Meyer Lemons

[Candy]

The elusive Meyer Lemon surafaced in Bloomington, IN. day before yesterday. You west coast folks don't know how rare this is or costly. 4 of them and they are not as large as some I have had set me back $4.19 for just about a little over a pound. So I'm thinking Meyer Lemon curd. Any better ideas?

[singleguychef]

I feel lucky living in the San Francisco Bay Area and getting Meyer lemons. I almost exclusively used them when they're in season, which is right now.

Anyway, I made this lemon custard dessert I saw at Martha Stewart's Web site substituting her recipe with Meyer lemons (and adding vanilla, which she didn't). It was really simple to make and so tasty: http://singleguychef.blogspot.com/200...

[Claudette]

Right now I've got a bagful of Meyers from my mom's neighbor, but when I don't, I squirt a bit of oj into the Eureka juice, and it's a really good substitute.

[rootlesscosmo]

I second the vodka infusion idea but with a variation: zest the lemons carefully (avoiding the white pith) and infuse the zest; then you'll still have the lemon juice to make curd, sorbet, or whatever.

[missclaudy]

I made lemon marmalade a few days ago. The Meyers would be gorgeous for that. I added Aleppo pepper flakes which added a nice color hit and a little kick.

[Scrapironchef]

I'll second the marmalade idea, made some off the tree in the back yard last year, it was a big hit and keeps a long time.

[orezscu]

Take whatever's left of them and infuse a fifth of good vodka for a couple weeks. We have a meyer lemon tree out back and get a couple hundred fruits off of it every year - this is a favorite preparation (for obvious reasons).

[Shrinkrap]

Preserved lemons.

[bryan]

Wow, that's exactly what I was thinking. You can keep that great lemon flavor for some time.

If you do intend to make something that only concerns the juice or flesh, I would recommend zesting them and saving the zest in the freezer to freshen up anything you want to add a little zing to.

[chowser]

I used meyer lemons in Cook's Illustrated lemon bars and it was so good. It's also great in drinks--plain lemonade or a lemon drop.

[pikawicca]

Also, I think that the Shaker Lemon Pie recipe must have been concocted with this lemon in mind.

[Louise]

Shaker Lemon pie is so great, but some people from Ohio have never seen/heard of this. With meyers.....sigh. Too bad I'm no longer with the BF who had a tree.

[julesrules]

I really want to try Shaker lemon pie, but the double-crust aspect (as least in the JOC recipe) just weirds me out for some reason. What texture does the filling have - is it like a fruit pie with chunks of lemon?

If I get my hands on some Meyers this year I will try these single crust Shaker lemon bars from an old post:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/322435

I also want to try this cake that involves soaking the lemon rind/peel for a day before baking:
http://www.lindystoast.com/2005/12/me...

[Louise]

The slices should be very thin, and the macerating overnight softens them. If you can get them the thinness of a quarter, that's best. They don't have to be paper thin, it's best if they aren't. The best way I can describe the texture is as a cross of the smoothness of lemon curd and the chunkiness of marmalade.

[ExercisetoEat]

I just made a meyer lemon shaker pie last weekend, and found that the lemons were still a bit hard to bite through, even when thinly sliced. Next time I would go with the suggested method in an epicurious.com recipe for this pie, where the lemons are blanched before slicing. The flavor after the pie had been in the fridge for a day was fantastic. The first day before putting it in the fridge, the filling was a bit runny. Overall though, it was a great way to use the meyers.

[Louise]

One of my co-workers has a tree and it's on the list after the holidays are past.

I'd really love to make that "rind & all" clementine cake with meyer lemons.

[julesrules]

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions & descriptions. I think I will try this out in the new year, maybe as a tart version of the single-crust squares to start. I am hoping for a repeat of the magical hour last spring when meyers were 10 for a dollar at my local cheapie fruit place, but realistically I will probably have to drag myself to Whole Foods.

[jillp]

Due to today's Great Meringue Catastrophe, I will also be making meyer lemon curd. Any excuse for lemon curd is welcome.

[pikawicca]

Oh dear, I too in years past have suffered Meringue catastrophes. So great, in fact, that I haven't attempted a lemon meringue pie since I was 20 years old. I will not go there. What is your sad story?

[jillp]

Ah, the tragedy! My meringue whisked up glossy and absolutely beautiful - until I added the ground almonds, at which point they went flat. They were delicious, but still flat. So I cracked more eggs and let the whites reach room temperature and started over, and this time I simply added part of the original batch to the new batch and it was picture perfect.

I carefully spooned the meringues onto the the parchment-lined cookie sheet and set them in a 200 degree oven, where they baked happily for 90 minutes - before going flat. We were forced to eat them ourselves, since they were not suitable for public view. Still good, just ugly.

[rabaja]

Are you using any cream of tarter to help stabilize the meringue? Not too much or it will effect the flavor, just add a little once your whites are foamy. Also, whip the hell out of your whites once your sugar is in, can't really over do it. The oil from the almonds must have made your first batch lose it's shape, try grinding them a hair less. Hope you have better luck next time!

[foodie_girl]

It is possible to overbeat egg whites, I have seen some do it--sad but true.

[rabaja]

Of course one can easily over beat egg whites.
When making a proper meringue, however, with the addition of sugar, you can really beat it fiercely and bring it to a stiff peak without fear of over beating much.

[foodie_girl]

The ground almonds weighed down the meringue, that's why they were so flat. You also have to be quick, yet gentle in the folding process when adding items to whipped egg whites. One more thing, if you do add ground almonds, make sure it is finely ground (almost like flour-use almond flour)

[mellycooks]

I, strangely, had the inverse problem with a lemon meringue pie. It was one of my first cooking or baking attempts, I must have been about 14. The meringue was beautiful but it was floating on a sea of liquid lemon filling! Never firmed up. Oops!

[pikawicca]

I had that happen, too. I kept adding more cornstarch and the darned mess never did thicken! I have to wonder if it was really cornstarch in the box (I was baking at my boyfriend's house).

[kittyfood]

Yep, I did that too on a long-ago Easter. It was proclaimed to be lemon soup and remembered fondly by my friends, but I haven't tried to make one since.

[Fleur]

JUNIOR'S makes their always perfect Lemon Meringue Pie but placing a thin layer of genoise or sponge cake on top of the lemon filling after the filling sets, and put your meringue over that, making a complete seal.

It really works. Perfect pie that never seeps or leaks.

[wally]

They are sweeter than the Eureka lemon, so you might want to adjust your curd recipe. The Herme/Greenspan curd is quite good with them.

[pikawicca]

Meyer lemon risotto is very nice.