The Preserving Year

The Meyer Lemon: Keep it For a While

2010-01-10T22:59:00.001-08:00

There is nothing quite like lemon curd in the jams and jellies section of the world. It's not bitter like a marmalade, and it's not chunky like a jam. It's more akin to opening a jar of lemon pie and spreading it on your toast. I'd love to be able to tell you that you can make up your own dilectible jars of this stuff to squirrel away to give to friends, but I can't. Even though you can find jars of lemon curd at the grocery store, it simply isn't considered safe for the home cook to can dairy products. You can, however, with little ill effect to the texture, freeze it for a couple of months. At my house, though, it hardly ever lasts longer than the week and a half that you can keep it in the fridge.

As I noted in my previous post, I'm including Meyer lemons in my favorite lemony recipes this month, so the recipe below is for Meyer lemon curd.

Meyer Lemon Curd

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. Meyer lemon juice

3 eggs

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, diced

1 tbsp. Meyer lemon zest

Bring water in the bottom of a double-boiler to a simmer over medium-low heat. In the top of the double-boiler, combine sugar, lemon juice and eggs. Whisk constantly over the simmering water for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and strain mixture into a bowl.

Add the butter and lemon zest, and whisk until the butter melts.

Let cool, then cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap to keep air from drying out the top.

The Meyer Lemon: Taste it Now

2010-01-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

You can substitute Meyer lemons for regular lemons in just about any recipe to add a subtle twist. Remember, though, that Meyers are going to be sweeter, so you'll want to cut the sugar down just a bit if you're making a dessert.

I picked up a bunch of Meyer lemons because I think they're awesome, even though I only needed one to make the rice pudding to get the photos up on my web site. I decided to use one of them to make lemon squares. I remember lemon squares from just about every potluck I ever attended when I was a kid -- probably because they are extremely easy to make, and yet look appealing and elegant. The top layer forms a crust that looks a little like creme brulee, at least to me. Using the Meyer lemon added an intensity of flavor that lead my hubby to declare these the best lemon squares he's ever had.

Meyer Lemon Squares

1 c. flour
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
zest of on Meyer lemon
2 tbsp. strained Meyer lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 9"x11" pan. Combine the flour, powdered sugar and melted butter, adding a little flour if necessary, to create a cohesive dough. Turn this out into the greased pan, and press down into the bottom.

Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients, stirring well just before pouring over baked crust.

Return to oven and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until the top has formed a solid golden crust.

Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then chill for at least one hour. Cut into squares and serve.

Preserving Year Blog

2010-01-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

I know it sounds, weird, but I love fruit in the winter. You have to be a little more creative, but you can find some amazing tastes in January. Imported pineapples are, of course in season, for the second time during the year. But there's nothing more impressive than winter citrus. Clementines taste like little bombs of orange honey. Thai lime zest is at its most intense. But there's nothing quite like the Meyer lemon. It's got the tang of a lemon balanced by the sweetness of an orange -- and even in Dallas, you can only get them in December and January. Last year, I made my husband some Meyer lemon marmalade, so that he could hold onto the taste of this fruit on into the summer. Kind of backwards from preserving the tastes of summer to cheer a wintery evening, I know. Strawberry jam, anyone? I've still got a couple of jars. . . .

There's a lot to be said for eating in season. It brings you closer to the Earth, can help you loose weight, and just tastes better. But some foods are at their peak for such a short period of time. In this blog, I want to explore the ways we hold onto tastes and experiences. You're welcome to come along for the journey.