Anticiplate

Fa La La La La, La La La La! I have two weeks off from cooking. Which, is amazing, because this means I will actually get reacquainted with my OWN kitchen for a while. I am still not used to my burners, and people, I have lived here since September. One pilot light clicks, I know that much, and another one of the burners sounds like my fancy backpacking stove we use on our backpacking trips to the mountains. My oven beeps once at me when it is preheated, and my refrigerator door gently chimes when I have left it open. I can get used to these things. 

The alarming sound of the kitchen timer on the convection oven at Delancey is enough to make me go insane. I usually yell back at it saying, “Shut up!”, like it hears me. Me and the oven timer, well, we need a break from each other.

The Christmas tree is up. Granted, we have no “skirt” or ornaments on the tree. And Erik and I purchased two more packages of lights because the tree didn’t glow enough, but they are still sitting on the counter.

No shopping has been done. None. Zero. But, Meyer Lemons have. been. preserved. I can rest easy.

I have been talking about preserving the lemons for weeks. Twelve lemons already went rotten, and one night I actually took a dozen more to Delancey to preserve during my down-time, and it was, of course, one of the busiest nights of the year.

A chef at Tavolata taught me how to preserve lemons. But, we didn’t preserve eight, like I did. We preserved eighty. I filled a giant Cambro with the florets of round yellow meyer lemons, stuffed with salt, and layered with more salt. Then, we covered the entire container with lemonade, and took a giant white plate and pressed the lemons down to squish the juice out of their bodies. Three weeks later, they would be ready to use.

The decision to preserve the lemons didn’t stem a recipe that required them, or even a culinary idea that came to me in the middle of the night. It just comforts me to know that a jar of lemons, salt, and their juice are sitting on my kitchen counter. Becoming preserved.

Meyer lemons will now be able to be used way out of their short time in season. They will make appearances in pasta dishes with clams and salsa verde or in a salad with capers, fennel, flat leaf parsley, and taggliascia olives. The joy. The joy!

Now that my lemons have been preserved, I can get back to the more important things in life- drinks with my chef friends to catch up, lunch with my two ballet best friends, tree decorating with Erik and Cashew, and menu planning for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I am at my wits end trying to figure out what to make. And, oh yeah. The Christmas shopping….

For now, I am happy to have a small break. But, I love cooking so much in restaurants, I know I am going to miss it. Sooner than I want to admit it to myself. But, I’ll get my fix. I’ll practice breaking down whole fish, making pork terrines, and turning artichokes. Because, let’s be honest: I need to be prepared for my next “Stage”. Probably the most important one yet. At “How To Cook A Wolf”. Chef Matt is there, waiting for me to be back under his tutelage, and I am excited to be working with him again. I am a much different cook than I was in July.  Kind of like those lemons will be after three weeks….

Prep time: 5 minutes

Makes 8 preserved lemons

12 meyer lemons

Kosher salt

Cut eight meyer lemons into quarters, leaving the stem in tact, so that the lemon fans out like a flower. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, about 1 tsp. in each lemon. In a 32 ounce sealable jar, layer the bottom with a generous amount of salt, enough to cover the glass completely. Then, layer four lemons in the jar, sprinkle with more salt, and layer the next four on top. With the remaining uncut meyer lemons, juice them into the jar. Sprinkle the entire top with salt and seal.

Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Leave on your counter for two days, in a conspicuous place, shaking when you happen to see the jar (about four times a day). Then, place in the refrigerator for three weeks. After that, the lemons should keep for a couple of months.

To use: remove the flesh from the lemon, and thinly slice the pith away from the rind. Julienne, brunoise, or chunk the lemon rind. Some people like to rinse the lemon rinds before use, depending on if you are using them for sweet or savory dishes. Personally, I like the salty/sweet combination of the preserved rind. It is up to you!