Recipe - Meyer Lemon Marmalade

One of the first products I wanted to try this year was Meyer lemon Marmalade.  Of course, where to start is always the questions.  From my limited experience with making jams and marmalade, I believe that it is important to have a tested recipe - so no kitchen experiments for me this year.  After a bit of internet research, I settled on a recipe from the blog Grow it, Cook it, Can it, which appears to be the blog of a farm up in Redwood, California.  Below is a slight variation on the recipe in the Grow it, Cook it, Can it blog (click here for their original blog posting).  The resulting marmalade did not survive long...   

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

INGREDIENTS:

3 c. Finely Sliced Meyer Lemons (seeds reserved)
3 c. Sugar
3 c. Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1) Finely slice the Meyer Lemons, reserving all seeds in a piece of cheese cloth.  Secure seeds in the cheesecloth with some twine.

(2) Combine water, Meyer Lemons, and seed bag in a non-reactive pot.  Bring up to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook until the lemon rinds are soft, about 15 minutes.  Remove the seed bag.

(3) Add the sugar.  Raise heat and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 8 degrees above the boiling point (220 degrees at sea level).  Turn off the heat, remove from the stove, and put into jars for storage.

(4) If canning, follow canning instructions for high-acid food.  However, this small of a batch of Meyer lemon marmalade is not likely to last long enough for that to matter.

Squid & Mackerel - A Trial Run

Squid

After a weekend off from the fish market last week due to the girls having the flu, I managed to sneak down during an otherwise busy Saturday morning this weekend.  After perusing the available seafood, which included rock fish, tuna, shark, sablefish, spider crab, box crab, California sheephead, mackerel, squid, octopus, I oped to snag a pound each of mackerel and squid.

Mackerel

Long-time fan of squid.  Never had mackerel.  A few anticipated challenges.  First, I did not know how to clean squid at the beginning of the day.  Second, mackerel is thought of as a strong-flavored fish, which I have too little experience with to know if I would enjoy it.








On both accounts, I was pleasantly surprised.  Cleaning small squid turned out to be extremely easy and relatively quick (a little over a minute per squid).  After cleaning and cutting into bite sized pieces, I gave the squid a quick seasoning of salt and pepper and pan fried in hot olive oil for a little under a minute.  The result was a salty, peppery, rich, and tender squid - a beautiful and simple dish.  For the mackerel, I cleaned and gutted the fish and removed the spine and bones from one of the fish (Ingrid is very picky about bones).  Then, after seasoning with salt and pepper, I stuffed them with a wedge of lemon and a bay leaf and threw them onto the grill for a few minutes on each side.  Though not usually a fan of bay, I really thought the bay added a lot to this fish.  I enjoyed the bay flavor where it shined and did not taste anything strong or otherwise off-putting.  At just over $5.00 per lb cleaned, both the squid and mackerel are likely to have a place at our table in the future.

Mackerel with Lemon and Bay Leaves

 

Recipe - Meyer Lemonade

When life gives you lemons...  With an abundance of lemons, Meyer lemonade is a staple in our house.  Tart.  Sweet.  Satisfying.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. Lemon Juice (Approx. 5 Medium Lemons)
3/4 c. Sugar
2 c. Ice
4 - 3/4 c. Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

(1)  Juice lemons.

(2)  Make a heavy syrup by dissolving the sugar in 3/4 c. water over medium heat.  Allow to cool.

(3) Combine lemon juice, heavy syrup, ice, and remaining water in a large pitcher.  Stir and enjoy.

Backyard Harvest Time - Meyer Lemons

When we bought our house in 2011, we  inherited a beautiful Meyer lemon tree - one of the benefits of living in Southern California.  Meyer lemons are likely a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  They are reputed for their sweetness.  But sweetness is a relative term.  Meyer lemons are more less less tart than regular lemons - but they are no less satisfying.  Meyer lemon trees are ever bearing but usually produces two big harvests per year - and its time for one of them.

Meyer Lemon - San Diego, CA

Our tree produces a lot of lemons.  We give a number to friends and family but still have ample to play with in the kitchen.  Stay tuned for lemon recipes!!!