2.03.2010

The Magic Tree

Living in Florida, we come to recognize the seasons in different ways than most of the country. And one of the joys of winter here is the sweet goodness of grown-in-your-backyard citrus fruit. I'm blessed to have two fruit trees in my backyard. One is an orange tree that yielded me a full pitcher of aromatic fresh-squeezed juice this morning, with the promise of more to come.

The other tree, well it's magical. Growing low and close to the trunk, are the shiny yellow lemons this tree has produced every year. But this season, there is more... up higher among the branches hang big, round and notably orange-colored lemons. I think these are too big - and not sweet enough - to be the famed Meyer lemon, so they are mystery lemons right now. As an additional bonus this year, right in the middle of the tree, two small, bright green limes appeared. Just two. I told you it is a magic tree.

So what's a girl to do when life hands her magical lemons upon lemons? Lemonade doesn't quite feel right on cool, grey days. But I'm dreaming of ...

Pots de Creme au Citron (Lemon Custard)
Lemon Frittata with Leeks & Goat Cheese
Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts
Lemon Ginger Muffins

What are your favorite lemon recipes? (And any input on the mystery lemons is welcome!)

2 comments:

SwedeLife said...

There are also ponderosa lemons? Not even sure what they are.

We like to make lemon curd, have a big thing of it in the fridge now my step mother in law made when she was here. My recipe is in Sweden, but a quick google brings me to this: http://www.joyofbaking.com/LemonCurd.html

We eat ours on toast. Yum!

Know the kids song by Ralph Covert "Happy Lemons?" Now is the season to be playing it!

Rose said...

Here's what I made with your lemons a few nights ago:

Roast two bone-in chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet at 400, for one hour. Remove from pan. Pour off all but a thin coating of fat. Place pan over med-high heat, sprinkle in a couple teaspoons flour, whisk like mad to make a roux. When toasted, whisk in chicken stock until smooth. Add lots of black pepper and lemon juice to taste. I used a lot of lemon. Throw some salt in there if needed. Add more chicken stock if necessary, to thin sauce. You want it pretty thin, not a thick gravy. At the end, whisk in a tablespoon of butter. (Or omit it if you are into the whole self-deprivation thing.)

Drizzle (or pour) sauce over chicken. Serve with broccoli and rice pilaf.