If ever you cross a recipe calling for Meyer lemons and assume to your self, “pshaw, any outdated lemon will do.” Suppose once more. The reality is, they’re a wholly totally different breed. In comparison with bitter Eureka and Lisbon lemons (the varieties you’ll discover year-round at most grocery shops), Meyer lemons are sweeter and fewer acidic, with beautiful floral undertones. Slice right into a Meyer lemon and its perfume-like aroma will fill the kitchen with notes of lavender and bergamot that linger within the air like essentially the most fantastic scented candle.
So what are these marvels of nature, and the way do you cook dinner with them? Right here’s what you must know.
What are Meyer lemons, and why do BA editors love them?
Rounder and with smoother skins than standard lemon varieties, Meyer lemons boast a golden-yellow rind and deep yellow flesh. Considered a hybrid between a citron and a mandarin orange, they’re sweeter, much less acidic, and extra fragrant than common lemons.
“I like Meyer lemons as a result of their skins are so candy,” says check kitchen director Chris Morocco. He additionally notes that “the fruity floral taste of their juice is so rounded and welcoming, with simply sufficient acid.” Manufacturing assistant Carly Westerfield says she by no means appreciated Meyer lemons till she moved to California: “Then I bought it,” she says. “I like them in candy functions once I need the flavour of lemon, however much less acidity,” like in panna cotta and sorbet, Carly says.
Native to China, thin-skinned Meyer lemons have been first dropped at America in 1908 by USDA worker Frank N. Meyer, for whom they’re named. These fruit bushes thrive in full solar and have develop into common in heat climates like California, Texas, and Florida. For many of the twentieth century, this lemon selection was thought-about too thin-skinned and tender to face up to the trials of large-scale business distribution. And so it grew to become referred to as the “yard lemon,” grown virtually completely on neighborhood citrus bushes.
That’s till cooks like Lindsey Shere, who led the pastry program at Chez Panisse for almost three a long time, began utilizing them. In Chez Panisse Desserts, printed in 1985, Shere highlights the lemons’ distinctive floral qualities in recipes for Meyer lemon soufflé and Meyer lemon meringue pie. Within the early aughts, the distinctive citrus fruit featured prominently in chef Craig Stoll’s Meyer Lemon Budino at San Francisco establishment Delfina and pastry chef Karen Demasco’s Meyer Lemon Shortcakes With Meyer Lemon Curd at Locanda Verde in NYC.
As we speak, Meyer lemons star in each candy and savory dishes. They add brightness to the Risotto al Limone at By way of Carota, an Italian restaurant in New York Metropolis, and the Agrodolce Rooster at Irwin’s in Philadelphia (one among our Finest New Eating places of 2022). Candy or savory, you can also cook dinner with Meyer lemons at dwelling—extra on that beneath.
The place can I discover Meyer lemons?
Fortunately for us, Meyer lemons are extra broadly out there lately. Search for them on the grocery retailer within the winter months (a.ok.a. citrus season); they peak in January and February, however you’ll probably see them stocked by means of early spring. You may as well order Meyer lemons on-line from growers like Rincon Tropics or Pearson Ranch, or put money into your very personal Meyer lemon tree. Word that it’s going to probably be at the least two years earlier than the tree begins bearing fruit.
How can I exploit Meyer lemons?
You may substitute an equal quantity of Meyer lemon juice in any recipe calling for normal lemon juice. It gained’t ship the identical puckery punch; as an alternative, including a extra balanced sweet-sour tang and floral undertones. Lemon curd is nice, however Meyer lemon curd? Otherworldly. Carly likes to twist a large strip of the fragrant peel over a martini, however the grated zest is equally scrumptious in muffins and scones. Let the floral taste shine in lemon bars, lemon ricotta cake, lemon meringue pie, or any of our favourite lemon desserts. Have too many lemons? You may at all times make our favourite lemonade, sweetened with a syrup comprised of the muddled rinds.
Their delicate acidity and plush perfume make Meyer lemons a pure slot in desserts, however they’re additionally nice in savory dishes the place you need brightness with out astringency. Strive them in dishes like Pasta al Limone, Rooster Piccata, or lemony white fish. Chris additionally makes use of them for a much less acerbic tackle preserved lemons—an ideal excuse to make this vibrant preserved lemon loaf cake.
