You’ll want to take these lemons for a spin

The results are in after a two-and-a-half month wait and I’m happy as a pig in soft dirt. I just made preserved lemons for the first time and these babies are going to appear in more dishes than TomKat or Brangelina do tabloids.

I might be wearing out my praises for Mark Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s Charcuterie (W.W. Norton, 2005), but their lemon recipe is a clear winner over Gourmet’s.

When we were in Seattle for our anniversary back in February, I scored a bag of Meyer lemons at Pike Place Market, and then serendipitously read the recipe for three-month Confit Lemons in Charcuterie. To be fair, Gourmet did tout the special virtue of preserved Meyer lemons, though I don’t think their preparation would do them justice.

When we returned home, I packed the Meyer lemons into salt, adding a couple of regular ones, too. That turned out to be a good idea, since it gave me the opportunity to compare both basic recipes with the same type of lemon, as well as to find out whether the Meyer lemons were as special as reported.

Here are my initial findings:

Gourmet’s five-day lemons were a slightly paler yellow than fresh ones, with a soft, almost mushy texture, especially when blanched. They were tangy and pungent, still quite acidic. Regular lemons, preserved for 2 1/2 months, were similar in flavor but much saltier, with a nice firm texture even when blanched. I’d recommend blanching them, unless used as a salt replacement, when cured this way.

But the Meyer lemons? That’s the pig in soft dirt part. Hot damn! My initial description was “floral, citrusy, more like a tangy orange, with no acid.” Firm thin flesh, highly aromatic and delicious. Salty, but blanched and used as a condiment, they’re going to be the “What’s that flavor?” in many dishes to come. My first test, this simple cucumber salad, was great. Many more experiments lie ahead.

Cucumber Salad with Confit Lemon

1 large cucumber, washed, peeled, thinly sliced

1 confit Meyer lemon (recipe follows), or 1/2 regular confit lemon, blanched 1 minute, patted dry, and minced

2 large green Greek olives, pitted, minced

3-4 teaspoons good quality balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a shallow bowl, and marinate 1 hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Transfer cucumbers to serving dish and spoon olive and lemon bits over the top.

Yield: 4 servings as an appetizer, 2 main dish servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 47 calories, 3.8 grams fat (less than 1 gram saturated, 69 percent fat calories) less than 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 49 milligrams sodium.

Lemon Confit

From Charcuterie, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn (W.W. Norton, 2005)

Kosher salt to cover (about 2 pounds)

12 lemons, scrubbed and sliced crosswise

Pour 1 inch of salt into a lidded nonreactive container just large enough to hold the lemons and salt. An earthenware crock is ideal but a plastic container or a wide-mouthed glass jar works fine. A container in which your lemons fit neatly, without being jammed together, will require less salt. Place the lemons in the container, then pour in more salt to cover. They should be completely submerged.

Cover and store in a cupboard or other dark place for at least 1 month, preferably 3 months (see note).

Once cured, the lemons will keep almost indefinitely in the salt.

To use the confit, remove a lemon half, or as many as you need, from the salt and rinse off. The lemon rind will be tan in color. Cut it in half and scrape out the pulp and pith; discard them. Mince or slice the rind. If using it uncooked (in a salad, for instance) blanch it in simmering water for 30 seconds to remove excess salt.

Note: I found 1 month unsatisfactory, but at 2 1/2 months, they appeared adequately preserved.

Yield: 24 pieces lemon confit

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

Moroccan-Style Preserved Lemons

From The Gourmet Cookbook, Ruth Reichl editor (Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

2 1/2 to 3 pounds lemons (10-12)

2/3 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Special equipment: A 6-cup jar with a tight fitting lid

Blanch 6 lemons in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. When cool enough to handle, cut each lemon into 8 wedges and discard seeds. Toss with kosher salt in a bowl, then pack, along with salt, into jar.

Squeeze enough juice from remaining lemons to measure 1 cup. Add enough juice to jar to cover lemons and screw on lid. Let lemons stand at room temperature, shaking gently once a day, for 5 days. Add oil to lemons and refrigerate. (The preserved lemons keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 year.)

Yield: 6 preserved lemons

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.