Monday, January 28, 2008

Recipes for Meyer Lemons

picture photograph image chocolate meyer lemon sorbet 2008 copyright of sam breach http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/
(Totally vegan) Chocolate & Meyer Lemon Sorbet starts a battle in your mouth. It's like when you're in a darkened cinema and you happen to gorge on a handful of sour, sugary, gummy worms at the exact same time as a chunk of chocolate from a bag of Pick'n'Mix. Every single taste bud becomes a boxing bag as the acid onslaught begins, but no sooner has the torture begun, a bitter sweet swathe of chocolate velvet floods through to calm and soothe, and so you take another spoonful and then another...


When life a work colleague gives you Meyer lemons, the fun is deciding what to do with them. This past weekend I was down with a sore throat so my first thought was to get out the ice cream maker and make something cold. I riffed on my friend David Lebovitz's Chocolate-Tangerine Sorbet, from the copy of The Perfect Scoop he gave me and I was delighted with the crazy, vibrant-tasting result of using Meyer lemons instead of tangerines. The startling combination was akin to Lime and Chocolate truffles I've enjoyed before. Chocolate and lemon. They're just not put together often enough. Get out there and play with them, both at the same time.

Meyer lemons are so versatile. As well as the sorbet, I made a simple but lovely lemony spaghetti with them too. All it took were a couple of shallots, Parmigiano Reggiano, walnut oil, a teaspoon of creme fraiche and lots of salt and pepper. (Too bad I had no parsley which I suspect would have raised the bar from muggle-dish to magical.) As with the chocolate, Meyer lemons go so well with cheese: I've been dreaming of a special white seasonal pizza I had a few weeks ago at Piccino, where slivers of the lemon and florets of broccoli rabe were spread out on an gooey melted bed of cheese, dotted with spicy dribbles of chili oil. It was divine. Aside from a splash of Meyer lemon I used to brighten a healthy soup, fashioned mainly from beet leaves, ready for next week's healthy packed lunches, the only remaining use I have for my favourite citrus this weekend is a hot toddy. When you have a head cold there's only one thing for it: Lemsip. Thing is, I am certain it will go down much better with a squeeze of real juice and a glug of something potent to help me sleep. Has any one ever tried a hot toddy made with Amaretto instead of Scotch? Well, there's a first thing for everything. Better, methinks, to be a Shepherd than a Sheep, although I wouldn't say no to following any of these great-sounding Meyer lemon recipes either...



More Things to Do With Meyer Lemons:

Bars & Cookies:
Meyer Lemon Butter Cookies
Meyer Lemon Sablés
Luscious Lemon Bars
Ice Meyer Lemon Cookies
Meyer Lemon and Black Pepper Icebox Cookies
Tartine (Meyer) Lemon Bars on Brown Butter Shortbread
Coconut-topped Meyer Lemon Bars
Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Meyer Lemon Bars
Meyer Lemon Curd Bars Cockaigne
Meyer Lemon Bites

Cakes & Tarts:
Meyer lemon Cake Roll
Iced Meyer Lemon Cupcakes
Plum Meyer lemon Jam Coffee Cake
Meyer lemon Tarts
Meyer lemon Loaf
Meyer Lemon Skillet Cake
Blueberry Tarts with Meyer Lemon Cream
Meyer lemon- chocolate tartlets for my Valentine
Meyer Lemon Tartlets
Meyer Lemon Custard Cakes
Meyer Lemon Tea Cake
Tonka Bean and Meyer Lemon — Gâteau léger à la fève tonka et citrons Meyer
Gluten-Free Lemon Tart with Bittersweet Chocolate


Curds and Preserves:
A Meyer lemon Curd Throwdown
Messy Cucina Preserves
Charlotte's (Mom's) Lemon Curd
Seattle Bon Vivant's Meyer Lemon Curd
Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Cranberry Meyer Lemon Compote
Preserved Meyer Lemons previously on Becks & Posh

