Winter brings a bounty of citrus, including lemons. I’ve got a small dwarf tree in my backyard loaded with bright yellow orbs of this fragrant fruit. If you need ideas on what to do with this remarkable fruit, here are my favorite top ten lemon recipes.
makrut lime leaf scented blueberry and lemon curd tart
If you saw my Instagram Stories episode last week, you might have seen this tart. While it is well documented that I can eat lemon curd at any time of the year, I particularly it on a hot day for its cooling qualities, the idea behind this particular tart arose from a need to get rid of a few things in my refrigerator.
Roast Lemon Garlic Chicken
Garlic and lemon with roast chicken is a classic for many reasons; the fragrance and taste capture my attention every time. This is one of my go-to methods for roasting chicken, and it replicates how steam ovens work. This method ensures that all the lemon and garlic flavors permeate through the basting liquid at the bottom, which helps flavor the chicken more uniformly. The liquid also protects the chicken from drying out during cooking and creates a juicier bird.
Lemon Vinaigrette
What I love about this classic lemon vinaigrette is that it’s easy to make and carries a strong scent of fresh lemons. It goes perfectly with almost any salad I can conjure making it a fantastic way to spruce up random odds and ends that I toss together at home. I prefer making it in a blender because it turns extra creamy, but shaking it aggressively in a sealed mason jar will also achieve the same result, just remember to grate the garlic over a microplane zester.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s and Helen Goh’s lemon pound cake
This is my birthday week and it’s been off to a wonderful start! But there are lots of recipe updates for you!!!
Honey Almond Lemon Cake
Quite a few of you asked asked for this recipe after seeing it in my Instagram stories last weekend, so here is the almond cake recipe that infused with the delicious refreshing aroma of lemons and rosemary. I got this recipe a few years ago from a friend’s mom who can’t consume foods with gluten. It use baking powder and eggs for leavening and the result is a lovely spongy cake. I’ve thrown in a bit of very finely chopped rosemary leaves in the cake batter and topped it with a sprig of sugared rosemary.
Roasted Carrots with Preserved Lemon Yogurt
Some vegetables are meant for the oven, they beg to be roasted, and carrots fall into that family of what I call “preferred roasters.” Their flesh becomes tender and sweeter, and their long tapering tips turn slightly crisp. It’s fair to say that I eat roasted carrots often (is there such a thing as too often ?), and I’m going to go a step further and say I think this will be your new favorite way to eat carrots. Warm roasted carrots with a crispy blanket of golden brown crisp chia seeds and panko sitting on a yogurt mattress flavored with garlic and preserved lemons. Now, I must give you a fair warning, be quick once it’s all put together. The carrots will cool off, and the panko will turn soft when it touches the yogurt. You want all that crispy texture and hot and cold temperatures to play in your mouth.
Preserved Lemon, Za’atar Pasta
My pantry is like a treasure chest, a collection of ingredients waiting to be used. This Preserved Lemon Za’atar Pasta is one of the best ways to use up pantry ingredients, and it is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The pasta is fragrant with the aroma of tangy fresh and preserved lemons, za’atar, and plenty of garlic. Soft creamy ricotta and crunchy toasted breadcrumbs compliment the pasta. This is an easy dinner to make on a busy day, and one everyone loves. This is also an excuse to use the lemons growing in my garden.
Saffron Lemon Confit with Allium and Tomatoes
When it comes to slow cooking, confit (derived from the French word confire, “preserve” or “crystallize”) is perhaps one of the most versatile techniques. A confit is prepared by submerging raw vegetables or meat in a liquid that prevents the growth of harmful microbes—oil or concentrated sugar syrup, for example—and slow-cooked for a long time at low heat. In this instance, olive oil is used as the medium in which garlic, leeks, shallots, and tomatoes are slow-cooked. Unlike deep-frying, this method starts out with oil at room temperature. It warms up slowly in the oven, resulting in a more concentrated flavor and tender texture.
Lemon Poppy Seed Buttermilk Ice Cream
I LOVE tangy and tart ice creams; if it’s made with lemons or some citrus, sign me up! This ice cream is based on the classic combination of that bright, citrusy flavor of lemons sprinkled with dots of black poppy seeds and hints of yellow lemon zest. You could call this a lemon poundcake ice cream!
Herb Lemon Chicken Soup
If I were to describe this chicken soup in one word, I’d say FRAGRANT! The refreshing scent of fresh lemons and the herby goodness of cilantro and dill, mingled with coriander and saffron, make this soup a satisfying experience. This is a soup I want to hug for its warmth and flavor.
