Adjusting sugar for meyer lemons

12 years ago

Someone gave me a bunch of meyer lemons, and today I plan to juice them and freeze the juice and cores for zesting later.

I know that meyer lemons are sweeter than others so if I want the same tart lemony taste as in recipes calling for non-meyer lemons, I'd want to adjust the sugar accordingly. Or, I could use a similar recipe calling for oranges instead, and use the amount of sugar in that recipe for a slightly tart lemony taste.

Does anyone know if there's a rule of thumb to determine how to adjust the sugar when using meyer lemons in place of others?

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Comments (9)

jakkom
12 years ago
They are not so much sweeter as they are lower in acidity.

I use from 1/2 to 3/4 of the original amount of sweetening called for, when subbing Meyer juice for Eureka/Lisbon types.

Like all citrus, the older the tree, the better the flavor profile of its fruit. Meyers take about 8-10 years to mature and live about 75 years.
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lindac
12 years ago
You never know with any fruit just how sweet it will be....apples, strawberries, oranges, lemons tomatoes etc etc.
I just taste as I go...if it needs more sugar I add some....but mostly I just go by the recipe (but for apples!) and a little sweeter or sourer is fine with me.
Linda C
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I've seen two recommendations for substitutions. One is to use half lemons and half tangerines as a subsitute for the Meyers. Depending on how pronounced you want the lemon component to be, you could go as high as 3/4 lemons and 1/4 tangerines. If you use regular lemon peel, the finished result will be considerably more tart and more bitter. The reason your recipe calls for grinding the peel is that Meyer lemons are very thin-skinned with minimal bitter pith. I'm not sure the orange would be enough to compensate for that bitter note. On the other hand, if you used 100% lemons and sliced them rather than grinding, that might turn out quite well. You have a lot of sugar and also the vanilla bean adds another sweet note. It may be the recipe could use a bit more of an acidic burst. I don't know if this helps or not. Your recipe goes two different directions, one oranges and ground lemon, one purely sliced Meyer, and that sets up lots of options when you throw regular lemons into the equation. However, if you're willing to stretch the boundaries, it's very possible you'll come up with something even BETTER than the original. As an added note, I personally would put the ground bean in a spice bag and pull it out at the end. I'm not sure I'd want those dark flecks floating in a light preserve. But that's just my take on it. I hope this helps. If you have more questions, ask away. P.S. Have you considered a lemon marmalade sans pectin? Lemons are high-acid and high-pectin on their own. Carol
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jenn
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you. I was considering using about 3/4 the original amount as a general guideline.
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Lars
12 years ago
I cannot think of anything sweet that I make with Meyer lemons except for lemonade, and of course I sweeten that to taste. I do tend to freeze the leftover rinds for use later - mostly for chicken - as my tree only produces lemons for abotu 6-8 month of the year, and then I have a 4-6 month dry period. When making lemonade, you will get a smoother flavor if you dissolve the sugar with the lemon juice before adding water. I don't know why this is the case, but it makes a a very noticeable difference. Right now I have more limes than lemons, and I do make lime pie with the limes.

What sweet dishes were you planning to make?

Lars
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rob333 (zone 7b)
12 years ago
Meyer Lemon sorbet would use sugar. Good stuff!

Here is a link that might be useful: Meyer Lemon Sorbet
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jenn
Original Author
12 years ago
Lars, there are recipes for sweet things using meyer lemons... just one example is Blueberry Meyer Lemon Muffins. I want to experiment with others.

Rob, I've seen that recipe and would like to try it.
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cooksnsews
12 years ago
I made meyer lemon marmalade yesterday. They've been on sale the past few weeks at my supermarket and I couldn't resist. Of course, I was left wondering what I was going to do with 3# of them....What with the pot of boiling lemons and the boiling water bath, I was able to comfortably heat my kitchen until noon. It's been in the -30C range this week, and doing up preserves seems so unseasonable...

Here is a link that might be useful: Meyer Lemon Marmalade
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Lars
12 years ago
Jenn, it looks like Meyer lemons are now ubiquitous from the link that you posted. However, I am still happy that I get them for free from my tree. I wonder when Walmart started selling them.

The lemon sorbet looks good, but I would mix the lemon juice with the sugar before adding the water. The sugar dissolves much more easily in the juice and eliminates the need for making a syrup. It would be nice to use the sorbet for making lemonade also, as suggested.

The marmalade looks good too, but it would take me a very long time to use it.

Lars
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rob333 (zone 7b)
12 years ago
Jenn,
It is good sorbet. It's my one thing that I MUST make when I find Meyers. I really liked it with a black sesame seed cake (not overly sweet). Anita serves it with honey ice cream and I bet it's good too, but I haven't tried it yet. Both recipes are below.

Lars,
I think I do dissolve it first. Certainly the way to go, I also do it when I make my lemonade in the summer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Anita's blog-Dessert First
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Adjusting sugar for meyer lemons

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jakkom

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Adjusting sugar for meyer lemons

Comments (9)

jakkom

lindac

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rob333 (zone 7b)

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