WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MY GRANDMA BUNNY LIVED in an asymmetrical ranch house in Woodland Hills, California. It was perched on a hillside and the air around the house smelled like eucalyptus leaves, rosemary, and Meyer lemons. She was the proudest Meyer lemon mama you’d ever meet and enjoyed evangelizing their many virtues. Though I can’t prove it, I think she may have been behind their renewed popularity. I’m certain Bunny would have loved this marmalade, because it manages to both capture and enhance the flavor of these bracing, thin-skinned orange-lemon hybrids. Because I can’t bear to waste even a smidgen of a good Meyer, this is a marmalade recipe that uses the whole fruit. Because of this, it does need an overnight rest in the fridge before using, to help break down the white pith and render it a bit less bitter.
3 pounds/1.4 kg Meyer lemons (approximately 20 lemons)
5½ cups/1.1 kg granulated sugar, divided
Wash the lemons in warm, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Using a very sharp knife, cut both the flower and stem ends off the fruit. Sit each trimmed lemon on one of its newly flat ends and cut it into 6 wedges. Lay each wedge on its side and cut away the strip of inner membrane and the seeds. Reserve the trimmed pith and seeds (we’ll be using them as a pectin source).
Take each trimmed wedge (it should look a bit like a pyramid with its top cut off), lay it rind-side up, and thinly slice from one pointy tip to the other. What you want to end up with are bits of lemon that are no more than a ¼-inch/6 mm thick (⅛-inch/3 mm thick is even better) and no more than 1¼ inches/4 cm in length. Repeat this with all the lemons.
Combine the lemon slices in a bowl or container that will fit in your fridge (I like to use a ½ gallon/2 liter canning jar) and add 2 cups/400 g sugar. Stir to help the sugar dissolve. Bundle up the reserved seeds into a length of cheesecloth, tie the ends tightly and pop that into the container as well. Place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can be left this way up to 48 hours, which is good for those of us who lead busy lives).
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
After an overnight rest, pour the macerated lemon bits with their juice and the seed bundle into a pot. Add the remaining 3½ cups/700 g sugar and 6 cups/1.4 liter water. Slowly bring to a boil over high heat, stirring regularly. Once it has reached a boil, attach the candy thermometer to the pot.
Continue to cook vigorously until the mixture reaches 220°F/105°C (this takes between 30 and 40 minutes). Stir regularly as it cooks to prevent scorching.
When the marmalade reaches 220°F/105°C and sustains that temperature for 1 minute (even after stirring), remove the pot from the heat. Test the set of the marmalade using the saucer test described on page 77. If it doesn’t pass, return the pot to the heat and cook for an additional 5 minutes before repeating the test. Once it seems to be setting to your satisfaction, remove the pot from the heat and stir for about 1 minute, to help the zest bits become evenly distributed throughout the preserves.
Ladle the marmalade into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see page 11).