still life in Meyer Lemons
and not to play favorites,
still life in Blood Oranges
every once in a while it pays to have kids living in NYC to do your errands 🙂
Thought for the day: A Recipe without a photo is like a day without sunshine.
The other day I was dreaming of blowing swirls of cocoa. Today, it is pillows of meyer lemon-laced, tangerine-y-scented meringues, chiffon cakes and billowy pavlovas, twirled together with swathes of curds, flakes of toasted coconut and sprinklings of sanding sugars and coarse pink sea salt.
This particular morning’s mind’s eye is on Meyer Lemon Profiteroles with a laced-custard and dark chocolate drizzle…….. Is there no end to the potential for trouble in my kitchen?
In my season of deprivation of color and life, I crave these little tangerine-y scented orbs of loveliness. In fact, I’m currently hoarding citrus – Blood Oranges and these Meyer Lemons. I can’t resist them.
Blood oranges offer the bonus of surprise every time you cut one open. You never know what magical hues you are going to get. You might get a magnificent magenta, ruby or garnet, a mid-range mix of pinks tinged with darks, hinted with cantaloupe-colors or a lighter, mixed blend. Just another of nature’s magical hand.
Meyer lemons offer so very many options both in the savory and sweet kitchen. I seem to have dabbled in this subject each Winter here and yet, could the options ever be exhausted? And, lest you missed it, take a stroll (scroll) through this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/02/meyer-lemon-recipes_n_2398211.html
Winter offers gifts from other places in the country and the world. Thank goodness for that. But, if you observe, you might see how Winter offers little gifts to the littlest ones outside. These days I am obsessed with the birds, especially when their little bodies’ feathers are of such distinctive and often brilliant colors. We have 2 pairs of cardinals in our yard and many blue jays. Also, have an array of woodpeckers, nuthatches, gold and purple finch and a host of others. I love to watch them in the depths of Winter in their own little world, hell-bent on survival. I offer up an expensive diet of choice seed to them each week – they get to stay alive and I get oh so much in return.
waiting and wishing to spot one of these – I know you’re there! (photo courtesy Denise Poytner on Pinterest)
There are also, believe it or not, some food-source-leftovers in the landscape. Here are two photos I snapped yesterday of “Robins in Tundra” feasting on some bright and freeze-dried crabapples from last season. They are now lying all over the ice cap and some have been transported over to the side porch.
one man’s leftovers are another man’s survival
These gems of Winter, the citrus that is (I’ll leave the crabapples for my outside visitors), pair wonderfully with a multitude of ingredients.
Here’s the short list list of ideas for today:
1. Meyer Lemon Shortbread Cookies with a dusting of Snow (Sanding Sugar)
2.Meyer Lemon Wafer Crackers with Parmesan, Rosemary and a dusting of Snow (Coarse Salt)
3.Meyer Lemon Scented Oatmeal with Toasted Pecans and a Drizzle of Maple Syrup
4.Pecan Sandy Cookies with Meyer Lemon
5.Ellie Kreiger’s Gluten-free pancakes with Meyer Lemon and Hazelnut Butter
6. Meyer Lemon and Mascarpone Scones with Toasted Snow (Coconut)
7.Olive Oil Cake with Corn Meal and Meyer Lemon
8.Meyer Lemon and Ginger Tart Tatin
9.Meyer Lemon Marmalade
10. Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Chutney
11.Parmesan Tuiles with Meyer Lemon Zest
Guess, I’d better get into the kitchen!
one for the books; http://seattletimes.com/html/foodwine/2024064481_1recipe14strawberrymuffinxml.html