Citrus, Illustrated: A Cookbook of 35 Sweet and Savory Recipes

With this zesty outing, Geary (The Cheesecake Bible) offers a love letter to citrus. The collection is divided into eight sections, each devoted to a specific type of fruit—grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, citron, and Buddha’s hand, , a segmented Asian citrus,—offering fun facts and quick overviews of different varietals. Recipes range from tried and true, including a “world’s best” lemonade, to more inventive, such as blood orange glazed carrots. Australian finger limes, distinct for the caviarlike “flavorful beads” that make up their innards, make a fun and refreshing topping in a shrimp and sea bass ceviche appetizer. A martini featuring vodka infused with Buddha’s hand is garnished with a finger of the flamboyant fruit. Desserts include a breezy no-bake key lime pie and decadent chocolate fudge cake with tangelo icing. A final section of multi-citrus recipes encourages inventiveness and hybridity in triple citrus cookies and triple citrus vinaigrette. Geary, an Angelino, proves a charming narrator, sharing his love of storied L.A. restaurants in recipes such as chicken salad with mandarin oranges, inspired by a dish served at the tearoom of the now closed department store Bullock and Wilshire. Hollingsworth’s illustrations are vibrant and sweet, but the lack of photography, especially of unfamiliar fruits and dishes, may frustrate some home cooks. Still, this cheerful labor of love is approachable and endearing. (Feb.)