Easy Preserved Meyer Lemons

Citrus season in California always seems never ending to me. In a good way. But there is a season, and that season peaks in winter, and spills into spring. The Meyer lemons are still around, but they're definitely on their way out. Before they go, I like to preserve a few jars.

Preserved lemons are some of the easiest of preserved foods to make. They involve little other than lemons, salt, and sanitized mason jars (just boil the jars totally submerged in water, lids off, for 10-12 minutes). You can flavor them with whatever spices you like - although I'm partial to the combination of black pepper, bay, and cinnamon. A friend gifted me a jar of lemons she preserved with fennel seed and pink pepper corn, which was lovely.

And then what do you do with them?

They're pungent, and borderline astringent. They're salty, acidic, and flavor-packed. A little goes a long way. But that little bitt adds notes of complexity. It makes you go: "what's in this?" It both highlights the essence of a lemon, and takes lemons to another otherworldly flavor.

I like to use them in homemade hummus (a la Joan Nathan's recipe in her new cookbook). They're beautiful in chicken dishes, and in tagine (they are a common North African ingredient). I also like to make a simple dip with thick plain yogurt, chopped fresh mint, and super finely chopped preserved lemon. 

This recipe works for any lemon, but lemons that are thin-skinned, like Meyer's, seem to work best. 

Preserved Lemons

Makes 1 pint jar

5-6 lemons, depending on their size

Kosher salt, as needed

3-4 fresh bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon black or pink peppercorns

Lemon juice, as needed

1 pint mason jar, sterilized

Quarter each lemon by slicing the top down within half an inch of the bottom, leaving them connected. Pack salt into the lemon then press it back into its original shape.

Fill the bottom of the mason jar with a layer of salt. Layer the salted lemons into the bottom of the jar. Top each layer with more salt, and squeeze lemon juice over each layer as well. Top each layer with bay leaf and peppercorn, and stick the cinnamon stick into the jar as you layer. Pack all of the lemons in tight and make sure everything is covered with a layer of salt and lemon juice.

Place the jar on your kitchen counter or in a pantry and shake the jar once a day for 30 days. After 30 days, the lemons are ready for use. Once opened, I prefer to keep my lemons in the fridge. They’ll keep for up to 1 year.

Before using the lemons, rinse each piece as needed to remove the excess salt.

Blood Orange, Ricotta, Almond Cake (Gluten Free)

I first spotted this lovely cake on Liz Prueitt's Instagram. She wrote out the recipe in the photo's description; the recipe is adapted from The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook. I meant to try the cake soon after I saw the photo, and then blood orange season came and went, and time does what it does.

I stumbled on some particularly good blood oranges this week, and the weather suddenly became sunny and warm. I've been watching the Great British Baking Show and have been itching to bake something; the stars aligned. I researched a few cake recipes before I remembered Prueitt's. A short search revealed that the recipe had been written up on the always wonderful SmittenKitchen (thank you).

I found a lot of blood orange cakes that involved flour and cornmeal - they all looked a little dense and dry. Unlike most of the others, this one involves no flour and also adds ricotta. I liked that it sounded like a cheesecake, and I always like to have more gluten free recipes in the arsenal (many clients and friends have intolerances). The trickiest part of this cake is folding egg whites into the batter; but that shouldn't deter you from trying - when in doubt, don't overmix.

This cake is glossy and shiny and pretty with the multi-colored stunning blood oranges. The brown sugar that candies the orange takes away any bitterness from the pith, and adds a welcome caramel note to the cake. The cake is cheesecake-like, but not too dense. The cornmeal adds a toothsome note. There's really not much to change in the original recipe, and the only thing I did different than both Liz and SK is that I combined both lemon and orange zest into the better, and lemon and orange juice into the batter.

This cake is one of those cakes that tastes even better than it looks.

Blood Orange, Ricotta, Almond Cake (via Liz Prueitt and SmittenKitchen)

2 blood oranges
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoons water
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 oz) softened unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 cup packed finely ground almond flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup citrus juice (orange + lemon)
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon table salt
apricot jam (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a 9" cake pan and line it with parchment.

In a bowl combine the brown sugar and water. Add it to the bottom of the cake tin. Thinly slice a blood orange. Line the bottom of the tin with orange slices.

