What to do with 12 naked lemons?
So I had been wanting to make limoncello for a really long time, and our upcoming trip to the shore seemed like the perfect place to drink it. I was gifted a nice bottle of vodka, found a nice cheap jar that I liked, and remembered to buy the lemons when I was at the grocery store.
I was sitting at the kitchen counter, proudly zesting away last night, when I looked down at my growing pile of naked lemons, and realized that I didn't have a freaking clue as to what to do with them. Right now, they are in a ziplock bag in my fridge, hanging out until something good comes along. Lemonade seems like a cop out almost, although I'm totally intrigued by that Dirty Lemonade recipe that turned up in Look Who's Talking today, but otherwise I'm kinda stumped. Any special ideas out there?
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15 Comments:
Worst comes to worse, juice them and freeze the juice in 1/4 cup amounts.
NYCEater at 3:06PM on 06/26/09
How about lemon curd?
caramel at 3:09PM on 06/26/09
Juice some and use in other recipes.
Make lemon spaghetti (Giada has a recipe on food network from one of h er books that is really good).
Make preserved lemons. (there was I think something on this site or slashfood about that a while back).
They will go bad pretty fast so don't wait too long.
joeqboo at 3:12PM on 06/26/09
i agree with the freezing the juice. you can also freeze the juice in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a freezer bag. pop them in ice tea, blender for drinks, etc.
they wouldn't be that great for preserving because most of the time, the part you use is the zest/rind, but still usable.
lemon sorbet? arnold palmers?
dmarina at 3:23PM on 06/26/09
lemon granita w/o zest?
hmw0029 at 3:37PM on 06/26/09
Ummmm....don't know about the lemons,but I'd love the limoncello recipe !
onepercent99 at 3:54PM on 06/26/09
Lemon squares, lemon mousse, lemon souffle, lemon tart...I love lemons!
juliette527 at 10:29PM on 06/26/09
make any one of the great ideas above, then present it with a lemon fish garnish sculpture like we made :)
ravenouscouple at 2:20AM on 06/27/09
Make a BBq, slice the lemons kind of thin and grill them. Candy them. Lemon chicken, or take a whole roaster chicken and stuff the cavity with herbs and lemons. Same with fish, take a whole fish and stuff that puppy with lemons and herbs.
pjracz10 at 2:28AM on 06/27/09
I didn't win the "Sweet Melissa Baking Book" contest awhile back, but I've made the "Cook The Book" recipe for Toasted Almond Lemon Bars and they are a wonderful, summery treat that uses the juice from about 7 lemons:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/04/the-sweet-melissa-baking-book-toasted-almond-lemon-bars-recipe.html
I made them in a disposable aluminum tray and didn't bother with the sling.
MMinNYC at 10:37AM on 06/27/09
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! joeqboo sent me looking for the giada recipie, and I didn't find a lemon spaghetti, but i did find a lemon risotto that we are going to try out.
onepercent, the limoncello is mario batali's recipie... zest of 10 or so lemons (mine were small, so i used a couple extra) combined with 4 cups of vodka, let rest for 5 days, then make a simple syrup and combine it with the vodka, let it rest for another day, then strain through cheesecloth and chill. it, with variations, is on the food network site :)
annabanannas at 3:42PM on 06/27/09
here is Giada's lemon spaghetti, but IMHO lemon zest is key in this recipe. It's really good!
And when I commented granita I was thinking this- since your lemons are naked, you could just use something else to serve it :-)
hmw0029 at 8:28AM on 06/28/09
You could do what Susan Sarandon did with them in the movie, "Atlantic City".
Poultrygeist at 12:54PM on 06/28/09
I have a limoncello in the freezer that I nip just about every night. Especially after a good meal.
The zest is important in the lemon spaghetti but if you've already got 10 lemons another one won't hurt or if you are making limoncello, reserve a bit (it won't be missed in the booze).
joeqboo at 9:17AM on 06/29/09
Juice them and make lemonade? I just made strawberry lemonade yesterday and was very pleased with the results.
missjess at 10:55AM on 06/29/09