Lemon

Of all the flavor enhancers available to cooks, lemon is one of the most versatile. Its tart, clean flavor blends well with herbs to make salt almost unnecessary. Lemon is essential to fish, iced tea, some alcoholic drinks, asparagus and artichokes. Its ascorbic acid prevents browning in foods like bananas, apples and avocados. In addition to cooking, lemons are indispensable for other household chores - cleaning copper and discolored aluminum pots, adding sparkle to glassware, removing fish and onion odors from fingers and removing rust, fruit and ink stains from bleachable fabrics.

If you think you're driving a lemon, there is another avenue besides state law for getting the manufacturer to make good - the Better Business Bureau. For years, the bureau has operated its own arbitration program with most of the major auto makers, and the number of car owners using the program has been steadily increasing, according to Gwen Swain, of the bureau's South Jersey office. "The new law still doesn't affect us," she said. That's because the Better Business Bureau operates independently of the courts and the state's Division of Consumer Affairs.

WHEN I WAS a 1952 engineering grad, I was dealing with an Omaha developer. I just had to have a newly restyled 1953 Studebaker car then, and he thought the new model would turn the ailing company around. (He figured, "How much below $7 could the stock drop?") I bought the car and he bought the stock. Over the next few years, I watched his $7,000 investment shrink as he watched me try to get my lemon auto fixed. I had a loser auto, he had a loser stock. - J.P.G., Santa Rosa, Calif.

Q.Is vitamin C completely destroyed when boiling water is poured over it? Does it do any good to drink hot water and lemon juice for a cold, other than just the benefits of drinking something hot? Nancy Sparks APO, N.Y. Q.I bought supplements containing both calcium and vitamin C in one pill, the idea being that vitamin C increases the body's ability to absorb and utilize calcium carbonate. But since vitamin C is an acid and calcium is a base, isn't it possible that they could neutralize each other if some moisture were to get in the jar, therefore making the pill valueless?

When people get ready for Valentine's Day, most think chocolate. But when it comes to preferences in sweets, chocolate shares the spectrum with lemon. Just make a quick check of offerings in the local supermarket - lemon cake mix, lemon-lime soft drinks, lemon hard candies. But that artificial-lemon flavor can go only so far. If you want to make a great lemon dessert it should not only be sharp, but sweet enough that lips don't pucker. It should be refreshing and fruity. That said, here is a lemon tart that makes a perfect dessert.

Nothing says celebration better than a platter of glistening babas au rhum. These miniature brioche-like cakes made with a yeasty savarin dough are dense with fresh butter and eggs. After a dip in a sweet rum syrup, they're glazed with rum-spiked apricot jam - quite a classic finish for an elegant dinner. Though most people associate babas with France, good things travel well. Drive south into Italy and you'll find the same mini cakes. But there they are dipped in a syrup made of limoncello, the Italian citrus-based liqueur.

No doubt about it, it's my favorite flavor, especially at the height of summer when its refreshing acidity seems to have a special sparkle. Happily, summer is when limes are at their most abundant, high in quality and inexpensive. More sour than lemons and somehow fresher tasting, limes are the most versatile of the sharp citrus fruits. Anything lemons can do, limes can do, well, not better exactly, but differently. Salad dressing made with lime juice instead of vinegar or lemon lets the fresh flavors of vegetables and fruits shine through clearly.

What: Bird lemon-juicer Manufacturer: Produced in China Where: Williams-Sonoma Price: $5 This palm-sized juicer will squeeze exactly one lemon slice about 3/4 of an inch wide. It would be fun to pass a flock of these on a serving plate at an informal meal when guests might want to squeeze fresh lemon juice on fish, chicken, vegetables. Consider this juicer an alternative to the cheesecloth netting that restaurants tie around lemon halves so customers don't squirt themselves in the eye. The test.

Our love affair with domestic seafood isn't satiated by Gulf catches alone. Try this Greek-inspired dish made with swordfish caught off Rhode Island. GRILLED BLOCK ISLAND SWORDFISH 4 8- to 9-ounce swordfish steaks 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably Greek 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons fresh oregano 1 tablespoon fresh dill 1 tablespoon fresh thyme Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste Heat grill. Whisk oil with other ingredients, except for fish, salt and pepper.

Police officers arrived at John's Water Ice in South Philadelphia about 4:30 p.m. Thursday and informed owner Anthony Cardullo that President Obama was coming in 10 minutes. And 10 minutes later, after the building was inspected by the Secret Service, the motorcade arrived. Cardullo, 33, estimates that Obama was traveling with 200 people. "It was shocking," he said. "That many move that quick, move into position, and get out that quick. " How quick? About five minutes.

