During my 25th birthday in 1979, I found myself unexpectedly staying at The Carlyle Hotel in New York City. I was nestled in a compact suite equipped with a majestic piano. The tranquility of the hotel on that Sunday night earned me a generous room upgrade. The subsequent day, I explored the The Carlyle’s Bemelmans Bar where renowned bartender Tommy Rowles served up my inaugural dry martini.
The glassware was exquisite, slender-stemmed with a tulip design and adorned with the hotel’s noble insignia. Once the martinis were expertly stirred with ice and decanted into the frosty glass, Tommy skilfully carved a slim piece of lemon peel, held it ready before deftly twirling it. Lemon zest welled up, swathes my drink, and a waft of citrus engulfed me. To this day, I think it’s the finest use of a lemon. Needless to say, a dry martini became my cocktail of preference from then on.
I’ve always appreciated lemon as an essential third ingredient in the kitchen, in addition to salt and pepper. For instance, a sliver of raw salmon undergoes a transformation with a splash of zingy citrus and a sprinkling of sea salt. Likewise, when roasting a chicken to a golden crisp, hoisting half a lemon inside it works beautifully. Similarly, the classic Italian slow-cooked pork in milk recipe necessitates several lemon peels to break down the dairy into a mouth-watering sauce.
Reflecting on my youth, my mum was partial to making a lemon cheese concoction during the summertime. Generally referred to as lemon curd, in the North of England we staunchly called it cheese. I later used this same tangy filling to concoct a splendid dessert dubbed the angel pie. A pavlova-inspired meringue disc was baked to a crisp golden finish, allowed to cool, slathered in lemon cheese, and then capped with soft waves of vanilla-infused cream. Pure bliss!
While some eateries shun foreign ingredients, I would struggle to live without the citrus zest of lemons. Picture, for instance, an Amalfi lemon ripening under the warm Mediterranean sun. Would it not be a great pity to not occasionally have a dish of these in my kitchen, a few leaves still attached at times? And being devoid of lemons entirely- what would become of the Tommy Rowles martini?
Nevertheless, my dissertation on lemons must include a mention of inferior and superior harvests. Until a short time ago, poor quality lemons would get under my skin due to the sheer number of pips hidden in such small fruit; indeed, I once removed as many as 38 pips from a lone lemon. Astonishingly, seedless lemons are now available in my local grocery shop. Surely, miracles never stop happening.
It is in this context that we find ourselves in an oasis of radiant yellow vitamin C, diving into the second part of The Gourmand’s book series which illuminates ingredients with a rich history, present popularity and promising future. Today’s topic of interest is the culinary and cultural charm of the versatile lemon, which holds a central place in our minds and exhibits a level of versatility that surprises many.
The following recipes have been taken from The Gourmand’s Lemon: A Cornucopia of Stories and Recipes, a publication by Taschen. The recipes were developed by Maxine Clark.
Limon Sorbet (Serves six, about 1 litre)
You will need:
For the sorbet:
– 6 lemons, for zest and juice
– 300g of granulated sugar
– 1 orange, for zest and juice (finely grated)
– 2 spoonfuls of limoncello (optional)
– 6 medium-sized lemons for the lemon bowls
Equipment:
– Shallow metallic roasting tray (27 × 18 × 3cm)
– Electric whisk
– Ice cream maker (optional)
Process:
– Dissolve sugar in 600ml water in a pan, stirring in the grated zest of lemon and orange. Heat slowly till it reaches boiling point then continue boiling for another 3-4 minutes before letting it cool.
– Concurrently, filter the juice of the fruits using a sieve into a bowl and mix in the limoncello, if needed.
To start, for the remaining six lemons, cut off the tops and trim a little from the bottoms to make them stable. Carefully remove the insides to create lemon cases, squeeze the left over flesh and store the resulting juice in the fridge or freezer. Place the empty lemon cases on a tray and put them in the freezer.
Once your syrup with added flavour is sufficiently cooled, strain it into your bowl of fruit juice. Cover this and place it in the fridge, this will help speed up the freezing process.
If the ice cream machine isn’t available, you can proceed with this method: Pour the chilled syrup into a shallow metal baking dish and freeze until it starts to solidify on the edges. Stir the ice sorbet with a fork and mix it with unfrozen syrup. Repeat this process until you have a uniformly frozen, but still creamy substance. Whisk an egg white and add scoops of sorbet into it while mixing with an electronic handheld whisk, until you obtain a thick foamy mixture. Return it back into the freezer until it becomes firm and easy to scoop. Fill the pre-frozen lemon cases with the resulting sorbet, cover and store in the freezer for later serving.
If not consumed within a few days, tightly pack the filled lemon cases in a freeze-proof container and store for up to a month. But it’s preferred to eat it as soon as possible.
However, should you possess an electronic ice cream maker, churning and freezing the chilled syrup as per the directions provided is preferable. Stir until the sorbet is thick and smooth, and you won’t be required to add egg whites. Fill your lemon cases with the churned sorbet and freeze till it’s serving time.
For making Limoncello:
You’ll need three large lemons, 475 millilitres of pure alcohol (like vodka or grappa), and 375 grams of sugar. The necessary equipment includes a preserving jar of 750 millilitres, a fine sieve, and a 75 millilitre glass bottle with a screw lid.
In a considerable sized jar for preserving, delicately peel the rind from a pair of lemons in lengthy strips and place them in the jar. Add the alcohol, secure it tightly and allow it to rest undisturbed in a darkened area for roughly sixty days in order to age.
Following the ageing period, combine the sugar with 250 millilitres of water and the extracted juice from one lemon in a saucepan. Apply low heat until the sugar is entirely dissolved. Allow it to cool. Unseal the preserving jar containing the lemon-infused alcohol and introduce the cooled sugary solution to it.
Stir the mixture thoroughly and leave it to settle for several hours. Filter it meticulously using a fine sieve, and dispense into sterile bottles. Close them tightly and let them rest for an additional week in a cool and dark location, giving them a gentle shake now and then. Before enjoying, ensure the drink is stored in the freezer where it will acquire a slightly thicker consistency.