The flavor of yuzu citruss fruit continues to make a “buzz” in American culinary scene. Yuzu is a tangerine-sized citrus fruit with a thick, bumpy rind. Bright green in summer, yuzu turns golden yellow in autumn when it is ripe. Like lemon, yuzu is valued for its rind and juice, which are bursting with fragrance and a slightly tart and bitter flavor. The yuzu is not generous, producing only a little less than a tablespoon or so of juice per fruit. To get 1/2 cup of the juice from fresh fruit, you will be spending lots of money even in Japan.
In America today pure yuzu juice packed in a bottle is available at many Japanese food stores. So, you can enjoy using it in the preparation of yuzu granita, yuzu ice cream, yuzu dressing, yuzu mousse, yuzu chocolate, yuzu coctails and other yuzu juice flavored dessert creations.
Today Japanese companies are bringing higher quality Japanese products to America, and yuzu juice is a part of that trend. When I was in California at the beginning of March, I was introduced to a “this is it” yuzu juice. The name of the brand is Yuzu Passion and it is produced by Kitomura Company in Kito Village, Tokushima Prefecture. The company uses a traditional wood press to extract juice. This prevents the bitter flavors of the fruit from being overly extracted into the juice. To produce 500ml of yuzu juice, they press 50 to 60 fruits, against using 10 to 20% fewer fruits and more harsh pressing method used at other factories. Check-out www.yuzupassion.com for more product information.
When you taste Yuzu Passion you will be amazed by its robust fragrance and pure appealing flavor with a wonderful smooth touch. In addition to the juice they also carry yuzu ginger conserve. Wow, I cannot stop lapping them up on toast, crackers or other good bread. So Delicious!