Fingered Citron

Also known as Buddhas hand, this fruit has long yellow growths that really do resemble fingers. Its used, appropriately enough, for religious offerings in Buddhist temples, mainly in China and Japan. Fingered citron is also a chefs favorite. At Portlands Pazzo Ristorante, chef John Eisenhart makes marmalade from it in the winter. Pastry chef Megan Romano of Chocolate & Spice Bakery, in Las Vegas, slices it paperthin and poaches it in simple syrup to use as a chip to garnish ice cream or sorbet. And Vera Dordick, a trained pastry chef and former culinary instructor, particularly likes infusing the fruit in vodka: so much more fragrant and flavorful than regular lemons, she says.