Meyer Lemon Marmalade

I was introduced to Meyer lemons by my friend Barbara who lives in Berkeley. Barbara is fortunate to have a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard and she sent me some of her crop through the mail. The taste is like nothing you have ever experienced before. It is ethereal.

My local fancy food store, Union Market, now sells Meyer lemons at this time of the year. One of my favorite things to do with the lemons is to make marmalade. This is a two step process as the lemons soak for 24 hours before they are cooked. I follow the recipe in The Gourmet Cookbook. It may sound a little overwhelming but it is really not a difficult recipe. Just take things step by step and it will all work out. The pleasure of having this heavenly marmalade is worth the time and trouble. The recipe makes 6 1/2 pint jars of marmalade, for hoarding and/or giving away to special people.

1 1/2 pounds Meyer lemons

4 cups water

4 cups sugar

Halve lemons crosswise and remove seeds, reserving them (they provide pectin). Tie seeds in a cheesecloth bag. Quarter each lemon half and thinly slice crosswise. Combine lemons with bag of seeds and water in pot and let stand, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours.

Sterilize jars and lids and wash screw bands.

Chill two small plates for testing the marmalade. Bring lemon mixture to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to about 4 cups, about 45 minutes.

Stir in sugar and boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam, until marmalade tests done, about 15 minutes: Begin testing for doneness at 10 minutes; remove pot from heat while testing. Drop a spoonful of marmalade onto a chilled plate and refrigerate for one minute, then tilt plate; marmalade should remain in a mound and not run. If not ready, put pot back on heat and test again at 15 minutes.

Drain 1/2 pint jars on a clean kitchen towel for 1 minute, then invert. Ladle hot marmalade into jar, leaving 1/4 inch space at top, then run a thin knife between the marmalade and sides of jars to eliminate air bubbles; discard cheesecloth bag.

Seal, process jars for 10 minutes, remove them from water and cool filled jars. Let marmalade stand for at least one day to allow flavors to develop.

Notes: If you have never processed jams before, please consult a basic cookbook on how to sterilize jars and process the filled jars. If you have a jar that is partially full, do not process it. Cover it with the lid and screw band and refrigerate. Use this jar first.

Lee, who has been making jams for years, keeps her jars in the freezer until she is ready to use them. I have started to do this too so that I can stop worrying about whether I processed the jam successfully.