Meyer lemons abundant in Northern California

While the rest of the country is still in hibernation, Northern Californians are enjoying the return of the warm, Mediterranean sunshine and a new crop of cheerful, aromatic Meyer lemons.

Once considered an ornamental plant - even in Asia, where botanical explorer Fred Meyer discovered it around 1909 and brought it back to the West - the lemons took the culinary world by storm after Berkeley Chef Alice Waters, and then Martha Stewart, took up their cause in the 1980s and championed them as a prized addition to both savory and sweet dishes.

“Those are the two who really pushed it to the forefront of people’s consciousness,” said author and illustrator A. Cort Sinnes of Napa. “Now you can go to any Whole Foods across the country, and they will have them … at least for a few months.”

Sinnes, who grew up in the town of Napa, recently paid tribute to the luscious Meyer lemon by writing, illustrating and self-publishing his own cookbook, “Mad about Meyer Lemons,” featuring 36 recipes accompanied by 36 paintings of the fat, juicy lemons. The project was conceived as an homage to artist Katsushika Hokusai’s “36 Views of Mt. Fuji” and Henri Riviere’s “36 Views of the Eiffel Tower.”

“It took forever … I spent three years working on it,” Sinnes said in a phone interview. “It never made any sense for a traditional publisher to take it on because it’s a regional book … it’s a really large area that can grow Meyer lemons, from the West Coast and the Southwest all the way to the South, but California has become associated with them.”

The Meyer lemon - prized more for its perfume than its pucker - is believed to be a natural hybrid between a regular lemon and an orange, with a fragrant aroma and a flavor that is less sour than a Eureka lemon. However, it has a tight, thin skin and soft texture that makes it more difficult to ship.

The orange-yellow fruit, which grows easily and prolifically, can be seen all over Wine Country this time of year.

“I live in old Napa, and you can’t go half a block without seeing an 8-foot-tall Meyer lemon bush with 300 lemons on it,” Sinnes said. “We take it for granted, but someone else would think it unbelievable to have this abundant fruit just hanging by your door.”

Lorrette Patzwald, pastry chef for the Healdsburg Shed since it opened nearly four years ago, looks forward every year to the bounty of Meyer lemons that help her create wintry treats and desserts, from olive oil cakes to cornmeal biscotti.

“The Meyer lemons are so versatile, fragrant and beautiful,” she said. “It’s really nice to make savory sweets, with herbs like thyme and rosemary and with olive oil.”

Patzwald likes to candy or dehydrate the peels for garnishing. She even takes whole lemons, chops them up and macerates them with sugar, then bakes them into a cake or as a topping for ice cream.

“Between our larder and our cafe and coffee bar and events, we use up a few cases every week,” she said. “I have a tree in my back yard, and at home, I can them and make marmalade and freeze the juice.”

The pastry chef is currently making Meyer Lemon and Rosemary Shortbread Bars to stock the to-go larder.

“It’s a real buttery shortbread,” she said. “I make them with butter and sugar and flour and flavoring.”

As a dessert for the cafe, she has been baking Meyer Lemon meringues topped with Meyer lemon olive oil curd. The meringues also have dehydrated peels dusted on top and zest incorporated into the meringue.

“Meringues are a traditional French patisserie treat,” she said. “They are crusty on the outside and soft in the middle.”

Patzwald said meringues are popular right now around pastry shops in the Bay Area. They are easy to make in advance and can be stored in an airtight container and served with all kinds of toppings.

“You can add lemon curd, custard or ice cream,” she said. “I’ve even seen people put chocolate over them.”

In his cookbook, Sinnes has developed all kinds of sweet and savory recipes for Meyer lemons, from cocktails and lemonades to savory entrees and sweet desserts.

There are also several condiment recipes in “Mad About Meyer Lemons,” Sinnes, including one for Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemons.

“The Meyer lemon works great for that recipe,” he said. “I do a quart jar, and it lasts at least a couple of years in the refrigerator. It’s great to have them available.”

The preserved lemons are used in a couple of his favorite recipe: Crispy Potatoes with Miso Meyer Mayonnaise and the Best Ever Chicken Thighs.

“Food doesn’t’ get much simpler, and it also doesn’t get much better than that,” he said. “The chicken is just a knock-out - it’s really great.”

Sinnes worked in a nursery from the time he was 13 until he was 21 and went on to become a garden writer and editor, serving as part of the original creative team for the Ortho Home Gardening series of books,

The author, who has written more than 36 books on gardening and outdoor living, grew up with a Meyer lemon tree right outside his front door.

“Everyone had a Meyer lemon in the ’50s and ’60s as a plant that was ornamental,” he said. “In my family, we used them for whiskey sours.”

If you’re interested in planting a Meyer lemon tree, he suggests finding a spot that gets at least six hours of sun a day, with room for the tree to spread out.

“They are pretty self-sufficient once they get established,” he said. “There are semi-dwarf versions, and they work great as espalier, either on a south or west-facing wall. During winter … a wall of a house really protects them.”

The following three recipes are from “Mad About Meyer Lemons” by A. Cort Sinnes.

“As exotic as Moroccan preserved lemons sound, they are very easy to make at home,” he writes. “Be advised they are very salty; most people lightly rinse them in cold water and blot them dry before using. Most recipes use the rind only, not the flesh.”