In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yolks one at a time. Mix in the almond flour and cornmeal. Mix in the ricotta. Zest 1 orange and 1 lemon. Juice the citrus until you have a 1/3 cup's worth of juice. Add the zest and juice to the batter, and mix.

Beat the egg whites with salt until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until just incorporated.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the center comes out clean when tested with a skewer/toothpick.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes (it will start to naturally pull away from the sides), then flip it onto a platter and allow it to fully cool prior to serving.

If you want it extra glossy, heat up some apricot jam and brush it over the cake while it's still warm. 

Keeps well in the fridge (if you have any leftover :)

Beet Cured Gravlax

Making homemade gravlax is easy. It's one of those great recipes that impresses guests, looks beautiful, requires zero cooking, and takes minutes to make. Heads up: while this recipe is easy, you need to prepare it 3 days in advance.

The beets create a lovely deep scarlet color on the top layer of the fish, and they add a very subtle sweet, earthy, flavor. 

Like any simple dish, the quality of the ingredients are critical to the success of the recipe. Start with excellent, fresh, wild-caught salmon.

I love to serve this thinly sliced on a platter with fresh veggies. Bagels and cream cheese are always welcome accompaniments for cured fish. Enjoy!

Beet Cured Gravlax

1 3 lb salmon filet

1 lb red beets, peeled and grated, any juice included

1 large bunch dill, roughly chopped

Zest of 1 large orange

Zest of 2 lemons

1 cup tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup freshly cracked black pepper

In a food processor or with a box grater, grate the beets. In a bowl, combine the beets with orange and lemon zest, chopped dill, and 2 tablespoons salt.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 1 cup salt, sugar, and pepper.

In a non-metal dish (pyrex or ceramic), place a large piece of plastic wrap on the bottom (big enough to cover the fish). Firmly rub the salt mixture onto both sides of the salmon. Then place the salmon skin side down onto the plastic wrap. Place the beet mixture on top of the salmon. Tightly wrap the salmon in the plastic wrap. Place another pan/dish on top of the salmon and weigh it down with canned goods or weights.

Cure in the fridge for 3 days. After 3 days, scrape off the beet mixture and discard.

Serve thinly sliced. Salmon will keep wrapped tightly in the fridge for up to one week.

Perfect Salmon with Rosemary and Lemon

Whenever I make salmon for a client, I always get asked: "How did you make this?" When I tell them, they are then always surprised by how easy it is.

The most important factor for me is that the salmon has to be high quality - e.g. wild and fresh. Previously frozen and defrosted salmon will not have the same texture as fresh salmon. It will likely turn out dryer. It's hard to make frozen salmon as awesome as fresh salmon. For me, making fish is a treat. Wild fresh fish is more expensive than previously frozen fish, but I treat it as a seasonal special occasion treat.

The second most important factor when cooking salmon is to not assume that one cooking time is going to work each time you make the dish. It may sound annoying, but it really is done when it's done.  Each salmon fillet is of varying thickness and density, and therefor will cook at differing rates. Over time, it gets easier and easier to tell when the fish is done just by looking at it and smelling it... but here's the trick for checking doneness: stick the tip of a knife blade into the thickest part of the fish. Put the blade against your lips, if it's hot/warm, it's cooked through. If the blade is cold it needs more time. This allows you to pierce the fish with minimal destruction, no need to slice it in half and ruin the fillet.

Everything else is incredibly simple. You can add whatever favorite herbs or sauces you like to your salmon using this method.

Roast Salmon with Rosemary and Lemon

Salmon fillet, either whole or cut into individual fillets (I like one's that are 6-8 oz per person)

Lemon, thinly sliced

Sprigs of fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil, to drizzle

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

On a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet, place the salmon skin side down. 

Salt and pepper the fish. Top each fish with thin slices of lemon and sprigs of fresh rosemary (either left whole or chopped fine). Drizzle the top of the fish with olive oil.

Bake for 7 minutes, then turn the pan around (or rotate pans if making salmon on two sheet pans). Depending on the thickness of the salmon, check on its doneness after another 5-6 minutes. Most salmon cooks in about 14-15 minutes. Serve immediately with your favorite sides. Leftover salmon keeps for 2 days in the fridge. 

