The old saying goes: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, we made 5 delicious treats from said lemons.
Burbank is such a wonderful community full of gorgeous citrus trees full of fruit almost year round. Right now we are all tucked away in our homes doing our best to keep from spreading the Coronavirus.
So, what do we do to keep ourselves from getting cabin fever?
We’ve put together a list of 5 delicious recipes to make with all those lemons.
- Lemon and Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancakes
Such a special treat, these babies look difficult to make and are so impressive. Remember to pat some flour on your nose so your guests don’t know how easy they were to make.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place the rack in the middle of the oven
1Cup All Purpose flour
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp ground cardamom
4 eggs
1 Cup whole Milk
1 Tbsp lemon zest
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar
In a small bowl stir together flour, granulated sugar and salt, set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs with the milk and lemonzest. Add the dry ingredients and lightly whisk until blended. The batter doesn’t have to be completely smooth (but it helps), but make sure there aren’t any large lumps of flour.
In a medium (10 inch) cast iron skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is very hot and foamy, and almost beginning to brown. Immediately pour the batter into the pan and put the skillet into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are billowy and brown and the center of the pancake has puffed up. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the pancake evenly with the confectioner’s sugar and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes. Give a squeeze of lemon juice over the top and serve with fresh blueberries.
- Lemoncello (21 and over only)
This is a refreshing adult beverage on a hot summer day, especially served with a sprig of fresh rosemary or mint or over some lemon sorbet.
10 lemons
750 ml bottle 100 proof vodka or grain alcohol
3 Cups sugar
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in wide strips, cutting away any pith
remaining on the peel. Set the fruit aside for another use. Put the peels on a large nonreactive
container and pour the bottle of vodka over them.
In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil with the sugar, stirring constantly until the
sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely. Add the sugar syrup to the vodka, cover, and let the lemoncello sit for 24 hours. Strain the mixture into a clean 2 quart jar with a lid and discard the lemon peels. Store in the freezer.
- Lemon Bars
If you love lemons, you most likely love a good lemon bar. These treats are both pleasantly sweet and sour at the same time.
Crust
2-1/2 Cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp kosher salt
1Cup unsalted butter at room temp.
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Cups sugar
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp lemon zest
½ cup whole milk
½ tsp kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with
cooking spray or melted butter.
To make the crust, in a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until it is light in color and fluffy.
Add the zest and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Reduce to low speed and add the four mixture,
using a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl several times. Stop mixing when the
ingredients are fully incorporated but still crumbly. Do not over mix or the crust will be difficult to distribute in the pan.
Pour the crumbly dough into the prepared pan and use your fingers to distribute it evenly over the
bottom, lightly pressing it down and making sure to bring the dough up the sides slightly to hold the filling. Bake until toasty brown, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and flour. Stir in the
lemon juice and zest, milk and salt.
When the crust is done, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Stir the topping ingredients
together again before pouring the topping over the warm crust. Place the pan in the middle of the
oven and bake until the topping feels firm when lightly touched, about 20 minutes. Cool the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes or to room temperature before cutting the bars. Dust generously
with confectioner’s sugar before serving.
- Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are a wonderful way to add flavor to any braised meat or chicken dish and fish dish.
1 dozen small lemons (3 pounds)
1 Cup coarse sea salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fill a 1 quart canning jar with boiling water. Let the water sit for 1 minute; drain the jar and invert it on a clean towel to dry. Slice off and discard the stem and blossom ends of 6 of the lemons and cut them lengthwise into eighths. Put the wedges in a non reactive bowl. Juice the remaining lemons; you should end up with 1 cup of juice. Set the juice aside.
Add the salt to the bowl and toss the lemon sections to coat before packing them into the jar. As you fill the jar add the salt from the bowl, evenly distributing it throughout the jar. Cover the lemons with the juice and nonreactive lid. Let the lemons sit at room temperature for a week. Shake the jar everyday to redistribute the salt and juice. After a week, add olive oil to cover and refrigerator for up to 6 months.
- Lemon and Tangerine Olive Oil Cake
The Italians got it right when they made olive oil a staple in their cuisine. This cake is a savory/sweet treat that tastes delicious with a dollop of sweet whipped cream and espresso.
3-1/2 Cups sugar, divided
2 lemons (medium size)
2 tangerines(medium size)
1-2/3 Cups All purpose flour
1 Cup Polenta or medium grind corn meal
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ Tsp Kosher salt
4 eggs
2/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
In a medium sauce pan, combine 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the lemons and tangerines (peels on) to the boiling sugar water. Poach the fruit until soft but not mushy. Then transfer to a plate to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 10-in. cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
When fruits are cooled, cut the end off and remove pulp. Remove any seeds and large pieces of membrane. Add pulp to a food processor and puree. You should have 1 ¼ cups of puree.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
Put the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip on high speed until light yellow and fluffy. With the mixer running slowly add the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and continue to whip on high speed until the mixture is thick and creamy white, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and drizzle in the oil. Add the pureed fruit and mix to combine. Remove the mixing bowl and fold in one-third of the flour mixture. When the batter is smooth, add the rest of the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake until the cake is dark golden brown and springs back after being lightly pressed in the middle, 50 to 60 minutes. Let it cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Let it cool completely before slicing and serving with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
- These recipes were inspired by the book, the lemon cookbook by Ellen Jackson
