Meyer Lemon Marmalade

I LOVE this Meyer lemon marmalade. The preparation is somewhat tedious and a bit messy but the end result is really quite stunning. It took me almost 45 minutes to prepare the lemons and another 45 to 50 minutes for simmering on the stove. The marmalade isn’t only beautiful, it has an amazing lemon flavor. I’ll most certainly use this recipe for the special people in my life.

It’s sometimes the more subtle things in life that truly impact our perceptions and experiences. This simple but decadent Meyer lemon marmalade took me back immediately to dining experiences on the Amalfi Coast and, interestingly, in Normandy, France. Simple to prepare and extremely forgiving, this recipe delivers marmalade to devour! I’ve visions of this marmalade on a variety of breads, paired with other ingredients too, if desired: sprigs of mint, a drizzle of honey, a couple of fresh berries to name a few. With a tight schedule today, I set up my mise en place ahead of time so that I could stir and observe the marmalade during the cooking process. Unexpectedly my son’s event ended early, when the marmalade was just beginning to thicken. I’d no choice but to turn off the heat, put a lid on the saucepan, and pick up my son. Fifty minutes later I finished the cooking, and voila—the marmalade is superb. I used 7 large lemons, which added up to about 2 1/3 pounds (along with the stated 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar), and yielded almost double the 1 1/2 cups stated. I wasn’t sure what the definition of “thin” was in step 1. I guessed <1/4 inch. Might be helpful to know if the sliced lemons should be as thin as possible or perhaps a 1/8-1/4-inch thickness. I assumed in step 5 that I should simmer the mixture in an uncovered saucepan to prevent steaming/condensation during cooking. The test for doneness was worded well.

I’ve two Meyer lemon trees in the backyard, with plenty of fruit still on them, so this was the perfect recipe to try out. The outcome exceeded my expectations. Think yellow-colored orange marmalade, just a tiny bit more bitter. I tried it on bread with cottage cheese—just blew my mind. The recipe is very well written; the hands-on and cooking times are pretty accurate. Yield is 2 cups instead of the stated 1 1/2 cups. I had to adjust the cooking time a little bit to 70 minutes instead of the stated 40 to 60 minutes. I removed some of the white pith running inside the lemons when I cut them into slices, which wasn’t noted in the recipe. The only thing not absolutely clear was the appropriate thickness of the slices; it stated “thin.” I cut the lemons into 2-millimeter slices, which worked very well for me. All things considered, a nice recipe very worth the labor and time.

This marmalade isn’t just unique, it’s delicious. The preparation is a bit time-consuming, but it’s worth the time. I halved the recipe because I purchased only 1 pound of lemons (which I now really regret.) I divided the lemon prep in proportion to the full recipe. The stated yield was correct, about 3/4 cup for the halved recipe. I also adjusted the cooking time. One way to speed up the prep, if you have a good chef’s knife, is to line up three 1/8 slices of the lemons side by side and cut them crosswise into thin slices all at once. Beats doing them one by one. It’s very important to carefully watch the simmering mixture, as it can easily scorch or overcook, as the author points out. If the marmalade thickens too much after it cools, a little water or a little more lemon juice and a few seconds in the microwave will help get it to a nice, spreadable consistency. This marmalade was delicious on buttered toast with some slices of sharp Cheddar cheese.