Meyer Lemons

Meyer lemons, to a New York foodie, are a bit like the Holy Grail. Living on the east coast of the United States, we are often mocked by this illusive citrus fruit.

Thin skinned with a juice that has a flavor somewhere between an orange and a traditional lemon, they make a great addition to breads, cakes and sauces.

Meyer lemons are generally only found in California and are rarely, if ever, shipped as far as NY so we're forced to use a combination of oranges and lemons which never quite matches the unique flavor of a Meyer lemon.

I was recently given a wonderful gift of 2 Meyer lemons from a tree in my cousin's yard. Since it's such a rare and wonderful treat, I want to make sure I appropriately pay homage to this treat. The pressure to make the perfect dish was huge. Every morning I would pick up the fruit, smell it and gently squeeze it (no, I'm not calling it George) to make sure I didn't wait too long.

Last night, I began to panic - it had been 4 days since I received them and I knew they'd been picked at least a day prior but I still couldn't decide what to make.

So instead of making something sub-par, I made a big decision. With my breath held, I squeezed the juice, every last drop, into a measuring cup (2 Meyer lemons gave up nearly 1/2 cup of juice) and poured it into an ice cube tray. Yes, that's right, I froze the juice into 5 large cubes.

As the dry skins went into the trash, I immediately regretted not grating some of the zest along with the juice but at least I saved the most important part, right? RIGHT??

At least I bought myself some more time to make something delicious. Maybe I'll make my Lavender-Lemon Tea Cakes with it, maybe I'll take a cube and throw it into a sauce for fish, maybe I'll make my favorite pasta dish with some butter, black pepper and Parmesan cheese. The possibilities are endless... Anyone have any other suggestions?

I will post the result(s) here. Stay tuned.