i get a little obsessed

several weeks ago,

i had a moment.

i had just

written about preserving

meyer lemons

and a sandwich that

used the fragrant fruit,

when i came across

a one-year-old article from 

the los angeles times:

100 things to do 

with a meyer lemon.

i froze.

maybe i had been too

hasty.

sure, the preserved

wedges were good

and i was glad

to have them, but shouldn't

i have

candied them?

marinated them with olives?

saved the juice for lemonade

for later this year when it's

unbearably hot?

put them into the cavity of

a duck?

made spa water with them?

i was losing my mind.

i don't even like duck.

i don't live in a spa.

i've never made a pitcher of lemonade.

ever.

but it was all that i could think about.

and then, the best thing - or worst,

depending on how you look at it -

happened.

just when i thought the

season had passed,

i fell into a large bundle

of meyer lemons.

it started all over, not

wanting to waste a drop

of juice or a sliver

of zest. not remembering

that next year, meyer

lemons will

grow again.

i squeezed them into

dressings, squirted wedges

over fish and froze some

juice for later in the year

(you never know - it could 

get really hot). i made

a meyer lemon chutney with shallots

and figs that was only ok

and enjoyed an absolutely

lovely side dish of

yukon gold potatoes

that i roasted alongside

very thinly sliced

meyer lemons until they

were golden brown.

i felt less...rushed.

but i could not let go 

of the lingering voice in

the back of my head,

insisting on curd.

i really wanted to make

a batch, but every time

i did, i just saw the amount

of butter required staring out at me,

as if i had a magnifying glass

placed squarely over those words.

still, i was tempted, but

resistant.

and then, when searching

for a way to use the nopales,

i turned right to the page in

sally schneider's 

james beard award cookbook,

a new way to cook,

for a no-butter lemon curd,

with a meyer variation.

fate.

in order to successfully 

eliminate the butter, schneider 

adds a touch of unflavored gelatin,

which ensures body and stability.

it is so little, that you don't taste

it or know that it is in there

until it has been chilled.

once cold, it does firm up

considerably and change in

color from a milky pale yellow

to a bright and solid one. 

stirring with a spoon, 

softens it again, making it

easy to spread,

as we did on irish soda bread.

but if you plan to pour

the mixture into a tart shell,

i recommend it as soon as the

finished curd reaches room 

temperature. 

i could not figure out how to take a picture of the double boiler set up while also whisking constantly. the pictures kept looking like i was on a roller coaster - until i was lucky enough to have larry step in and whisk so that i could snap a few shots.

tart and smooth,

the meyer lemons add

a floral sweetness that 

makes you want to dip

your spoon in the bowl

just one more

time, or scour your cabinets

for another item

that would benefit from

the spread.

you could also fold

whipped cream, sour cream

or creme fraiche into the

curd to lighten it up

before frosting a cupcake,

filling a torte

or dolloping over

angel food cake

and serving with sliced

strawberries like we did.

with the exception of 

having lemons 

at the ready, 

i was not prepared

to make anything that day. but,

this recipe is so fast and easy,

the curd was in a bowl, cooling,

less than 20 minutes after i

had flipped to page 532.

making the lemony confection

was the

perfect end to the 

meyer lemon windfall:

sweet, creamy, special,

and just satisfying enough,

that finally, i think,

i've gotten it out of my system.

i no longer regret 

(or resent) preserving

the first batch.

thank goodness -

i've still got a long

way to go with those.

meyer lemon curd

from a new way to cook

the only real trick i see with this recipe, is that you really want to have everything ready before you start - there's nothing like fumbling around for a strainer with your right hand, while holding a hot pot in your left hand. oh, and if you're making the curd with regular lemons, simply increase the sugar to 7 tablespoons to help counter their natural tartness. 

1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup fresh meyer lemon juice (for me, this was 5 lemons)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

1 3"x1" strip lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler

in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice; place near the stove.

place strainer over bowl.

in a small saucepot, bring 1" water to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. in stainless steel bowl that will sit on the saucepot without touching the water, combine the remaining lemon juice, sugar, egg, egg white and zest. set the bowl over the saucepot. whisk mixture 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. stir in the gelatin mixture and cook 1 minute longer, stirring. strain the mixure into bowl; allow mixure to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. transfer the curd to a jar or bowl; cover against the surface and chill. the mixture should keep for about 1 week.

worth the wait

the end of the 2008

and the beginning

of 2009

have made for

a rather gloomy

new jersey 

winter.

right now it's grey,

looming somewhere between

light snow and

heavy rain.

this follows the tease of

a couple pretty days,

but mostly

mornings and 

nights 

battling snow:

brushing off the car

and shoveling out spots

every morning on 

the way to work

and 

every evening on the way

home, both of which 

are only meant to

prepare you for

risky, scary, wintry

drives.

once home,

all you want to do is 

change into 

pajamas,

dive under the covers

with a mug of

tea

or 

hot chocolate

and cross your fingers 

that someone broke

into your house while

you were gone

to make a hot pot

of stew.

