For quick citrus peel garnishes, get a channel peeler (a.k.a. channel knife), an inexpensive kitchen gadget. (The channel peeler in the photo below is on sale for less than $6.)

The channel knife was originally devised so that bartenders could easily peel citrus strips for cocktails. You can use the citrus peel—grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange—to make garnishes for everything you serve.

 
Beyond citrus, you can cut strips from any firm fruit or vegetable: apples, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. The thin strands can be used to garnish anything, including:

 
 
MORE WAYS TO USE THE PEEL

 
Longer strands can be knotted into fancy garnish, as in the photo above, a Cosmo from Bar Boulud in Boston.

Extra peel can be frozen. Here’s more on zesting peel.

And the next time someone requests a cup of tea with lemon, add a tablespoon of lemon peel instead.

[1] A channel peeler or channel knife (photo © 1EasyLife.

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Serve it as a palate cleanser between fish and meat courses at a dinner party, or right before the turkey or ham course at Thanksgiving.

Sorbet is our favorite light dessert. For a fancier dessert, serve it in a pavlova (a meringue cup) with berries, or with diced fall fruits marinated in liqueur.

Find more apple-licious recipes at USApple.org.
 
 
RECIPE: APPLE CIDER-POMEGRANATE SORBET

Ingredients For 6 Servings

Refreshing as a palate cleanser or dessert. Photo courtesy US Apple.

1. STIR together the juices, sugar, cinnamon stick, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

2. REMOVE the cinnamon stick, stir in the lemon juice, cover and chill in the refrigerator until cold.

3. FREEZE the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze an additional 2 hours or longer.

Are you anticipating a special beverage with the change of season…say, a certain latte?

The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL, to fans) has arrived at coffee shops, engendering peals of delight among a gaggle of young ladies in our neighborhood.

But how do adults feel about fall beverages?

Seasonal coffees are the most anticipated beverage for them, too, according to a KRC Pulse Poll.

The results—in the photo—are from a nationwide survey conducted online by KRC Research in August 2015, among 507 American adults ages 18 and older.

Our vote: fall’s seasonal beers!

A grilled lemon half with roast chicken. Photo courtesy The Fillmore Room | NYC.

One thing we’ve been noticing at restaurants: grilled lemons. Instead of a plain lemon half to squeeze over food, the lemon comes nicely charred.

Why? In addition to eye appeal, the heat from grilling or pan-charring a sliced lemon helps soften the juice sacs. The result: more juice spritzing onto your food.

A grilled lemon also provides a bit of charred flavor. If you use a Meyer lemon, which is higher in sugar content, the cut surface will actually lightly caramelize. This makes its juice taste even sweeter.

Grilled lemons are particularly tasty alongside other grilled or roasted foods—chicken, salmon or other fish and seafood, and vegetables.

If you want a noticeable olive oil flavor on the lemon, use a strong olive oil; otherwise, go for a neutral oil like canola or grapeseed.

Ingredients

 
Preparation
1. HEAT a grill or frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush the cut sides of the lemon with oil and sprinkle with salt.

2. PLACE the lemons cut side down on the grill/in the frying pan. Cook until the lemons are heated through and charred on the cut side, about 3 minutes.

How easy is that?

The producer calls Schmacon “beef’s answer to bacon.”

It looks like bacon and smells bacon; it cooks like bacon–preferably in the oven for maximum crispness, although it can be cooked in a frying pan.

The result, crisp strips of Schmacon, tastes of beef instead of pork, but with the smoky, sweet spirit of bacon.

 
Meatier, lower in sodium, calories and fat, Schmacon is a much healthier alternative, and you get more meat and less fat. More benefits:

Crisp, delicious Schmacon. Use it wherever you’d use bacon. Photo courtesy Schmacon.

THREE YEARS IN DEVELOPMENT

This is not the first beef bacon on the market, but but it’s head and shoulders above the rest. Most other beef bacon is manufactured with the same technique as pork bacon, but that made no sense to CEO Howard Bender. He started from scratch, testing different cuts of beef, spice blends and cooking processes until, three years later, he was satisfied.

The result, Schmacon Smoked & Glazed Beef Slices, is an achievement, a delicious alternative for those who do not eat pork products, and a boon to those who’d like “healthier bacon.”

Why isn’t it called bacon? Today, the USDA limits the use of “bacon” to pork. “Turkey bacon” got grandfathered in.

TOP: Schmacon and eggs. BOTTOM: Look for this package at your grocer’s. Photos courtesy Schmacon.

Use it anywhere you’d use pork or turkey bacon, including to make:

 
WHERE TO GET SCHMACON

Over the last year, Schmacon has rolled out to restaurants and foodservice. It is now rolling out to retailer stores.

Look for a retailer near you. If you can’t find one, you can purchase a ten-pound package from the manufacturer. Extra Schmacon can be frozen; but we bet you’ll run through the bulk package pretty quickly.
 
Discover more at Schmacon.com.