Cooking
If you like the tang of lemons, but not the pucker, Meyer lemons are for you. They are not nearly as tart as conventional lemons, and their peel is slightly sweet. Like a regular lemon perfected, the color and juice are amped up and the peel is thinned down. We are at the peak of Meyer lemon season here in the Bay Area and they can be found perking up markets, backyards and fruit bowls everywhere. Look how neon bright they are!
Like so much citrus fruit, the Meyer lemon was originally found in China. In 1905 the US Department of Agriculture hired Frank Meyer as a plant hunter and in 1908 he "discovered" the Meyer lemon in Peking (now Beijing). It is believed that the Meyer lemon is a hybrid between Citrus limon, the lemon, and Citrus reticulata, the mandarin orange. It is a very hardy plant and bears fruit from November through April.
I get very excited about Meyer lemons, because they are as versatile and easy to use as they are beautiful. Meyer lemons are great in many recipes where I would normally use regular lemons like souffle, lemon curd and with seafood, but I also do so much more with them. The easiest way I use them might be in salad dressing. Because they aren't as tart as regular lemons they make a fruitier more complex vinaigrette. The peel is also very desirable so I recommend using it in recipes like marmalade or candied peel. If you end up with more than you can use, consider making Moroccan preserved lemons or freezing the juice in ice cube trays to use later.
Other ideas for Meyer lemon:
* Make a fresh salsa to top grilled fish or bread, add lemon chunks (with rind) to chopped oil-cured olives and green onions and a splash of olive oil
* Use in gremolata, using 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, one large garlic clove, minced and the freshly grated zest from one lemon
* Whip up a vinaigrette using one part juice to three to four parts olive oil for vegetable salads, especially good with cooked or raw carrots, brussels sprouts, radishes, asparagus, baby artichokes (if raw, shaved in slivers) or spinach
* In sauces replace part of the vinegar with juice in beurre blanc, mayonnaise or aioli or use in traditional lemon sauces like lemon butter or hollandaise
* Marinate chicken or pork with 1/2 cup juice, 3 tablespoons honey, a splash of olive oil, a chopped clove of garlic and handful of chopped fresh herbs, parsley, thyme, rosemary or oregano
* Use the juice in a lemony risotto and top with a bit of the grated peel
* Roast lemon quarters with potatoes to serve as side dish
* Make lemonade using 2/3 cup juice to 1/4 cup sugar and 2 cups water
* Bake a Meyer lemon pound cake or Meyer lemon pudding cake
* Mix with honey to make a dressing for fruit, especially good with blueberries and bananas
FOOD + LEMONS
- Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken Recipe
The two most popular dinner requests in my household are for chili and roast chicken. They are both classic comfort foods and my husband never gets tired of eating either of them. It’s funny, because I rarely if ever make either one of them the same...
- Do Rutabagas Exist?
This is my box of organic produce, delivered today. It contains satsumas, Nantes carrots, yellow onions, red onions, spinach, rutabagas, Meyer lemons, Gold Blush apples, kiwis, lettuce, kale and leeks. Around 10 pounds of produce, maybe a bit more. ...
- Volcano Lemon & Lime Bursts
When I was growing up we always had a big green bottle of lemon juice in the fridge. It was from concentrate and tasted of chemicals. Nasty stuff. Fortunately my in-laws have a lemon tree and give me boxes of fresh lemons. But limes are another story......
- When Life Gives You Lemons, Find Someone Who Has Vodka And Throw A Party.
Or in my case, you make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. Third recipe from this book. The zest of two rather large lemons, two tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and 2/3 cup lemon-sugar (see above...if you can); you'd think this would a be a seriously...
- Morocco Is Calling...
Now that we have our tagine, we're making plans for more Moroccan dishes. One of the things we noticed was how many recipes call for preserved lemons. Ha, ha...that's a good one. Odds are, most people in the States won't have a jar of preserved...
