Meyer lemons originally come from China where they are thought to be a cross between an orange/mandarin and lemon. I particularly like them as they aren't as acidic or bitter as a regular lemon.
The dish I've made is one of my favourites and every time I make it, I wonder why it's taken me so long to do it. I'm making that traditional English preserve - Lemon Butter, a simple concoction made with egg yolk, sugar, butter and lemon juice. The method I use is based on one found in Stephanie Alexander's "The Cooks Companion" as it does away with the double boiler.
4 egg yolks
150 grams caster sugar
100mls lemon juice
75 grams butter, cut into small dice
Put the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and beat until thick and creamy and the sugar has dissolved - it's best to do this using a stand mixer.
Spoon this mixture into a saucepan along with the lemon juice and butter and place the pan over a low heat - take a whisk and gently whisk until the butter has dissolved. Continue whisking to ensure the mixture heats evenly and as it comes up to temperature you'll notice it start to thicken - when this happens take it off the flame and continue stirring. You want the mixture to have the consistency of thick custard, if it is still a little slack, return the pan to the heat and whisk for a little longer.
Once ready, pour into a jar and seal. When cool, store in the fridge.
You can enjoy this as you would a jam or marmalade and it also makes an excellent filling for sponge cakes.
Gorgeous and sounds a bit like a curd. I always love everything lemon although I haven't had the chance to try meyer lemons as much as I would like too. Your fabric is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to enjoy Meyer lemons. I can rarely get any, and when I do, I don't quite know what to do with them. Now I will!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of lemon butter!
ReplyDeleteI also love Meyer lemons and I have been fortunate to have a friend who has a prolific tree. They make a wonderful lemon curd. I have always made it with the double-boiler method, so I read with interest that one can do away with that. I have used it also as filling for tarts. Thank you for contributing this to WHB!
ReplyDeleteThis lemon butter sounds quiet dreamy! Thinking about trying a smear on some lemon-poppyseed pound cake!
ReplyDeleteHello, just came across your blog and am enjoying reading,
ReplyDeleteI agree, Meyer lemons have a lovely flavour, not acidic but then not too sweet. I have actually been making so many lemon cakes at the moment as we're fortunate to get a nice large bag of lemons from relatives and friends every so often!
I've been manually following your blog for... hm, 3 or 4 years - now that I got my gmail running I can finally follow it with GFC :) .
ReplyDeleteHow long does the butter keep?
And how much does this yield - one full standard jar?
Thanks Ana - wow that is a long time! It doesn't last too long around here as it tends to be gobbled down at a frightening rate. I'm not sure what a standard jar is - but I guess this would make around 1½ cups.
ReplyDeleteI want to make a large quantity as my meyer lemon tree is loaded. Can the lemon butter be stored in a pantry (unopened) for a reasonable amount of time?
ReplyDeleteI personally wouldn't go the route of making big quantities to store especially as you are dealing with eggs - with my excess lemons I freeze the juice in appropriate sized quantities and then make the lemon butter at my leisure when the mood takes me. Since the recipe is so simple I just prefer to have it freshly made.
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