Our readers may have noticed that lemon zest and lemon juice appear in a variety of savory recipes, breads and scones as well as all kinds of sweets and beverages. Lemon wedges are also traditionally served with hot tea at every Afternoon Tea gathering. As you prepare your Afternoon Tea menus, you will find yourself zesting and squeezing lemons on a regular basis. We would like to help you get to know Afternoon Tea’s favorite fruit a little more intimately.
First of all, we urge you always to use fresh lemons, not the tempting liquid in the green bottle that requires no cutting our squeezing. Bottled lemon juice contains preservatives and does not taste like fresh juice. Also, many recipes require lemon zest as well as juice, and you will find no lemon zest in a bottle. We recommend keeping a good supply of lemons on hand in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Lemons keep well for several days when refrigerated, so one never needs to run out of lemons. You want to be prepared when a recipe calls for lemon zest or lemon juice.
Lemon zest, often also called lemon peel, is the outside yellow portion of the lemon. The white pith directly under the lemon zest is thick and bitter tasting, while the zest has a bright, aromatic favor and scent. Use only the yellow zest when preparing recipes. To “zest” a lemon, simply use a hand tool to scrape off the yellow zest on the outside of the lemon. A Microplane grater will produce very small pieces of lemon zest, while a zesting tool that has small rings at the end of a stainless steel “blade” will create longer strips of zest that will add texture and visual interest to a recipe as well as flavor and scent. Rose and Kathleen keep both tools on hand, depending on the effects they hope to create in individual recipes.
Lemon juice is produced by cutting a lemon in two through the widest middle section and squeezing one or both halves to release the juice. A variety of hand-held or electric citrus juicers are available and can be used to make lime and orange juice as well as lemon. Although she has used several of these electric juicers, Rose prefers the simple, old fashioned clear glass citrus juicer with no mechanical parts. It will do the job with no fussy cleanup.
Most recipes that call for lemon juice will use liquid measurements such as 1/3 cup, 1 cup, etc. However, some recipes will call for “the juice of three lemons,” or something similar. Both methods can create anxiety for the cook, for it is difficult to determine how many lemons will be needed to produce one cup of lemon juice, and whether three lemons will really produce the desired amount of juice. Even the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, one of our most reliable sources, says, “It’s hard to say how much juice one lemon gives; some lemons are juicier than others; some have thicker skins. The best way to be accurate is to measure the juice.” We agree with Fannie that measuring the juice is the best method, and for that reason we have encouraged you to keep extra lemons on hand, as you may need more than you expected. Having said all that, Fannie admits that one lemon makes about ¼ cup of juice, and we have encountered lemons that produce about 1/3 cup of juice. This is about as accurate as we can be.
We will share a handy little trick that will help you get as much juice as possible from each lemon. Rinse and dry each lemon and microwave it for about 20 seconds before cutting and squeezing it. The lemon will release more juice using this method than a cold lemon straight from the refrigerator.
When serving lemon wedges with hot tea, it is a thoughtful gesture to remove the seeds. First, using a sharp knife, cut the lemon into four wedges from end to end. Then, simply use the tip of the knife to pierce each lemon section’s membrane and gently push the seeds out and discard them. Try to avoid disturbing the shape and appearance of the lemon wedge. Alternatively, the host or hostess can cut the lemons in two and attach little elasticized mesh covers to each lemon half to catch the seeds when the guest squeezes the juice into her teacup. These little lemon covers, which look like tiny shower caps but are called Stretch Wraps, are available at kitchen stores and tea shops.
As you become more familiar with hosting tea parties, you will notice that lemon juice and lemon zest are not just used for beverages, lemon curd and desserts. They are frequent ingredients in savory dishes, especially salad dressings, fish and shellfish, chicken and all sorts of Mediterranean recipes. Lemon juice is also used to help prevent avocados from turning dark after being peeled, and is thus a key ingredient in guacamole. You will also learn that there is more than one kind of lemon. “Regular” lemons, which are available year round, are often referred to as Eureka or Lisbon lemons, though these two strains are not identical. However, both are fairly large with thick, bright yellow skin and a very acidic, clear tangy taste. Another variety, Meyer lemon, is seasonal and available primarily in the winter months. Meyer lemons are smaller than Eureka lemons, more round, and sweeter. The zest of a Meyer lemon has a more complex scent, similar to the bergamot aroma in Earl Grey tea. For tartness and clear lemon flavor, we prefer good old reliable Eureka lemons, but we encourage you to do your own research. To quote Fannie Farmer once again, “Get to know your lemons.”
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THE TEA BOOK
The Road Back to Civilization
A Brief History of Tea
Philosophy of Tea
Harmony
Humility
Respect
Creativity
Guidelines for the Host/Hostess
Gathering and Greeting
Sharing Stories
Sharing Food
Sending the Guests Home
Respect your Hostess/Host
Bring a Gift if You Wish
Practice Humility
Monitor Your Conversation
Arrive With a Grateful Attitude
Help if Help is Needed
Do Not Criticize
Leave Gracefully
Send a Thank you Note
A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
Teas of the World and How to Make Tea
A Sampling of Teas
Herbal Teas and Tisanes
How to Make Tea
Making Iced Tea
Tea Concentrate
Brewing Tea for a Crowd
Tea Kettle
Tea Pot
Tea Cozy
Teacups
Plates
Silverware
Teacart
Tea Strainer
Tea Infuser
Three-Tiered Server
Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
Cake Pedestal
Trifle Bowl
Jam Pots
Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
Linens
Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
Sandwiches and Savories
Savory Spreads and Dips
Scones and Tea Breads
Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons
A Spring Tea
An Outdoor Summer Tea
A Winter Afternoon Tea
An Autumn Afternoon Tea
January:A Japanese New Year’s Tea
February:Valentine’s Day Tea
March:A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
April:An Easter Tea
May:Mother’s day Tea
June:A Wedding Reception Tea
July:A Picnic Tea
AUGUST:A FAMILY REUNION TEA
A North American Family Reunion Tea
An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
September:An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
October:A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors(Dia de los Muertos)
November:A Post Thanksgiving Tea
December: A Christmas Tea
In Defense of Fruitcake:Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
A Portuguese Tea
A Classic British Afternoon Tea
An Indian Chai Party
A California Tea
A Hawaiian Tea
An Italian Tea
An American Southern Tea
A Russian Tea
A French Afternoon Tea
A Kosher Teawith Traditional Jewish Foods
Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions
An Afternoon Tea for Children
A Tea for Our Elders
A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
An Urban Tea on the Go
Tea for One
Afternoon Tea For a Large Group
A Vegan Tea
A Rose Tea