Sour Lemons

We have an amazing Meyer lemon tree in our front yard. We just love having lemons available whenever we want. We use them daily in water, tea, on food and the like. We juice the lemons and make lemon-ice cubes out of them to have them at our disposal when it's not lemon season. The tree produces so many lemons, in fact that, in addition to using them fresh and frozen, we regularly pick a grocery bag full and give them away.

This evening we are having dinner with friends that revel in cocktails for any occasion. We have been indoctrinated to this way of thinking - er, drinking. So today the Little Won and I picked lemons from the tree and juiced them. While he was napping, I made a large batch of Lemon Drops to take to dinner (eight cups worth - not 8 drinks, eight cups - and enoughfor a second batch of 8 cups where that came from). Yum!

I can't waste though, so with the leftover peels, I'm going to follow the recipe below and make dessert. Yum, yum!


Candied Lemon Peels
Recipe found at www.epicurious.com

1 organic lemon, washed well
2 1/2 cups sugar

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the lemon in vertical strips. Try to remove only the yellow zest, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Save the lemon for another use.

In a small saucepan, combine the peels with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain off the water. Again add 2 cups cold water, bring to a boil, and drain. Repeat the process a third time, then remove the peels from the pan and set aside.

Measure 2 cups of the sugar into the pan and add 1 cup water, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Add the peels and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the peels are tender and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the peels and let cool.

Measure the remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a medium bowl and add the peels. Toss to coat. Using a fork or your fingers, remove the peels one at time, gently shaking each to remove excess sugar. Store in an airtight container. The peels will keep for several weeks.

Makes about 2 tablespoons.