or maybe that's just me.

on one of these days,

cranky from

frozen fingers and toes,

and the snow plow that

had gotten dangerously

close to me

(not my car, me)

in the parking lot,

i walked into the 

supermarket and 

saw a sea of 

gorgeous

smooth, 

shiny

and 

bright yellow

meyer lemons.

there were so many

and they were so pretty

and cheerful

and even though i was

without a plan,

i bought four. they were

my only purchase and

when i ran through 

the parking lot,

i clutched them against

my chest

until i got into the car

and promised myself

to make something uplifting.

when i got home,

i kicked off my slush-covered

sneakers

and ran for the computer, 

looking for the recipe 

that called out to me.

meyer lemons, unlike their common

extremely tart and bitter relatives -

lemons, as we know them -

are bursting with floral notes

and have balanced their acidity

with sweetness, which

in some circles

makes them 

reminiscent of

oranges, and perfect

for desserts. 

they don't stick around for

long. their season is fleeting,

so when i saw them,

i knew i should make something

special. i tossed around

the idea of 

a budino,

or a mousse

or curd,

before realizing that i had

nothing going on

in my life

that required sweets

to be made.

and, then, 

i saw a recipe,

that before i even clicked 

on, i knew would be the 

winner:

preserved meyer lemons.

i loved that by saving them

in a jar,

i could enjoy the slivers

year-round,

that they could be

used for savory dishes

and, that

i could always 

look at

bright yellow

lemons,

when things got

too grey

outside.

the only problem?

i only had four.

the recipe called for 10-12.

i waited patiently and crossed

my fingers for 3 days that they 

would still be there when

i returned to the store. they were.

then, i realized that i didn't actually

have a jar with a tight fitting lid.

jars, when you can't

get to a craft store

right away,

are surprisingly hard to find.

so, i stared at them on my counter,

talked to them,

pleaded with them to not go 

bad before i had the

jar,

opportunity

and 

time

to toss them into a pot of

boiling water

and bury

them in mountains

of coarse salt.

a week later,

i set to work early

in the morning with

coffee in hand, expecting 

a tedious task.

it was surprisingly easy.

i boiled six of the lemons

while juicing the other ones.

when they were cool,

i cut the fruits into 8ths, 

removed the seeds

tossed them with salt,

packed the wedges into 

a jar, covered them 

with juice

and then reality set

in.

i had to wait even longer

to enjoy them. only

five days, if i'm being 

honest, but i've never been

especially good

at waiting it out.

when i was younger,

i always opted for the 

one-hour photo 

after a big event 

and refused 

to leave the store 

until the pictures

were in my hand, 

and even then,

i inspected each one in 

the checkout line. 

my senior year

was torture, a daily parade 

of mailbox checking, in

search of college

acceptances.

and every week,

i become legitimately

upset when i realize

that i have to wait

7 more days 

before finding out

the next quickfire on

top chef,

or what's really

happening to izzy

on grey's anatomy.

so five days felt like 

a lot. because, in spite

of lacking a certain

amount of patience,

i'm not a cheater.

in spite of the temptation

to open the jar each

day, and taste one,

i worried more that 

it was wrong and that 

one slip of oxygen

would ruin the whole

batch. and in spite

of wanting to 

taste one

every day,

i worried that they would

ultimately be delicious, and i would

regret the five 

progress-taste tests

because it would mean

five less wedges to use

throughout the year

if i loved them.

when the time was up,

i did nibble on a wedge.

the thin rind, was tender,

the flavor of the whole thing

sweet and salty

and slightly, just slightly,

spicy.

the result, was 

undoubtedly lemon-like,

but so much more.

with one bite, i could 

imagine

adding them to 

dish

after dish

as my secret ingredient.

i resisted the

urge to "try" another,

and instead,

poured in a splash of

olive oil 

and

tightened the lid.

i couldn't wait to play. 

preserved meyer lemons

if you cannot find meyer lemons, you can still preserve the traditional ones. also, make sure that you have extra lemons ready if need be. in spite of using a jar that was one cup smaller than should be, i still didn't have quite enough to pack tightly (as is best) or enough juice to cover. i did have traditonal lemons, so i used some of their juice to make up the difference. also, don't worry if the salt seems to settle for the first day or two. thanks to the soaking and the once-a-day-shake, it all absorbs and evens out.

3 lbs. meyer lemons (about 12), divided

2/3 cup coarse salt

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cup jar with a tight fitting lid

bring pot of water to a boil; add 6 lemons. when cool enough to handle, cut each lemon into 8 wedges; using sharp knife, remove seeds. place salt in bowl; add lemon wedges and toss to coat. pack lemons into jar.

meanwhile, squeeze enough juice from remaining lemons to measure 1 cup. add enough juice to jar to cover lemons. cover jar with lid, making sure it is on tightly. shake jar once a day for five days. pour olive oil into jar. cover tightly with lid. store in fridge for up to one year.