{"id":179150,"date":"2026-02-15T15:49:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T15:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/179150\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T15:49:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T15:49:22","slug":"the-most-lemony-recipes-for-using-l-a-s-bounty-of-citrus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/179150\/","title":{"rendered":"The most lemony recipes for using L.A.’s bounty of citrus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every morning I join a group of friends for coffee and conversation at a cafe in my neighborhood. We call ourselves the \u201ccoffee klatch.\u201d This time of year, one of the key klatchers, Michael Soriano, often comes bearing a bag of Meyer lemons, picked from his tree. <\/p>\n

Last year he even did a drive-by in front of my apartment, delivering a bag of those fragrant golden orbs just for me. Such luxury! And free. It felt like a heist.<\/p>\n

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Here in Los Angeles, this wintertime hand-off is not uncommon. Those with citrus trees \u2014 especially Meyer lemon and classic Eureka lemon trees \u2014 often end up with a bounty that they couldn\u2019t possibly eat on their own. And those without trees, well, we\u2019re happy to help. We take the lemons and explore new and old and inspired ways to use them.<\/p>\n

A few fun facts: All citrus originated in Asia. There are only three ancestral citrus varieties: the citron (a thick-skinned lumpy lemon-like thing, with lots of pith and very little juice); the pomelo (an ascendant of the grapefruit); and mandarins (we know what those are).<\/p>\n

The rest of the citrus world as we know it derived from hybridizing those three in different combinations. Eureka (what we might call \u201cregular\u201d lemons) are a cross between a citron and a bitter orange, developed right here in Los Angeles nearly 200 years ago. <\/p>\n

Tart and acidic, they\u2019re great for juicing and baking, which explains why it\u2019s the most popular lemon variety on the planet.<\/p>\n

Meyer lemons are a hybrid of a Eureka lemon and mandarin. With a smooth, thin, deep-yellow peel and sweet juice, they\u2019re the darling of lemon-loving chefs and bakers. <\/p>\n

(To learn more about lemons, check out former Food editor Amy Scattergood\u2019s 100 Things To Do with a Meyer Lemon<\/a>, including making Marcus Samuelsson\u2019s Quick Preserved Meyer Lemons<\/a>. Or read Russ Parsons, also a former Food editor, wax on about citrus featuring Lazy Mary\u2019s Lemon Tart<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If someone hands you a bag of lemons, of course you\u2019re going to make lemonade, and there are seemingly infinite ways to make it more interesting: There\u2019s Tarragon Lemonade<\/a>, Cucumber Mint Lemonade<\/a>, Pomegranate Lemonade<\/a> and Sparkling Chile Lemonade<\/a>. And what could be better for an 80-degree winter day than this Coco Limonada<\/a>?<\/p>\n

But when the SoCal temperatures plummet into, say, the mid-60s, you\u2019ll want to crank up the oven and get baking. Valerie Gordon\u2019s Pistachio Lemon Olive Oil Cake<\/a> topped with a sweet, tart lemon glaze is irresistible. And you can never go wrong with classic Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes<\/a>. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never made Lemon Cornbread Muffins<\/a> from Willa Jean\u2019s in New Orleans, but I will now. And who doesn\u2019t love a classic glazed lemon Bundt cake \u2014 especially one with a name like the East 62nd Street Lemon Cake<\/a>. If you decide to try Meyer Lemon Lavender Shortbread<\/a>, get back to me and let me know how they turn out.<\/p>\n

If your goal is to use lots of lemons \u2014 fast \u2014 and to stock a larder, Preserved Lemons<\/a> (the rind is used in savory dishes such as tagine, and in sauces and vinaigrettes<\/a>); Chile-Lemon Simple Syrup <\/a>(lemon margaritas, anyone?), luscious Lemon Curd<\/a>; and Indian Sour Lemon Pickle<\/a> will help you make use of a bag of lemons with little effort. <\/p>\n

