Thursday, December 22, 2011

Meyer Lemons

We were fortunate to be able to spend Thanksgiving in Los Angeles with my son Justin, his girlfriend Lily, Lily's mom and sister. Not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrated Lily's birthday. Justin surprised her with this cake. Isn't it amazing? That's their dog Ducky who was such a good dog while we snapped the photos!



Justin and Lily have a Meyer lemon tree in their backyard. It was covered with lemons. Fortunately, I had a little extra room in my suitcase and was able to bring 12 home with me. I've never seen Meyer lemons in the store here. Maybe Whole Foods has them this time of year.


I wanted to be able to savor the flavor of these lemons, so I decided to make Preserved Lemons.
These were so beautiful sitting on the counter for five days. I haven't tried them but plan to use them in a chicken recipe real soon.



Preserved Lemons
Recipe Courtesey of Epicurious
  • 2 1/2 to 3 pounds Meyer lemons (10 to 12)
  • 2/3 cup coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Special equipment: 6-cup jar with tight-fitting lid

Preparation

Blanch 6 lemons in boiling water 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut lemons into 8 wedges each and discard seeds. Toss with salt in a bowl and pack into jar.

Squeeze enough juice from remaining lemons to measure 1 cup. Add enough juice to cover lemons and cover jar with lid. Let stand at room temperature, shaking gently once a day, 5 days. Add oil and chill.

Cooks' note: • Preserved lemons keep, chilled, up to 1 year.





Orange Marmalade was always in the fridge when I was a kid. Not really remembering whether or not I liked it, I decided to try making marmalade. I halved this recipe. After reading a few of the reviews, I added 1 tsp. vanilla. Also, I let it sit a week before tasting it. It has a nice tang but it's still sweet. Delicious on an English Muffin or Crumpet.


Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious
6 Meyer lemons (1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar

Special equipment:

Cheesecloth
Kitchen string
6 (1/2-pint) Mason-type jars, sterilized

Preparation

Halve lemons crosswise and remove seeds. Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Quarter each lemon half and thinly slice. Combine with bag of seeds and water in a 5-quart nonreactive heavy pot and let mixture stand, covered, at room temperature 24 hours.

Bring lemon mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 4 cups, about 45 minutes. Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until a teaspoon of mixture dropped on a cold plate gels, about 15 minutes.

Ladle hot marmalade into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars with lids.

Put jars in a water-bath canner or on a rack set in a deep pot. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Boil jars, covered, 5 minutes and transfer with tongs to a rack. Cool jars completely.

I am linking this to Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

9 comments:

  1. Great idea to use them for marmalade and preserved lemons. Looks delicious. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the preserved ones.

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  2. Lucky you to have access to Meyer lemons! We can't get them around here, either.

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  3. Oh my gosh, that cake is amazing! Love the Meyer lemon recipes you made to use those gorgeous lemons!

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  4. The cake is amazing, and I'm surprised the dog was able to sit there for the photo! I'm sure ours would have been too interested in the cake!

    I never remember seeing Meyer lemons in NE either. Glad you were able to find some! Our 1 orange and a couple grapefruit are beginning to ripen on our new trees here, so we're excited for them to be ready.

    Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

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  5. Hi Julie,
    Your little friends are just adorable! We would just love your marmalade it looks so good! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday. I am wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

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  6. What great photos; I have never seen real lemon tree. I bought some preserved lemons for my tagine...and here you are making your own; you're good Julie.
    Happy Holidays.
    Rita

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  7. WOW - these lemons are beautiful! What great pictures. Have a blessed Christmas with your family!

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  8. You are right, that cake is incredible! Scoring Meyer lemons or key limes is always on the top of my JOY list....

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