We know you liked it - we saw the photos on Facebook - and so did our friends at Limoneria, who sent us a whole box of lemons of various shapes and kinds, with a kind note and a challenge to see what we could do with them.
Challenge accepted.
Lemon is such a versatile fruit, and we enjoyed having so many different kinds of lemons to play with. Here are some lemon recipes to supercharge your next dinner party or relaxing evening at home.
This candied lemon peel recipe is so easy and produces a fantastic simple syrup for your cocktail needs. :)
Candied Lemon Peel
Ingredients:
- 3 lemons
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups white sugar, or as needed
Preparation:
Peel lemons with either a vegetable peeler or a zester. Take the flesh of your lemons, removing all the white parts, and mash into your saucepan, add water.
Bring water and juice to a boil in a small pan and add lemon peels. Boil for about 5 minutes, until tender. Remove peels from water, and stir in sugar. Return to a boil, add peels, and boil until transparent.
Drain, and allow to dry before storing. Once dry, use a tablespoon of sugar to coat peels, this will prevent them from sticking together.
Once you are done with your candied lemon peel, save the drained liquid, about 3 cups, for an amazing simple syrup!
Anything with lemon flavor makes me happy. However, few things make me happier than lemon marmalade, it is SO simple, just a little time consuming.
You only need a few things: lemons, sugar, water. That's it! So simple!
Because you end up canning it, it makes an elegant and special gift. So delicious, so deluxe, and an easy way to add a little panache to some nice biscuits, some goat cheese, or maybe a nice brie.
Super Lemon Marmalade
Here's what you need:
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10 large lemons
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups sugar
Also: Make sure to have a good candy thermometer. You'll need it towards the end.
Preparation:
Using vegetable peeler, remove yellow part of peel in strips from lemons. Cut strips into 1-by 1/8-inch strips. (I just left them in their imperfect strips. It adds character and it tastes better that way, I promise. :) With a knife, cut off all white membrane, or pith, from peeled lemons.
Cut peeled lemons crosswise into 1/4- inch-thick slices. In heavy nonaluminum 5-quart kettle or Dutch oven, combine lemon peel, sliced fruit, and water. (You need a non-aluminum pan, because the citric acid reacts with aluminum and can leave a bit of a metal tang to your marmalade. No one wants to do that.)
Heat lemon mixture to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently. Boil for at least 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lemon mixture is very soft, about 1 hour.
Add sugar to lemon mixture and increase heat to medium-high; stir until sugar dissolves. Heat to boiling and reduce heat so your mixture retains a simmering boil. Boil uncovered, stirring frequently, until candy thermometer registers 220 degrees F., 45 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare three 1-pint canning jars with their lids and bands for processing following manufacturer's directions. Spoon marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at top of jars.
Wipe jar rims clean. Seal with lids and bands. Process jars in boiling-water bath 15 minutes. Cool jars on wire rack. Label jars; store in cool, dry place.
For gifts, if desired, decorate each jar with a fabric circle tied on with ribbon. When presenting, a nice touch might be to add a little hard cheese and a fresh baguette. After opening jar, store marmalade in the refrigerator.
It's no secret that I'm not a baker. I am a wiz in the kitchen and Julia Child and I are fast-friends, but when It comes to baking I'm more Swedish Chef than executive chef. However, one thing that combines my love of cooking and my ABSOLUTE LOVE OF LEMONS are lemon bars. They're so simple that you can make them in your sleep, though I would suggest keeping your eyes open.
Here's my simple recipe.
Nick's Fool-Proof Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Now, I only use fresh lemons in my lemon bars. It's worth the effort and worth the flavor. So, the first thing you'll want to do is juice and zest your lemons, then set them aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar and butter, mix until combined and the mixture crumbles like pie dough. Press into the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish and bake for 17 minutes.
For the topping mixture (the best part, in my opinion), you combine the flour, eggs, white sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and mix thoroughly.
Once your crust comes out of the oven, pour the topping mixture on and bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for 1 hour, then dust with confectioners' sugar (if desired) and top with lemon zest or candied lemon peel.
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