THE SEASONAL COOK By Karola Saekel San Francisco Chronicle, Food Section Wednesday, February 12, 2003 To Linda Carucci, nothing chases away the late-winter doldrums like lemons. When she was a little girl growing up in New England, lemon juice was "stuff that came out of those little yellow plastic squeeze things," she recalls with a laugh. Now, fresh lemons and other citrus fruit abundant at this time of year are main players in her seasonal cooking. A former dean of the California Culinary Academy, Carucci teaches at Ramekins Culinary Center in Sonoma, her home and other venues, and prepares meals for family and friends. Even though she has lived in California for many rears, Carucci isn't jaded. She still is thrilled that she can step out of her house in the East Bay hills and pick a Meyer lemon from a prolific little tree planted in a half wine barrel. The sweet-sour flavor and bracing aroma of these lemons, she says is perfect for making bright dishes, from a bracing winter salad to silky lemon curd for breakfast scones. Simple is one of Carucci's favorite words and concepts. The woman who last year was named cooking teacher of the year by the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals says people don't believe her when she says that she is, essentially, a lazy cook. "Don't get me wrong," she says. "I do love to cook, but I don't like to be tied up in the kitchen for hours, especially when we have guests." So she knows a lot of shortcuts and avoids fussy recipes. During the week, she and her husband, Allen Rehmke, most often "throw a piece of fish or marinated chicken breast on the grill." And while many cooking professionals cluck their tongues in disapproval at the very mention of a microwave, she admits to fixing Yukon gold potatoes in the microwave, "and Allen has perfected a way to cook rice in it." She also has no compunction about using time savers such as prewashed, packaged salad greens. But Carucci does draw the line at those little plastic lemons of her childhood. In fact, even her mother, who still lives on the East Coast, has outgrown those. Carucci knew she had reached a watershed when her mother told her what she wanted for her last birthday: "A lemon zester! It's all the rage in her bridge club." INSERT RECIPES HERE: Lemon Curd Butter Lettuce Salad with Grapefruit, etc. Back to In the News