Delicate Meyer lemons release flavor bouquet

The Meyer lemon is all sultry allure, its scent sweet and evocative with a spicy lavender nuance. That aroma is a mere hint of the stunning flavor inside. Cut one open and you’ll see that the pulp is deep yellow. Take a bite and you’ll find the Meyer doesn’t bite back, its juice is so low in acid.

Meyer lemons are a cross between a regular lemon and a tangerine.

•Look for: The brightest yellow to mellow-gold citrus in the produce section. Size will vary from 1 to 3 inches in diameter. They’ll be more round than football-shaped, and the skin is thin and smooth-textured compared with a common lemon.

You will pay about $2 to $5 a pound, depending on quality and the store.

•When: Best-quality fruit arrives between January and March, although the supply can begin to trickle in as early as November, and you will often see these lemons into April or May. Many varieties of citrus bloom unpredictably or bloom more than once in an annual cycle. This is called “off-bloom” and explains the odd timing of the market supply.

Meyer lemons can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for about a week.

Citrus Tart

Adapted from “The New Spanish Table” by Anya von Bremzen

This recipe originally called for thin-skinned California oranges. I adapted it to my preference for citrus: Meyer lemons, blood oranges and tangerines. Be sure to use thin-skinned fruit for this tart; it will not work with thick-skinned fruit.

21/2 pounds thin-skinned citrus (I use 1 pound blood oranges, 1 pound tangerines and 1/2 pound Meyer lemons)

21/2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice

Grated zest from a medium orange

1 cup granulated sugar plus more for caramelizing the top of tart

1 cup good-quality marmalade

1 prebaked 9-inch tart shell

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack in center of oven. Cut and discard the ends off each piece of fruit and slice the remainder in thin (1/8-inch) pieces; set aside. In a 3-quart saucepan, place the orange juice, zest and the 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add citrus slices and a little water, if necessary, to submerge slices. Reduce heat to low and simmer partially covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let slices cool in the pan. Drain the slices and pat dry with paper towels. The slices are small in diameter and can be left whole.

Spread the marmalade evenly in the tart shell and arrange the fruit in concentric slightly overlapping circles. Bake the tart on the center rack until the oranges are very soft and lightly browned, 30 minutes.

Remove the tart and let it rest until just cool enough to handle. Wrap foil around the edge of the crust. Sprinkle sugar in a thin, even layer over the tart and broil until the sugar is caramelized, 4 to 7 minutes, or use a kitchen blowtorch. Be careful not to let it scorch. Let tart cool to room temperature and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.