When Adam Leonti, chef of Alba in Hollywood, demonstrated his Spaghetti al Limone recipe<\/a> for Food\u2019s \u201cChef That!\u201d series,<\/a> he called it a \u201cdate-night pasta\u201d because it\u2019s an inexpensive way to impress. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Alba chef Adam Leonti\u2019s spaghetti al limone prepared in the L.A. Times Test Kitchen.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a big fan of the juxtaposition of creamy lemony things. Lemon ice cream, for instance, which you rarely see, or this Tangy Frozen Lemon Yogurt<\/a>. Creamy Labneh Lemon Bars<\/a> are like crustless, elegant cheesecake squares. Lemon Chiffon Pie<\/a>, an ethereal blast from the past, was a childhood favorite both to bake and to eat.<\/p>\n

Whatever you decide to make with those fragrant, golden globes, honor them. Treasure them. They are among L.A.\u2019s brightest stars.<\/p>\n

Eating out this week? Sign up for Tasting Notes<\/a> to get our restaurant experts\u2019 insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they\u2019re dining right now.<\/p>\n

Carmamelized Lemon and Feta Turkey Meatballs \"Caramelized <\/p>\n

(Ben Mims\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Although these meatballs aren\u2019t from Greece, on a cold California winter\u2019s day, you might imagine yourself on sunny Santorini, enjoying these refreshing turkey meatballs with tzatziki<\/a> on a shaded patio, surrounded by lime-washed buildings, blue seas and sprays of colorful bougainvillea. Caramelizing lemon \u2014 by grilling, searing or saute\u00e9ing \u2014 is done in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Caramelizing mellows out the tart, acidic quality of the fruit and adds a rich, umami-like flavor to these meatballs. Spoon what\u2019s left into a pasta dish, or add fresh lemon and olive oil to turn it into a vinaigrette or a seafood condiment.
Get the recipe.<\/a>
Cook time: 1 hour. Serves 4.<\/p>\n

Shaker Lemon Pie<\/p>\n

\u201cNo waste\u201d cooking has taken off in recent years, but the Shaker people of Ohio have been at it for centuries, as evidenced by their most famous recipe, Lemon Shaker Pie. The filling utilizes whole lemons (except the seeds), sliced thin and macerated in sugar for several hours (or overnight) to soften and sweeten the peel, and then combined with a custard filling. The result is a sweet tart and extremely lemony double-crusted pie that is for lemon lovers only. If you use Meyer lemons in this recipe, you can skip the macerating step as the skins are already tender and sweet (ish), although it certainly won\u2019t hurt.
Get the recipe.<\/a>
Cook time: 1 hour 35 minutes. Serve 8 to 10.<\/p>\n

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake \"A <\/p>\n

(Mariah Tauger\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

If you grew up in the 1970s, you may have been fortunate enough to have had a mother like mine who made lemon poke cake. There are many versions; hers included yellow cake, lemon pudding mix, and lemon Jell-o. The sheet cake is poked with the handle end of a wooden spoon, creating big holes into which the lemon Jell-o (the glaze) was poured. Never mind that we lived in San Diego and had lemon trees peppered between our 13 avocado trees in our backyard. Never mind that there wasn\u2019t an actual lemon to be found in this cake. It. Was. Divine! This sheet cake is the \u201cfancy\u201d or homemade version of the same. It can only hope to be as good.
Get the recipe. <\/a>
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Serves 12 to 16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every morning I join a group of friends for coffee and conversation at a cafe in my neighborhood.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":179151,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[51804,51810,4462,51808,51805,2882,51803,2303,48,52,51,47,50,49,63,5463,51809,51807,38221,51806,315],"class_list":{"0":"post-179150","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-caribbean-recipe","9":"tag-curry","10":"tag-dish","11":"tag-good-caribbean-restaurant","12":"tag-hot-sauce","13":"tag-hour","14":"tag-jerked-catfish","15":"tag-l-a","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-la-headlines","18":"tag-la-news","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-headlines","21":"tag-los-angeles-news","22":"tag-los-angeles-times","23":"tag-minute","24":"tag-restaurant-expert","25":"tag-scotch-bonnet-pepper","26":"tag-spice","27":"tag-spice-courtesy","28":"tag-time"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}