Desserts:
Cardamom Meyer Lemon Créme Brûlée Bubbles
Meyer Lemon Budino
Meyer Lemon Posset
Meyer Lemon and Ginger Pie
Chocolate-grapefruit crepe suzette with meyer lemon confit
St Benoit Meyer Lemon Yogurt

Frozen:
Meyer Lemon Sorbet with Limoncello
Kim's Meyer Lemon Ice Cream
Move over Vanilla Ice, Meyer Lemon Gelato is in da house...
Meyer Lemon Sorbet


General Ideas:
100 Things to Do With Meyer Lemons
All About Meyer Lemons

Meat and Fishes:
Meyer Lemon Pork Roast
Pan Seared, Oven Roasted Freshwater Bass with Meyer Lemon Zest and Capers
Sea Urchin & Meyer Lemon Gelee with Fennel Cream, Caviar & Kalamata Oil


Pizza, Pancakes, Pasta & Rice:
Meyer Lemon Pizza
Meyer lemon and ricotta Pancakes
Meyer Lemon Risotto with Basil
Meyer Lemon Risotto 101
Spaghetti with Meyer Lemon Zest and Crunchy Sea Salt
Zesty Pasta: Meyer Lemon, Yogurt, and Parmesan Tagliatelle
Pasta with Meyer Lemon, Spinach and Walnuts
(meyer) lemon artichoke pesto
meyer lemon pasta with fennel and artichokes


Vegetable Dishes:
Roasted eggplant with Meyer lemon vinaigrette



QUESTION OF THE DAY graphic copyright sam breach
?If Life Gave YOU Meyer lemons - what would YOU make?


Archives
2007 | The Washbag (no more)
2006 | Healthy Leek Noodles
2005 | Scrambled Egg with Prosciutto

© 2008 Sam Breach
Recipes for Meyer Lemons

12:16 AM  

23 Comments:

  • At 28/1/08 00:47, Blogger Sam said…

    I can confirm: Hot toddy with lempsip, juice of one meyer lemon and a generous splash of Amaretto is way better than honey, hot water and scotch. Goodnight...

     

  • At 28/1/08 01:28, Blogger Beccy said…

    Hope you're feeling better Sam, that sorbet sounds divine, I wish I was there to help you eat it!

     

  • At 28/1/08 05:11, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Thank you for the meyer lemon roundup! I'm bookmarking a lot of these.

     

  • At 28/1/08 08:15, Blogger FaustianBargain said…

    when life gives you meyer lemons, make tequila!

     

  • At 28/1/08 08:32, Blogger ChrisB said…

    Hope you are feeling better. I could have supplied the fresh parsley! Do we ever get Meyer lemons in the UK??

     

  • At 28/1/08 09:17, Blogger Eve Fox said…

    This is awesome! I have a meyer lemon tree growing outside my house and am psyched to have some new ideas for what to do with its bounty. Anyone who lives in North Berkeley (or passes through the hood) and wants to take a few is welcome to contact me.

     

  • At 28/1/08 09:56, Blogger cookiecrumb said…

    Excellent flavor combination! Brava! Must try.
    BTW, the *very next day* after I tasted your pear sorbet from David's book, I went out and bought myself a copy.

     

  • At 28/1/08 10:13, Blogger Sam said…

    cookiecrumb - that is TOO funny because I didn't exactly follow one of his recipes for that particular recipe. I added St George pear Eau de Vie you see, and David didn't suggest that at all but it seemed like the best idea ever to me.

    You'll have to buy MY book as soon as it comes out (don't hold your breath!)

     

  • At 28/1/08 10:23, Blogger cookiecrumb said…

    I have some Clear Creek pear eau de vie! Good idea.
    (Yeah, why DON'T you have a cookbook?)

     

  • At 28/1/08 11:02, Blogger Allen said…

    Great list -- my meyer lemon tree is currently exploding with a bounty of fruit. I have a somewhat love/hate relationship with the meyer lemon and tend to enjoy it more in savory dishes. I like cooked/flaked tuna tossed with chopped kalamata olives, red onion, a bit of celery, meyer lemon zest, fresh black pepper, and a good dose of extra virgin olive oil.

