Meyer Lemon Jam

It's Meyer lemon season! Meyer lemon is a hybrid of a regular lemon that's crossed with Mandarin oranges. Small and round with thin skins, they are perfect for cooking because they are not as sour and they have a ton of juice compared to regular lemons. Here in California, I can find them in the grocery stores six months out of the year but Meyer Lemons are at their peak in the winter. I'm also fortunate that my mom has a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard so I get these little lovelies every year and lots of them beginning in late summer. How do I take advantage of these jewels before they go bad? I make jam. Don't worry, there's no canning or sterilizing needed. This is an easy freezer jam.  You may be asking yourself, so what if it's easy... What can I make with Lemon Jam? 

This jam is terrific on fish, seafood, chicken and vegetables, or simply dilute some with ice water to make a sweet lemonade or add to iced tea. Add to vodka for a refreshing lemon drop martini or tequila for a lemon Margarita. Add to a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a luscious lemon sauce. Add to cakes, scones or frostings to add a punch of lemony goodness to baked goods. Seep for a week in the fridge with vodka for a cool Limoncello for your next diner party. The possibilities are endless. In particular, I'll share my recipe for Scallops with Lemon Jam next, so keep an eye out for it. 
 
Next time you see some at the store, pick up a bag of Meyer lemons and make this freezer jam to use throughout the year. 
Note: If you can't find Meyer lemons, don't sweat it, substitute with regular lemons, but cut some of the pith out of the lemons so it doesn't get too bitter. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Jam

(slightly adapted recipe from Mario Batali)

4-5 Meyer lemons, seeded
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Cut Meyer lemons into quarters and remove seeds. Not to worry if you don't get all of the seeds because Meyer lemons have a ton of seeds (10+ per lemon), but try to get most of them. Place lemon quarters, rind and all, into a food processor and puree. Add sugar and salt and blend until smooth. Place in pint size freezer bags and freeze. Or store in a clean mason jar up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Other recipes to try:

Sweet Pepper Jam

Quick Pickled Onions

Nana's Salsa