Friday, July 04, 2008

My Meyer Marmalade

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have a bumper crop of Meyer Lemons




meyer lemons©

These Meyer lemons are straight off my mother's tree and I am astounded by not just how many lemons we are getting this year but by the size - consider this next photo





meyer lemons©

The one at the front is your usual sized lemon, the one at the back is almost grapefruit sized! I'm certainly not going to complain about the crop especially since I just love Meyer lemons - though whether they are a real lemon or a cross between a lemon and something like an orange or mandarin is a matter of debate.

I prefer the Meyer as they aren't as acidic or bitter as a regular lemon, though they still have a very pleasant tang to them.

Naturally, these Meyer lemons are finding their way into many of my recipes such as Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf, Lemon Delicious, Queen of Puddings and Lemon Curd - even the Ginger and Lemon Barley Water is making a reappearance.

The dish I'll be making today is a bit like a marmalade but without many of the complications - it isn't cooked as long, the lemon slices aren't soaked overnight as you would in a traditional marmalade and I won't be using any muslin bags filled with lemon seeds. There is simply three ingredients - lemons, water and sugar - and the application of heat over time.


meyer lemon marmalade©


My Meyer Marmalade

Meyer Lemons
white sugar
water

This is the formula I use - it is based on a simple syrup which is 1 part water to 1 part white sugar. You can increase the level of sugar if you feel the marmalade is not sweet enough but I would not recommend going lower.

The amount of water used is dependant on the quantity of lemons used.

Top and tail the lemons and then slice them very finely - if you find it difficult to finely slice through the whole lemon, you can halve the lemon to form semi-circles. Discard any seeds you find.



meyer lemon slices©

Place your lemon slices into a bowl and then measure in water until the water just covers the lemons. If it took 2 cups of water to cover the slices - use two cups of sugar.

Strain the water covering the lemons into a saucepan along with the sugar. Place the pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Tip in the lemon slices - give them a stir to make sure they are all sitting under the liquid and let the mixture barely simmer.

Continue simmering until the lemon skin and pith have softened - tasting is the only way to judge this. When they have softened, use a straining ladle to remove the lemon slices from the syrup.

Increase the heat on the syrup so that it comes to a rapid simmer and let it reduce until it is thick. Return the lemon slices back to the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes so that the lemons come back up to temperature and are well coated with the syrup.

Pour this into sterilised jars and seal. I would recommend storing this in the fridge and using it fairly quickly as it does not have the keeping qualities of a traditional marmalade.

11 comments

  1. Great post for WHB! I love that lemon-slice photo. My brother has a Meyer lemon tree in California, but we never see them in Utah. :(

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  2. Thanks Kalyn - that is a shame that you don't have in Utah, I hope your brother sends you some!

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  3. mmmmm, lemons! I've had a 'thing' for the sharp tang of citrus over the past few months... the latest was blogging my friend Marienne making a yum-oh Zesty Citron Cake a week ago...

    http://yum-oh.blogspot.com/search/label/Lemons

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  4. I so want to try a meyer lemon. I have never seen them in a Canadian grocery store. I guess they don't ship well.
    Your pics are beautiful.

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  5. That's a gorgeous cake Kyle!

    Thanks Natashya- maybe this would make a good excuse to plant a meyer lemon tree?

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  6. I tried making a lemon marmalade last week and I ended up with a brown mixture... To the bin it went.
    I'd love to try again, with your recipe, Haalo!

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  7. Hi Patricia, sounds like the sugar got too hot, one of the things you have to be careful of when making regular marmalade. Since this is cooked for a shorter period of time and the lemon is removed before the syrup is reduced, this all helps to minimise that burning problem. Hopefully the next batch will be perfect!

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  8. We heart Myers. Though we don't have a lemon tree in our yard (*sigh* I wish we planted one when we moved in), we have friends who give us some of their lemon crop. Lemony goodness goes well in a lot of dishes.

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  9. We have an enormous crop of Meyer Lemons. My husband is Diabetic. Can anyone give me a sugar-free recipe for Lemon Marmalade? It is his favorite.

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  10. From what I've read, I'm not sure if it is possible to make a sugar free marmalade, there are recipes that are reduced sugar (half sugar half splenda) but they don't have the keeping properties or texture of a traditional marmalade. Perhaps making a Lemon Jelly with gelatine and artificial sweetener might be something to look at.

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