When life hands you lemons, celebrate!
Lemons get a bad rap. When we buy a car that doesn’t run, we call it a lemon. When life gives you lemons, we say you should make lemonade, as if lemons were something merely to be endured. It’s not fair. Lemons are bright and sunshiny, brisk and invigorating. They add a delicious splash of life to food, they sprinkle it with the essence of spring.
I say, when life gives you lemons, you should celebrate. Yay, lemons!
It’s time we elevate the humble lemon to the pantheon of culinary flavors. And so I decided to cook dishes that take full advantage of this most versatile of citrus fruits.
I made dishes that are sweet and savory, main courses and a dessert. How many other ingredients are equally at home inside a pie as well as saddling up to a piece of grilled meat?
RECIPES
Lemon-boiled shrimp
Yield: 4 servings
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1 pound shrimp, with or without shells
For optional cocktail sauce: 3⁄4 cup chili sauce
1⁄3 cup ketchup
1 or 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 1⁄2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1 or 2 wedges of lemon
In a large pot, bring lemon juice and water to a boil. Add shrimp and boil until shrimp are pink and curled; the time will vary depending on the size of the shrimp. Serve hot or cold.
If making a cocktail sauce, combine chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice in a bowl. Serve with shrimp. Per serving: 183 calories; 1 g fat; 1g saturated fat; 183 mg cholesterol; 24g protein; 21 g carbohydrate; 14 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 1,072 mg sodium; 91mg calcium Recipe by Daniel Neman
Lemon lamb chops
Yield: 3 to 4 servings 2 pounds lamb chops
1⁄4 cup lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon roughly chopped shallots 1teaspoon Dijon mustard 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh thyme or rosemary leaves
1⁄4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 2tablespoons oil (not olive oil), if cooking on stove Place lamb chops in a flat dish. Put lemon juice, garlic, shallots, mustard, thyme or rosemary, olive oil and salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour marinade over both sides of lamb and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, turning once or twice.
Set up grill for direct heat or place a large, heavy skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Cook meat, turning once or twice, until desired doneness (about 5 minutes total for medium rare for 3⁄4-inch chops). Per serving (based on 4): 413 calories; 25 g fat;
5 g saturated fat; 150 mg cholesterol; 48g protein; 2g carbohydrate; 5 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 217 mg sodium; 28 mg calcium
Recipe by Daniel Neman
Lemon chicken
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
1 (3 1⁄2 to 4-pound) chicken 1⁄2 cup lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon roughly chopped shallot 1teaspoon Dijon mustard 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh thyme or rosemary leaves
1⁄4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons oil (not olive oil) if cooking on stove Place chicken in a large bowl. Put lemon juice, garlic, shallots, mustard, thyme or rosemary, olive oil and salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour marinade over and around chicken and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan (if you don’t have a rack, place it on top of potatoes, carrots, celery or a combination). For the best appearance, truss the legs and wings. Roast in oven until done, about 1 1⁄4 to 1 1⁄2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken; if it is getting too brown on top, cover with aluminum foil. The chicken will be done when the legs move freely in their joints.
Tent with aluminum foil and wait at least 5to 10minutes before carving.
Per serving (based on 4): 565 calories; 41 g fat;
9 g saturated fat; 217 mg cholesterol; 44 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 1g fiber; 814 mg sodium; 21 mg calcium
Recipe by Daniel Neman
Lemon shaker tart Yield: 8 servings FOR THE CRUST
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour 2⁄3 cup powdered sugar 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt 12tablespoons (11⁄2 sticks) melted unsalted butter
FOR THE FILLING
1 Meyer lemon or 1 regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed (see notes) 1 cup granulated sugar 3⁄4 cup Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice
3 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Notes: Use a sharp or serrated knife to cut the lemons; do not use a mandoline. Crust can be baked 2days ahead, tart can be baked 1 day ahead.
Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix until it’s well combined (it will have a sort of Play-Doh-type texture). Press this into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan or 9-inch springform pan. Use a measuring cup to flatten it and make sure it’s all even.
Bake the tart shell until it’s a pale golden brown on the edges and baked through on the bottom (it will lose that greasy shine), about 20 minutes.
Make the filling: Toss the lemon slices, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Let this sit out at least 1hour or up to 24 hours to soften the peels. Whisk the egg yolks, eggs, flour and salt in a medium bowl, making sure zero lumps remain (if there are stubborn bits of flour, then strain the mixture; otherwise they’ll float to the top and won’t disappear when baked), and add the mixture to the bowl with the lemon slices. Toss everything to combine, then transfer to the crust.
Bake the tart until the edges are set and the center just barely jiggles, about 25 to 30minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.
Per serving: 327 calories; 21 g fat; 12 g saturated fat; 162mg cholesterol; 6g protein; 58 g carbohydrate; 36 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 533 mg sodium; 28 mg calcium
Adapted from “Dining In” by Alison Roman