Meyer Lemon – the Grand Cru of Lemons

There are lemons and there are meyer lemons.  They are in season in January and February.  To me, meyer lemons are a class by themselves – hauntingly aromatic, sour and yet slightly sweet.  I simply slice them thinly right into salads, with skin and all.  I would like to add meyer lemon rinds into our local tuna tartar dish with say sauce, green onion and a dash of sesame seed oil.  I like the tuna tartar with toasty baguette slices or make it into a cone with nori and rice.  A crisp, minerally Champagne or Vouvray Sparkling or Montagnieu Sparkling (from Bugey near Savoie) would accompany the dish well.

Sometimes, I like to simply finely chop meyer lemon with parsley and shallots.  Add some salt and good quality olive oil.  A few raisons can be added to balance the salt and sour.  Spoon the mixture over grilled or pan fried fish or roasted chicken.

To extend the pleasures of short-lived season of meyer lemons, I like to preserve them.  Simply cut them into halves or quarters, sprinkle about 1 table spoon of kosher salt per lemon, pack them into sterilized jars, and squeeze a few more meyer lemons to top it off. I like to keep the preserved lemons in the refrigerator rather than out in the room temperature.  I think the cool preservation keeps them aromatic and crunchy.  The preserved lemons should be ready to enjoy in about 1 month.

The preserved meyer lemons are, of course, classic in Moroccan cooking.  One of the best books is by Kitty Morse – ‘Cooking at the Kasbah’.  Moroccan dishes are very wine friendly, least to my palette. 

Meyer lemons are available at specialty shops, including this one.

Georges Descombes - Vigneron's Care and Committment

Recently, I came across this video by Aurélia from Quebec.  I don’t believe you need to speak a word of French to understand in this case.

After receiving the reservation confirmation from Georges Descombes for his 7 cuvees (the crus of Brouilly, Chiroubles, Morgon and Régnié, plus the Vieillles Vignes cuvees), I could not sleep a wink.  I am so HAPPPPY!  The wines will be on our shores this spring in April/May. 

I distinctively remember my visit to Georges Descombes.  As I entered his dark-lit, icy cellar and sat down, he poured me a glass from the half-full bottle.  In unison, Mrs. Descombes and Georges genuinely offered: “It was opened yesterday. Please let me know if you would like me to open a new bottle”.  It was Brouilly Vieilles Vignes 2007.  I drew the glass towards me to taste.  Then, silence.  In that instant, something connected.  A mystically mysterious moment that is ephemeral and yet eternal.  It was as though this vigneron’s care and commitment, disguised as wine, were in that glass.  There was no need to open a new bottle.