End of Summer Mocha Raspberry Icebox Cake

Photo by Eric Slatkin

This is the perfect cake for too-hot-to-turn-the-oven-on weather. It's still too-hot-to-turn-the-oven-on weather in LA, and it will likely remain that way for a few months. Fall is creeping up in its own subtle ways (although this is the time of year I get most homesick for the Pacific Northwest). The days are getting shorter, the school bells ring across the street, and the nights are a little cooler. Regardless of the temperature, I love having a dessert recipe that requires zero baking. This is also a great make ahead dessert. You can whip this up the night before you're having people over and it will only taste better the next day. It's the perfect thing if you're having guests coming over to dinner after rushing home from work. Also, it's hard to go wrong with whipped cream, chocolate, and raspberries.

Some notes...

1) If you can't find chocolate wafers you can use any cookie you'd like. Even chocolate chip cookies will work. The thinner the better.

2) If you hate coffee flavor, omit entirely. You could also add more cocoa instead.

3) If you can't find coffee extract, you can omit as well. Add a little more instant espresso and a drop of vanilla extract would be nice

For a video tutorial, you can see this recipe over at Assembly Line.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Mocha Icebox Cake

2 cups heavy cream

8 oz mascarpone

¾ cups sugar, divided

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons coffee extract (or substitute with more espresso powder)

3 pints (500 g) fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish

2 packages chocolate wafers (9 oz/225 g per package)

Shaved dark chocolate, for garnish

Using a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, ½ cup of sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and coffee extract together. Whip the mixture until it forms firm peaks.

In a medium bowl, combine the raspberries with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Smash the raspberries with the sugar until they are roughly broken up.

To assemble the icebox cake, use a 8-9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a layer of chocolate wafers. Slightly overlap the wafers to form the layer; if there are any gaps you can break up some of the wafers to fill the holes. Top the layer of chocolate wafers with a quarter of the cream mixture. Top the cream mixture with a third of the raspberry mixture. Add a second layer of chocolate wafers, top with another quarter of the cream mixture, and another third of the raspberry mixture. Add a third layer of chocolate wafers, top with another quarter of the cream mixture, and the last third of the raspberry mixture. Add a final fourth layer of chocolate wafers and top with the remaining cream mixture. Smooth the top layer with an offset spatula, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Prior to serving, run a knife along the edge of the pan and remove the sides. Garnish with dark chocolate shavings and fresh raspberries. Slice and serve.

Fresh Cherry Apricot Tart

When you think of food for Hanukkah, you think of latkes. Passover? Matzo balls. Shavuot? Shavuot is all about dairy products - cheese borekas, cheese blintzes, cheese danishes, and most importantly and quintessentially: cheesecake.

I grew up hating cheesecake. I always thought it was too dense, and too often topped with horrible gloopy, canned, and not-good-tasting cherries. Then I tried my stepmother’s cheesecake, and it was unlike any other I had ever had. It was delicate with a light crust, and it had a thin layer of a cheesecake-like mixture that got topped with loads of fresh raspberries. It wasn’t too rich or too sweet, and the fresh fruit was the perfect compliment to the creamy filling.

Inspired by her’s, this recipe is akin to a no-bake cheesecake that you can top with any seasonal stone fruit or berry. Cherry season is short, and I want to take advantage of every second of it. Apricots pop up at the same time at the market, and both fruits are sweet and tart, complimentary in color, and equally complimentary in taste. I keep the fruit fresh on this tart, which also makes this dessert simple to put together, and easy to whip up in advance.

A few notes: the no-bake filling means that this is looser than any kind of traditional cheesecake. If you really want to use cherries and they’re not available, thawed frozen ones will work. I use vanilla bean in both the filling and to macerate the fruit; the vanilla flavor is more pronounced when the seeds come scraped out of the bean, but you can substitute with good quality vanilla extract instead. Also, I use Luxardo (Italian cherry liqueur) in both the filling and to macerate the fruit. It adds a note of complexity and booziness, and enhances the natural flavors in the cherries and apricots. If you don’t have a cherry liqueur or brandy on hand, you can substitute with other liqueurs (Amaretto, Cointreau, Chambord) or even a good bourbon. A splash of almond extract could work well, too. You can also skip that step entirely and the fruit and filling will still taste delicious.