    Get to feeling better soon!

     

  • At 28/1/08 11:36, Blogger Owen said…

    Hi Sam - sounds divine (the ice cream). Here are my two thoughts on meyere lemons (our shared tree still has about 200 on our side)

    First up is THE lemon cake - http://www.tomatilla.com/2004/02/lemon-cake-update.html

    which we usually make with meyer lemons

    and I recently made a Dundee (chunky) and caramelized (cooked it for seven hours) marmalade - the basic procedure is buried in here
    http://www.tomatilla.com/2008/01/happy-new-year-maybe-gluten-free.html

    and then for the savory lovers there is one of the first ever paper chef winners - curried chicken and squash soup with meyere lemon - that's over at SeattleBonVivant

    http://seattlebonvivant.typepad.com/seattle_bon_vivant/2004/12/the_paper_chef_.html

     

  • At 28/1/08 11:43, Blogger Almost Vegetarian said…

    Oh I ADORE Meyer lemons (okay, so I talk about stealing them from the neighbor's tree on my blog). Which means, of course, I adore your list.

    I'm spending a nice thirty minutes here browsing these recipes and dreaming of munchies and drinks, both hale and hearty, and thinking, hmmm, it is time for a little walk right past the neighbors lovely lemon tree.

    Oh dear.

    Feel better.

     

  • At 28/1/08 11:44, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    What a great idea! Never thought of that combination. Chocolate and orange, yes. But lemons - that's new. Thanks for sharing.

     

  • At 28/1/08 17:26, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hmmmm . . . I've been eyeing the Meyer lemons at the market lately (they are stunning, aren't they?), but life has just been a bit too tart to come up with much inspiration. So I thank you for this post and all these ideas for how to use them! I'll be printing quite a few.

    The two ways I'd probably use them are:

    * Thinly sliced in a fritto misto
    * Slice of baguette spread with melted dark chocolate, finely grated meyer lemon zest and a sprinkle of maldon sea salt. (haven't tried it yet . . . just thought of it while reading your post . . . see, your writing and photos are even brining back my inspiration!)

     

  • At 28/1/08 18:54, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    These are wonderful links! A friend introduced me to meyer lemon sandwiches - lightly grill a generous slice of crusty bread and butter it. Thin, thin, thinly slice some meyers and place a few slices on the bread. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Use a vegetable peeler to slice a few pieces of pecorino romano on top.

     

  • At 28/1/08 22:37, Blogger Catherine said…

    Love the meyers. I have St. Benoit Meyer Lemon yougurt in my fridge, but am waiting for that perfect moment to try it. Feel better!

     

  • At 29/1/08 11:16, Blogger Anita said…

    Thanks for linking to my tarts! I love how you've used your lemons: it's always so exciting when they're in season!

     

  • At 29/1/08 11:36, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    mmm, thanks for that sam. enidd has a tree dripping with lemons. she's not sure what type they are though - how do you recognise a meyer?

     

  • At 30/1/08 09:56, Blogger Nichole said…

    What a gorgeous picture! I never would have thought of the combination of chocolate and lemons...YUM!

     

  • At 30/1/08 23:13, Blogger Catherine said…

    limoncello? green olive and meyer lemon relish from My Italian Garden by Viana La Place.

    But a Meyer lemon hot toddy for us sinus/sore throat cases (sans the Amaretto in my case) sounds good. My gran (who never swore) swore by a lemon hot toddy for a cold. Heck, it makes you feel better somehow.

    Sending you healthful vibes!
    C.

     

  • At 1/2/08 18:23, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Ah, if only Digiscents had made it!

    -Wendy

     

  • At 2/2/08 21:45, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I'd make tiny little almond/meyer lemon teacakes, and devour them at tea-time, (if any were left by then)with a smattering of fresh fruit, and oodles of clotted cream....:-)

     

  • At 17/1/09 11:31, Blogger Colours and Textures said…

    Please can someone tell me if Meyer lemons are available in the UK.

     

Post a Comment

<< Home