Makes 2-4 servings 8 ounces fresh chèvre, room temperature 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon green peppercorns, milled or ground Fresh rosemary and thyme, to taste Sea salt (optional) Combine these ingredients to form a uniformly zesty dip, or simply drizzle the olive oil and herbs over a log of fresh goat cheese for a mezze-style appetizer. Set the goat cheese on a lipped plate and press down on it with the back of a spoon, creating a trough for your toppings.

The Philadelphia region supports film festivals targeted to virtually every fan base and demographic, from gays and lesbians to Asian Americans and African Americans to horror geeks. Except, that is, for the region's growing Latino community. It's an oversight that local cineastes David Acosta and Beatriz Vieira are trying to remedy. "It has been such a void in the city and the region," said Vieira, vice president for philanthropic services at the Philadelphia Foundation. "And there is such a breadth of film and video work coming from Latin America and the Latin community in the United States.

Makes 6 servings 1 tablespoon fresh    lemon juice 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspooon sugar 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground    pepper 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 4 cups torn kale leaves 2 cups torn Swiss chard leaves 4 teaspoons unsalted pumpkin       seed kernels 1/4 cup sliced green onions 1 ounce shaved fresh pecorino    Romano cheese    (about 1/4 cup) 1. Combine first five ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves.

WHEN I WAS a 1952 engineering grad, I was dealing with an Omaha developer. I just had to have a newly restyled 1953 Studebaker car then, and he thought the new model would turn the ailing company around. (He figured, "How much below $7 could the stock drop?") I bought the car and he bought the stock. Over the next few years, I watched his $7,000 investment shrink as he watched me try to get my lemon auto fixed. I had a loser auto, he had a loser stock. - J.P.G., Santa Rosa, Calif.

CHEF/RESTAURATEUR Marc Vetri is recuperating from recent shoulder surgery and wore a sling on his tuxedoed arm at Saturday's Lemon Ball. Vetri and his partners, chef Jeff Michaud and Jeff Benjamin , were honored at the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation event for their charity efforts through the Great Chefs Event. We hear that Vetri's telling friends the injury's just from getting older, but one suggests his jiu-jitsu training may be to blame. Vetri did not reply to our email Monday about the cause of the arm injury or whether it has affected his cooking.

SATURDAY I attended the seventh annual Lemon Ball, presented by the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, which raises money to fight childhood cancer. The event was hosted by CBS 3 anchor Susan Barnett and featured an outpouring of support from parents of children fighting cancer to local executives giving back. The event was presented by Volvo and the Toys "R" Us Children's Fund with support from Cigna and Auntie Anne's Pretzels.     Email: Bigrube@streetgazing.com On Twitter: @BigRubeHarley Blog: streetgazing.com  

NEW YORK - NBC says Liz Lemon, the harried heroine of 30 Rock , will soon be getting married. Fans of 30 Rock might have reasonably assumed that Lemon, played by Tina Fey, would ride out the series' seventh and final season as a perennial bachelorette unlucky in love. But Fey, who is also the creator and producer of the NBC comedy, clearly thought otherwise. The network said Thursday the perennial bridesmaid will wed on the 30 Rock episode that airs Nov. 29. "But not in a creepy way that perpetuates the idea that brides are virgins and women are property," according to the NBC announcement.

By Glenn Garvin It's never too early to think about your next job, especially if you're the president and unemployment has been above 8 percent for your entire term. So I imagine President Obama has spent some time contemplating where he could send his resumé. Here's my advice: Forget the stock brokerages, because inevitably, some squinty-eyed HR person is going to say, "Now, about that speech you made about General Motors ... " You know, the one in April 2010, when you bragged that the government had done so well in the auto business that, any day, it would be selling its stake in GM. "It won't be too long before the stock the Treasury is holding in GM could be sold," you told us. "As essential as it was that we got in, I'm glad to see that we're getting out. " Twenty-eight months later, taxpayers still own 500 million shares of GM - more than a quarter of the company.

6 cups blueberries, rinsed and picked over Sugar to taste, approximately ½ cup Zest of one lemon, optional Basic Buttermilk Dough recipe, below     1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, or equivalent. 2. Add the berries to the pan. Add sugar to taste. Add lemon zest if using. Toss gently to mix. 3. Make 12 balls of dough and place in an arrangement on top of the berries. Press gently with moist fingers to flatten slightly.

1 bunch of watercress, rinsed, dried, excess stems trimmed Juice of one lemon ¼ cup olive oil Salt and pepper     1. In a large bowl, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and gradually drizzle the olive oil in while whisking. 2. Put the washed, dried and trimmed watercress in another bowl. 3. Slowly drizzle the lemon and olive oil dressing over the watercress and toss to mix. 4. Add salt and pepper to taste.   Per serving:   50 calories, trace protein, trace carbohydrates, no sugar, 5 grams fat, no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.