Katharine Kagel, owner of legendary Cafe Pasqual’s, shares her citrus love affair with us through their winter recipes.
The Sweet and the Sour of Cafe Pasqual’s Winter Citrus Recipes
“My father was obsessed with oranges – all fruits – but oranges made an appearance every day in his life,” says Katharine Kagel, executive chef and owner of Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe. “He was always peeling an orange at some point in the day or after dinner. And he got to be ninety-eight, so it seemed to work for him,” she laughs. Growing up in California, citrus was part and parcel of life and still is today. (In the 2023-24 growing season, California accounted for just shy of 80% of U.S. citrus production).
Find the recipe for Cafe Pasqual’s Upside Down Bejeweled Citrus cake here!
It’s a fact that hit home when Kagel was on a Greyhound bus with her grandmother on a childhood road trip bound for Los Angeles. What captured her eye and her imagination were the unending citrus groves. “It was a fairyland to see grove after grove after grove uninterrupted, it seemed. And I was just entranced.”
Working with the Tang of Citrus Every Day
That love and awe for citrus plays out every day at Cafe Pasqual’s, the restaurant Kagel has owned and run for 47 years. And while we can find citrus year-round at the grocery store, it’s winter when it really comes into its own.
Find the recipe for cafe Pasqual’s Lemon Meringue Tarts here!
Cara cara, blood, and Seville oranges all arrive during winter, like a welcome friend here to lift our spirits. Kagel marks the arrival of Seville orange season by bringing them into Cafe Pasqual’s kitchen by the caseload and juicing them for their signature Cochinita Pibil – a Yucatan pork dish. “We squeeze and squeeze and set them aside in the freezer, so we have them all year, till the next Seville orange season,” she says.
A Bright Spot in Winter
And in the dead of winter when we’re faced with stews as dark as the nights are long and a seemingly unrelenting diet of root vegetables, citrus provides the lift – the umph – we’re all craving. “That’s why there is gremolata – zested lemon peel and garlic and parsley – and you put it on a lamb shank that is dark, serious meat, and all of the sudden it’s kind of lively and fun,” she says.
Kumquats – “itty-bitty miniatures” – make their way into salads; orange and grapefruit (both zest and fruit) find a home in Cafe Pasqual’s Citrus Gazpacho; while an individual lemon meringue tart is rarely off the menu as small scale riots occur when it’s not on offer. “I always, always have lemon on the list for dessert in some way,” she says. “It might be lemon ice cream with a honeycomb dribbling on top of the ice cream. Or it might be a lemon cream, which is lovely.” Recently she’s been playing with pouring a bit of French cassis in the bottom of a tulip glass, topping it off with Meyer lemon cream, berries, and then more cassis. “Because there’s nothing worse than getting to the bottom of a sundae and there’s no more fun and sauce!”
Making Curds with Winter Citrus
Curds are another favorite citrus incarnation. Egg yolks, sugar, butter, and citrus plus some gentle heat and you have something creamy and lush. She says their reputation as tricky to make is undeserved and all that’s required is time and a little patience. “It’s magic. It’s going to come together. Those eggs are busy. They’re doing their own thing. No, it’s very simple to do a curd and to surprise people at breakfast, to have a curd to put on toast.” Even better, it will keep for a few days.
And it’s little wonder that citrus-based desserts are appealing even to those without a pronounced sweet tooth, as citrus’s acidity can act as a welcome palate cleanser. In cooking – sweet or savory – Kagel says it’s indispensable. “I don’t think I ever leave a grocery store without lemons and fennel,” she says. A aromatic notes and essential oils are released when you zest a lemon, while lemon juice has a clean, fresh flavor that can lift many dishes, giving them a brightness we crave.
Listening to Kagel sing the praises of citrus you realize just how transformative it can be. Citrus adds sparkle to dishes – sweet or savory – and makes them shine. And that lift, that shine, is welcome in every season but perhaps no more than winter when skies and palettes are dull and we need a bit of dazzle.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Food by Cafe Pasqual’s
Photography by Tira Howard
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