It's a Lemon!

So far, I have lived in two states that have given me the luxury of fresh lemons growing right in my own back yard.  The first was Florida. The second was California. The latter is the number one producer of lemons in the U.S.  California commercial lemon production got its start during the gold rush when food was scarce and the lack of vitamin C in diets caused scurvy. Lemons are a huge source of vitamin C. One lemon contains 35% of the vitamin C your body needs every day. But, they start to loose that benefit as soon as they are juiced. So, the best way to get your C from a lemon is to cut, squeeze and eat!
   Lemons grow on small, straggling trees about 12 feet high with irregularly growing branches. About forty-seven varieties have been developed but they are pretty difficult for the unknowing eye or palate to tell apart. Lemon trees aren’t very pretty, although the flowers smell quite sweet. But, having lemons in my yard was culinary security. I always had the base for a dressing, sauce or drink.
     I’m not the only one. The lemon is widely used in cookery and confectionery. Although they are too tart for eating bare, lemon juice is used to flavor everything from fish to salads and fruit desserts. Lemon juice, low in calories, brings out the flavor of many foods and is a good substitute for salt. The juice from 6-8 lemons makes about 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.
  The zest (or yellow part of the skin) contains the oil and a good deal of flavor. It is a wonderful addition of texture to sauces and desserts. Little “zesters” are available at culinary stores to help you remove just the zest from the rind and not the bitter white part of the rind or pith, which should be discarded. You can also simply use a fine hand grater to capture the zest. The juice from a lemon can be easily added to recipes by cutting the lemon in half and squeezing through a strainer to catch the seeds.
  The best lemons are heavy for their size and have a fine-textured, bright skin. Deep yellow lemons are usually more mature than light yellow ones and not quite as sour. They can be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks and are always available. So, even if you can’t go out into you back yard and pick one, keep a lemon or two on hand. You never know when you might need a zest of flavor!

Pink Lemonade
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3 cups cold water
3 cups ice cubes
1/4 cup grenadine syrup
1 lemon, cut into slices, seeds removed
In a glass or ceramic pitcher, mix the lemon juice with the sugar until the sugar dissolves. Stir in then remaining ingredients until well combined.  Makes about 5 cups, serving 4 when poured into iced filled glasses.

Lemon Vodka Martini
3 ounces vodka
2 drops extra dry vermouth
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 strip lemon zest
4 ice cubes
Place vodka in the freezer for several hours. Place all ingredients in a martini shaker. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Makes one.

Greek Lemon Rice Soup
(Avgholemono)
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain white rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
juice from 2 or 3 fresh lemons (about 3 tablespoons)
In a soup pot over medium high heat, bring the broth to a boil. Add the rice and cover. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with the salt. Beat the eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot stock to the egg/lemon mixture while beating continuously and then pour the egg mixture into the pot. Stir the soup constantly while heating to thicken but do not allow the soup to boil. Serve immediately when soup is hot and creamy in texture. Serves 4 to 6.

Lemon Chicken
Chicken:
4 to 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons extra dry vermouth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 eggs
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups peanut oil
Sauce:
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons catsup
1 lemon, sliced and seeded
In a large bowl combine the chicken, vermouth and soy sauce. Mix together, cover and marinate for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, cornstarch and baking powder to form a batter. In a large wok, or deep pan, heat peanut oil until hot but not smoking. (Test with a piece of bread, which should brown in about a minute.) Toss chicken with batter to coat the pieces and fry, adding one piece at a time to the hot oil, in batches until browned. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in warm oven.
To make the sauce, stir together the sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, chicken broth, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a saucepan. Add the catsup and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and simmering. Arrange chicken on a warm serving platter and pour sauce over chicken. Decorate with lemon slices and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Lemon Cake with Quick Blueberry Sauce
For cake:
1 yellow cake mix plus necessary ingredients to complete mix
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

For drizzle:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 cups powdered sugar

For sauce:
32 ounces fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine

Prepare the cake in a 9 x 12 baking pan according to directions but replacing 1/3 cup of the water with 1/3 cup lemon juice.  Meanwhile, make the drizzle by stirring together the 1/3-cup lemon juice, 1/2-cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves, and remove from heat to cool until cake is done.  When cake comes out of the oven, allow to stand 10 minutes and pierce with a toothpick or skewer in a square grid design with 1-inch spaces. Slowly pour the warm drizzle over the cake in a stream following the grid design.  Over the next two hours, while cake is cooling, sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar until the sugar stays powdered and does not turn to liquid. Scraping the powdered sugar through a sieve with the back of a spoon is an easy way to sprinkle the sugar and creates an even layer.
To make the blueberry sauce, toss the berries sugar and wine together in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until just warm. Pour sauce over slices of cake. Serves 12 to 16.