Cooking
All about Meyer Lemons
If you like the tang of lemons, but not the pucker, Meyer lemons are for you. They are not nearly as tart as conventional lemons, and their peel is slightly sweet. Like a regular lemon perfected, the color and juice are amped up and the peel is thinned down. We are at the peak of Meyer lemon season here in the Bay Area and they can be found perking up markets, backyards and fruit bowls everywhere. Look how neon bright they are!
Like so much citrus fruit, the Meyer lemon was originally found in China. In 1905 the US Department of Agriculture hired Frank Meyer as a plant hunter and in 1908 he "discovered" the Meyer lemon in Peking (now Beijing). It is believed that the Meyer lemon is a hybrid between Citrus limon, the lemon, and Citrus reticulata, the mandarin orange. It is a very hardy plant and bears fruit from November through April.
I get very excited about Meyer lemons, because they are as versatile and easy to use as they are beautiful. Meyer lemons are great in many recipes where I would normally use regular lemons like souffle, lemon curd and with seafood, but I also do so much more with them. The easiest way I use them might be in salad dressing. Because they aren't as tart as regular lemons they make a fruitier more complex vinaigrette. The peel is also very desirable so I recommend using it in recipes like marmalade or candied peel. If you end up with more than you can use, consider making Moroccan preserved lemons or freezing the juice in ice cube trays to use later.
Other ideas for Meyer lemon:
* Make a fresh salsa to top grilled fish or bread, add lemon chunks (with rind) to chopped oil-cured olives and green onions and a splash of olive oil
* Use in gremolata, using 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, one large garlic clove, minced and the freshly grated zest from one lemon
* Whip up a vinaigrette using one part juice to three to four parts olive oil for vegetable salads, especially good with cooked or raw carrots, brussels sprouts, radishes, asparagus, baby artichokes (if raw, shaved in slivers) or spinach
* In sauces replace part of the vinegar with juice in beurre blanc, mayonnaise or aioli or use in traditional lemon sauces like lemon butter or hollandaise
* Marinate chicken or pork with 1/2 cup juice, 3 tablespoons honey, a splash of olive oil, a chopped clove of garlic and handful of chopped fresh herbs, parsley, thyme, rosemary or oregano
* Use the juice in a lemony risotto and top with a bit of the grated peel
* Roast lemon quarters with potatoes to serve as side dish
* Make lemonade using 2/3 cup juice to 1/4 cup sugar and 2 cups water
* Bake a Meyer lemon pound cake or Meyer lemon pudding cake
* Mix with honey to make a dressing for fruit, especially good with blueberries and bananas
FOOD + LEMONS
- Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken Recipe
The two most popular dinner requests in my household are for chili and roast chicken. They are both classic comfort foods and my husband never gets tired of eating either of them. It’s funny, because I rarely if ever make either one of them the same...
- Do Rutabagas Exist?
This is my box of organic produce, delivered today. It contains satsumas, Nantes carrots, yellow onions, red onions, spinach, rutabagas, Meyer lemons, Gold Blush apples, kiwis, lettuce, kale and leeks. Around 10 pounds of produce, maybe a bit more. ...
- Volcano Lemon & Lime Bursts
When I was growing up we always had a big green bottle of lemon juice in the fridge. It was from concentrate and tasted of chemicals. Nasty stuff. Fortunately my in-laws have a lemon tree and give me boxes of fresh lemons. But limes are another story......
- When Life Gives You Lemons, Find Someone Who Has Vodka And Throw A Party.
Or in my case, you make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. Third recipe from this book. The zest of two rather large lemons, two tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and 2/3 cup lemon-sugar (see above...if you can); you'd think this would a be a seriously...
- Morocco Is Calling...
Now that we have our tagine, we're making plans for more Moroccan dishes. One of the things we noticed was how many recipes call for preserved lemons. Ha, ha...that's a good one. Odds are, most people in the States won't have a jar of preserved...