Moroccan Preserved ‘Meyer’ Lemons

Makes 1/2 liter

6-7 Meyer lemons

1/4 cup kosher or sea salt

8 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 whole dried red pepper (optional)

- Extra lemons for juice

1 sterilized half-liter jar

Put one tablespoon of the salt into the bottom of the jar. Cut the lemons into quarters, from the top down, leaving the bottom 1/2 inch of the lemon still joined as one. Sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh and press into lemons. Pack the lemons tightly into the jar, adding the peppercorns, bay leaf and red pepper (if desired) as you go, and more salt evenly between layers. If the juice produced by packing them into the jar isn’t enough to cover them, add more lemon juice until they are submerged. Leave a little airspace at the top and seal the jar.

Store the jar at room temperature for 30 days, shaking the jar occasionally. After 30 days, store the preserved lemons in the refrigerator.

“This method, originally set forth by Paul Bertolli in his book ‘Cooking by Hand,’ was them modified by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer of Canal House fame,” Sinnes wrote. “Bertolli called the cooking method ‘bottom-up cooking.’”

Best-Ever Chicken Thighs

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon lemon-infused olive oil or regular olive oil

4 large chicken thighs

- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

- Rind from one quarter of a preserved lemon (recipe above,) lightly rinsed and died

- Lemon wedges and chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Put olive oil in a heavy skillet (just big enough to accommodate the thighs) over low heat. Salt and pepper the thighs to your taste.

Place chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and cook, without fussing with them, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they reach the desired “brownness.” Do not cover pan.

Turn thighs over and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Place chicken on a platter and loosely tent with foil. Increase heat to medium and add flour to the pan juices; whisk to mix and thicken.

Add the wine and broth and continue to whisk until it thickens slightly. Whisk in butter and the diced preserved lemon rind at the last minute to preserve their flavor.

Place chicken thighs on top of small pools of sauce on serving plates. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Excellent served with risotto or orzo pasta cooked in chicken broth.

“This dish was inspired by one I ran across on Food 52, the excellent food blog,” he said. “I tweaked it a bit, and I’m here to tell you it’s some kind of wonderful.”

Crispy New Potatoes with Miso ‘Meyer’ ?Mayonnaise

Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons miso paste (brown is best)

- Juice of 1/2 ‘Meyer’ lemon; zest from one ‘Meyer’ lemon

- Oil for frying (olive oil preferred)

2 stalks of green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Scrub the potatoes and place on a steamer in a pot with a lid. It’s OK to stack them on top of each other. Bring water to a boil, cover pot, and reduce to a simmer. Start checking potatoes after 8 minutes. They’re done when the tip of a sharp knife penetrates to the center of the potato easily.

While the potatoes cook, spray or wipe a larger platter with oil. Spread the cooked potatoes on the platter; let them sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Mix the mayonnaise, miso and lemon juice and zest thoroughly in a small bowl. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

When the potatoes are cool enough to touch, gently smash/flatten them with the heel of your hand. Try to keep them whole.

In a skillet, fry the potatoes in about 1/4 inch of oil over medium-high heat until the edges start to brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Place cooked potatoes on a sheet pan lined with newspaper, a grocery bag, or paper towels. When you’re done frying them, place on a platter and top with green onions, then serve immediately with the miso mayonnaise.

The following two recipes are from Lorrette Patzwald of Healdsburg Shed.

“This is a variation of one of the most popular cookies sold at the Shed Coffee Bar,” she said. “The texture is both crunchy and moist with just the right amount of butter to melt in the mouth.

Meyer Lemon and Thyme Shortbread Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted organic butter, room temperature

1 cup organic sugar

1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch fine sea salt

31/2 cups organic all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

11/2 teaspoons fresh Meyer lemon juice

31/2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest

1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped or not

Cream together the butter, sugar, zest and thyme for about 2 minutes on medium speed. The mixture will be smooth and well incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, juice, salt, and flour all at once and blend just until it is incorporated.

Chill the dough for about 20 to 30 minutes until it can be rolled out easily. Roll out the dough to just over 1/8-inch thick. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cookies into squares or use a cookie cutter to make other shapes. Then chill the dough for up to three to four hours.

Place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with the seed and sugar mixture. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes.

“These delicious, lemon scented clouds are very similar to what you might find at a patisserie in France,” Patzwald said. “They are crisp on the outside with a slightly chewy, sticky center.”

Meyer Lemon ?Meringues

Makes approximately ?12 meringues

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

11/3 cup superfine or baker’s fine sugar

1 tablespoon (or to taste) freshly grated Meyer lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line two baking sheets (approximately 12 by ?16 inches) with baker’s parchment.

Pour the sugar on one of the pans and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until very hot but not melting. The sugar temperature should be about 185-?190 degrees.

Decrease the oven temperature to 200 degrees. The oven should be a steady ?200 degrees as the meringues bake – too low and they’ll weep, too hot and they’ll crack.

Using a mixer with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until very frothy. Increase the speed to high and slowly add the hot sugar a few tablespoons at a time. This will take approximately ?5 minutes.

Continue whipping 3 to 4 minutes more until you have very stiff peaks and the mixture is still glossy. Add the Meyer lemon zest all at once and whip at high speed until the meringue holds its shape, about 2 minutes more. Taste and add more zest if preferred.

Using two large serving spoons, scoop a mound of the meringue with one and push it off onto the parchment lined sheet with the other. Leave about 1 inch of space between them and put them into the 200 degree oven immediately. Bake for two hours and check one to see if it lifts easily from the parchment. If not, continue baking.

Meringues should lift easily from the parchment and be dry on top and bottom. This may take up to 3 hours depending upon the size of the meringues and the humidity in the air. Humidity will also cause them to slump and lose their shape a bit.

Store the meringues in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy them alone or serve with fresh fruit, lemon curd, ice cream or a sauce of your choice.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.