Meyer Lemons

Meyer Lemons are in season, and I finally made that Meyer lemon curd I’ve been wanting to make.  I don’t normally do this, but the recipe I include is directly from Marisa McClellan’s Food in Jars, and I didn’t adapt it at all; it is perfect!  I have so many lemons that I also made meringue kisses with Meyer lemon juice and white chocolate chips. I still have a bunch more lemons, so look for more lemon recipes soon.  I think I will make some lemon sauce later this week. Meyer lemons are in season in the winter through spring.  They are available starting in December, but the ones I just bought were the first I have seen of them this season.

 They are a cross between a lemon and mandarin orange, making them much sweeter than regular lemons. Their skin is thin, and  the fruit is aromatic, almost perfume-y.  They are beautiful and bright yellow with smooth, shiny skins.  If you haven’t had lemon curd and you like lemons, you are missing something really good!  Now that I’ve made a few batches, I don’t foresee buying it ever again.  It is easy to make.  I have made it three times, recently, and have doubled the recipe, which if you do (and you probably will want to) it takes a lot longer to thicken, so be prepared for that.   When you see how many egg yolks and how much butter goes into this curd it won’t surprise you how delicious it is.

The meringue kisses are even easier, and I had six egg whites left over from the curd, so it seemed like the logical thing to do.  I piped mine with a star tip, but you don’t have to do that, you can use two teaspoons to form an oval.  You can pipe them pretty close together, because unlike cookies with butter in them, these don’t spread out at all.  If you flavor them with extract make sure you don’t use one that is oil based!  I made that mistake last year when I tried to make some peppermint candy meringues, and I had to throw them all in the trash.  Fat is the enemy of whipped egg whites!

Meringues don’t really bake, they just dry out in a very low temperature oven for a few hours.  You don’t want them to have any color, other than some that might come from an ingredient.  Though they do have a lot of sugar, they are surprisingly low in calories (if you care about that sort of thing) and are fat free (if you care about that sort of thing).  They are also light, and crispy and tasty, and I hope anyone reading this cares about that!

Meyer Lemon Curd

2014-01-19 17:20:24

A rich, sweet lemony, custard perfect for afternoon tea with currant scones.

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Ingredients

1. 1/4 Cup finely grated Meyer lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
2. 1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
3. 4 Large egg yolks
4. 1/2 Cup Meyer lemon juice
5. 6 TBL cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Instructions

1. To make this recipe 'canned' please refer to a canning manual, or Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. If you don't do that curd will keep refrigerated for two weeks.
2. Combine zest and sugar in a small bowl. Rub zest into sugar until fully combined. Set aside.
3. Set up a double boiler, add 2 inches of water to the bottom pan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
4. Keeping the top half of the double boiler off the stove, combine the egg yolks and whole eggs and whisk them together. Add zest and sugar combination and whick in, add the lemon juice and stir until blended.
5. Add the butter and set the top of the double boiler over the simmering water. Switch to a silcone spatula and stir constantly as the lemon curd cooks.
6. Using a candy thermometer monitor the temperature of the curd while you stir. As it approaches 190-200 it should start to thicken. If it is slow to thicken but is approaching 210 remove the top portion of the double boiler and let it cool for a moment before returning it to the heat for an additional minute or two of cooking. It typically takes 6-9 minutes for a curd to cook through.
7. When the curd has thickened to the consistency of sour cream, it is done. Remove the top half of the double boiler and stir off the heat. During this time it will continue to thicken.
8. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a 4-cup measure. The straining removes both the zest (which will have imparted a great deal of flavor to the curd during cooking) and any bits of scrambled egg.
9. Put into prepared jars (for canning) or a clean, heatproof container.

By Marissa McClellan

Chefs Last Diet https://chefslastdiet.com/

Meyer Lemon Meringues

2014-01-19 17:34:05

A lemony meringue kiss, dotted with white chocolate chips

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Ingredients

1. 6 Egg Whites at room temperature
2. 1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
3. 1/4 tsp. salt
4. Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
5. 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
6. 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Beat egg whites, salt and lemon juice on low until mixture is frothy
2. Increase speed of mixer to high, and add extract, and slowly add sugar in a steady stream
3. Continue beating until mixture is shiny and white and forms stiff peaks when you lift the whip
4. If you are going to spoon out the meringues, mix in chips, and using two teaspoons form ovals and drop on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper
5. If you're going to pipe them pipe into kisses, or S shapes, and dot with chips
6. Put into a 200F oven for 2 hours or until meringues are dry, taste one, and if it is chewy put it back in the oven to dry further.

Chefs Last Diet https://chefslastdiet.com/