Meyer buyers know, this is not your typical lemon. A distinct species of its own, with a sweet, floral taste that’s a cross between a lemon and mandarin orange, Meyer lemons have won over the great chefs of America, one drop at a time.
The man behind the lemon. What does it take to have an actual fruit named after you? For Frank Meyer, surely the US Department of Agriculture’s most adventurous employee, it was the result of a series of explorations of China’s plant life. When he brought back the dwarf lemon from a remote region near Beijing, China where he had seen it used mainly as an ornamental yard plant, it proved a natural for California gardens. “The plants bear immediately and are almost never without fruit,” marveled garden writer John Armstrong in his 1933 Los Angeles Times column.
New and improved. Some not-so-sweet times followed for the Meyer lemon in the next few decades, however, when it was blamed for being the carrier of a virus killing other citrus, and subsequently banned. Its savior: Four Winds Growers and Joe Grimshaw, who discovered a virus-free clone in the 1950s, which was developed and certified as the “Improved Meyer Lemon” by the University of California in 1975. All Meyer lemons grown in the US today descend from this healthy specimen, and it’s still the most popular citrus grown at Four Winds, some 40 years later.
Meyers go mainstream. Two decades later, Meyers achieved cult status, sparked by Alice Waters’ embrace in her groundbreaking 1999 “Chez Panisse Café Cookbook. “Meyer lemons are sweet, thin-skinned and famous for their ethereal perfume. Although common in California backyards, they are just beginning to be commercialized. Ask your friends or relatives in California to send you some." In the next decade, chefs like Martha Stewart and Bobby Flay realized its potential: a thin edible rind, a high volume of juice and none of the tartness of a regular lemon. According to NPR, Stewart began featuring them in recipes, including her lemon-pine nut tart, whole-wheat spaghetti with arugula and pistachios, and a take on classic coffee cake with thinly sliced Meyer lemons in the batter. They not only fit in everywhere a regular lemon would, but were sweet and versatile enough to be used in pastries and preserves, juiced for cocktails, drizzled over vegetables, whipped up into aioli, and to serve as a base for a vinaigrette partnered with grilled chicken and fish, or meats like lamb and pork.
A steady flow of Meyer. Its fan base continues to grow, in hot spots all across the country. Pittsburgh chef Alan Peet raves, “It's rich yet light at the same time. They're sweeter than regular lemons and you get a little tang in there." Seattle’s Eva restaurant owners champion Meyers because “they provide "lemon flavor without all the acid” and use it for gremolatas (an Italian garnish), lemon butter, yogurt drizzle and tzatziki. Kirkland executive chef Brian Scheehser created an ultra-trendy and hugely popular house-made Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur, with the juice of fresh squeezed Meyer lemons and simple syrup to blend with the vodka, while Tango restaurant owner Travis Rosenthal grows his own Meyer lemon tree. “I can tell you that, honestly, it is the best lemon I've ever had. I plan on enjoying my glass of Meyer lemonade.”
An oft-cited LA Times article, which deemed it “a furiously addicting fruit with an intoxicating aroma and hints of honey and thyme” got everyone’s juices flowing with 100 ways to use a Meyer lemon. Among the more exotic: shrimp piri piri with black rice and Meyer lemons; lemon-cardamom ice cream; lemon gimlet with Meyer lemon juice and zest, soda water and Meyer lemon simple syrup; Meyer lemon gremolata; Meyer lemon hollandaise sauce; Meyer lemon salsa; Meyer lemon beurre blanc for salmon or Artic char; squeezed over a freshly cut papaya or guava to bring out the flavor; avgolemono sauce with Meyer lemon juice, beaten eggs and hot broth to serve over fish or steamed artichokes; Meyer lemon crème Anglaise; crêpes suzette with Meyer lemons instead of oranges; Bellini with Prosecco, Meyer lemon juice, simple syrup and strips of peel; dipping sauce with Meyer lemon juice, fresh chopped cilantro, basil, mint, minced garlic, ginger and chiles.
The squeeze is on for the finest fresh juices, and our Rykoff Sexton Meyer Lemon is at the top of the mix!
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