Yum! February: Heart-warming pleasures

During these dark and gloomy winter months, nothing perks us up like a glass of fresh citrus juice. So, one of our favourite products right now is the Breville Die-Cast Citrus Press.

This model cleans up quick (parts pop easily in and out and require just a rinse and quick brush to get rid of troublesome pulp) and has a flip-up spout so that dripping juice doesn't create a sticky mess all over the counter. It also has a variegated head to accommodate every size of citrus from great big grapefruits to tiny little limes (yes, even key limes) -- extracting as much juice as possible with very little waste.

At this time of year, many grocery stores have great deals on 10 lb bags of oranges or grapefruits, making fresh juice an affordable, healthy and delicious treat. We love to blend different types of citrus fruits into fragrant, sweet-sour (or sour-sweet) cocktails. Our current favourite is the tangy, bright orange combo of one half white grapefruit plus one whole tangerine (per person).

Here's a few other tasty types of citrus fruits to help you plan the perfect blend:
• Blood Oranges: red-fleshed oranges that make a lovely rich, sour-sweet crimson juice.
• Meyer Lemons: sweeter than ordinary lemons, these make a tasty orangey-lemon juice that is great on its own or blended with other citrus fruits.
• Mineola: a tangerine-grapefruit cross with a sweet-sour, brightly coloured juice (and knobby end).
• Seville Oranges: this sour, bitter juice is great for cocktails or added to a blend.
• Tangerines: bright, sweet juice that is delicious alone or to sweeten a blend.
• Ugli Fruit: a grapefruit-mandarin orange cross (that looks like a really wrinkly grapefruit) with lively sweet-sour juice.