This week’s recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

So what do cooks do while they wait for tomato season? Enjoy the ripe citrus available now, Food editor Russ Parsons says:

“The cook’s year can be divided in two: tomato and not-tomato. But sometimes, even the best-intentioned, most locavore-crazy among us so crave a sweet, tart bite in our salads that we break down and grab one of those cottony out-of-season tennis balls. You’ve done it too. Don’t try to deny it.

“In some cases, though, there’s an easy alternative. Because happily for us, beneficent nature has ensured that the not-tomato months pair up perfectly with the drowning-in-citrus ones. And in a lot of dishes, a little bit of citrus will give you just what you were hankering for — certainly a lot better than an out-of-season tomato.

“This is not a universal solution by any means. I’m trying to picture laying a slice of grapefruit on top of my hamburger. But it does work out often enough that it’s worth exploring.”

And explore he does, with tips and recipes.

This week’s recipes include:

• Pink grapefruit and fennel salad with crab
• Tangerine, butter lettuce and goat cheese salad
• Destination Cocktail: Irish poet by Gilbert Marquez
• Kendall’s Brasserie’s braised beef short ribs

When you try one of this week’s recipes or any L.A. Times recipe, let us know! Upload a photo to the “Our Recipes, Your Kitchen” gallery to share your take on the recipe and tell us about yourself. Your photo will be posted online on our L.A. Times Food page.

ALSO:

Food photography 101

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

You can find Noelle Carter on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. Email Noelle at noelle.carter@latimes.com.