Fresh Cherry & Apricot Tart

Serves 8-10

for the crust-

1½ cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full sheet rectangular graham crackers)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

for the filling-

1 8 oz. bar (225g) cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup sugar

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup sour cream

½ a vanilla bean, seeds scraped out (or 2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract)

3 tablespoons Luxardo or Kirsch (optional)

for the fruit topping-

1 lb. (450g) cherries, pitted (thawed if frozen)

2 medium apricots, pitted and sliced thin (thawed if frozen)

½ a vanilla bean, seeds scraped out (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

2 tablespoons Luxardo or Kirsch (optional)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

for the crust-

Preheat the oven to 350°F. (You can also skip baking the graham cracker crust - it will set well enough when it is refrigerated).

Generously grease a 10”-12” tart pan, or you can use a pie dish or something similar. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and grease the top of the paper.

Using a food processor, or a sealable bag and a rolling pin, crush the graham crackers until they resemble a coarse flour. In the food processor or in a bowl, add the melted butter, sugar, and salt and pulse (or mix) until just combined. Press the mixture into the greased pan. You can press and smooth the crust evenly by using the back of a flat glass or measuring cup.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until firm and golden brown. Allow to fully cool; the crust can be made up to a day in advance. Once cooled cover and reserve.

For the filling-

Using an electric stand or handheld mixer, cream together the room temperature cream cheese with the sugar. Add the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, and Luxardo (if using) and beat until it is completely smooth and slightly airy. Make sure to periodically scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there are no lumps in the mixture.

Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Even out the filling in the crust with an offset spatula or back of a spoon. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight to firm up.

For the fruit topping-

At least one hour or more before serving, prepare the fruit topping for the tart.

Pit the cherries using a cherry pitter, or by slicing the cherries in half and removing the pits. Halve and pit the apricots, and slice thin lengthwise. If using frozen fruit, make sure it is fully thawed.

In a bowl, combine the cherries and apricots with the vanilla bean, sugar, Luxardo, and lemon juice. Toss gently and allow the fruit to macerate.

Top the chilled tart with the fruit and serve.

Any leftover tart can be stored covered in the fridge; it will still be delicious the next day.

Luxardo Cherry Ricotta Clafoutis

What is clafoutis? It's a classic French dessert, made with an eggy flan-like batter, traditionally filled with black cherries. It's often served warm, usually with a dusting of powdered sugar, and

occasionally with cream.

Clafoutis is obviously a French word, but to my English-speaking brain it sounds almost onomatopoeic. I think of it as something cloud-like, fluffy, fruity, and sweet… and that’s essentially what it is.

This treat straddles both brunch and dessert territory. It's not too sweet. It's not fussy to make. It comes together in a blender. Yes, a blender. The filling is custardy, rich but not too decadent, and studded with roasted fruit. As the name suggests, I’ve added booze to the batter and to the whipped cream to enhance the cherry flavor, and to make this clafoutis a little extra celebratory. If you don’t have Luxardo or Kirsch on hand, you can skip this boozy addition.

This recipe lends itself to many other fruits: peaches, plums, strawberry, apple, and more. But we're deep in cherry season here in LA, and because their season is relatively short, and because cherries are like the incredible delicious jewels of the fruit world, I try to use them in as many ways possible while they're around. Of course, I love them fresh, eaten simply as is - but sometimes you want to do something special to really celebrate this fruit of late spring.

Cherry Ricotta Clafoutis with Luxardo Whipped Cream

Serves 8-10

for the clafoutis-

5 eggs

½ cup sugar

½ cup whole milk ricotta

¼ cup milk

2 tablespoons Luxardo, Kirsch, or other cherry brandy (optional)

½ a vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pot (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup all purpose flour

1½ lb. cherries (700g), pitted (fresh or frozen)

for the Luxardo whipped cream-

1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons Luxardo, Kirsch or other cherry brandy

½ a vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pot (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grease an oval 11”x 8” baking dish, or a 10”-12” cast iron pan. This recipe can be used in different-sized dishes, but larger dishes will result in less time to bake. Sprinkle a little sugar around the baking dish.

Pit all of the cherries using a cherry pitter, or halve them and remove the pits. Reserve.

In a blender, combine the eggs, ricotta, milk, Luxardo, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth. Add the flour and blend until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Scatter the cherries around the baking dish.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the clafoutis is puffed and golden and the custard is firm.