Playing With Preserved Lemons

By Katie Barreira

Say preserving in August and the culinary mind jumps to mason jars and piles of late-summer produce. But canning isn’t the only way to preserve, and summer isn’t the only time to do it. This past winter, when citrus was about it for fresh fruit, I decided to preserve some lemons. A staple in Moroccan cooking, preserved lemons are salt cured with spices like black pepper and cinnamon. The result is a soft, entirely edible (though, like a fresh lemon, you wouldn’t want to eat it on it’s own) lemon that adds a rich, pickled lemon flavor to drinks, dinner and even dessert.

Preserved lemons can be found in gourmet food shops; seek them out and add a whole new dimension to your cooking; I did!

To get the sparkling preserved lemonade recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Sparkling Preserved Lemonade
Serves 4

½ cup granulated sugar
1 whole preserved lemon, cut into 8 wedges
¼ cup fresh lime juice
club soda

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar with ¼ cup water and cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 3-5 minutes; cool.
2. Muddle preserved lemon wedges with lime juice and simple syrup. Divide mixture between 4 glasses, add ice and fill with club soda.

Hard Lemonade: Add a shot of gin to each glass, before adding ice and topping with soda; stir well.

To get the preserved lemon and basil gremolata recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Preserved Lemon and Basil Gremolata
Serves 2-4

1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon rind, rinsed and dried
¼ cup finely chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients; let sit at least 30 minutes to combine flavors.
2. To serve, toss gremolata with hot pasta, drizzle over grilled fish or dress steamed vegetables, like asparagus.

To get the sweet and salty lemon meringue mousse recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Sweet and Salty Lemon Meringue Mousse
Serves 4

½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest for garnish
3 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon rind, rinsed
2 egg whites
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon almond extract
chopped toasted almonds, for garnish

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with the lemon juice, chopped preserved lemon and ¼ cup water; cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 3-5 minutes. Cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, whip egg whites until soft peak form. With machine running, gradually strain lemon syrup into whites, reserving chopped lemon, until thick and glossy, about 3 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl whip cream with almond extract. Fold in the reserved preserved lemon then fold whipped cream into the whites mixture. Divide mousse between serving glasses, garnish with lemon zest and toasted almonds and serve immediately.

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