While our Republic of Texas orange tree continues to grow at the epic pace of a quarter inch a year, and our Mexican lime throws off a meager harvest of tiny fruit that redeem themselves by fitting snugly in the top of a coke bottle, the Meyer lemon continues to dazzle us.
Last week, in need of something soothing, hot, and alcoholic, I sent Allen to fetch a lemon for a hot toddy. While Don Mateo mixes a killer hot toddy, the High Priest of the Oldies throws down pretty tough, too. The Meyer lemon gave the toddy a really bright, warm citrus burst, and I stopped coughing for the rest of the night.
The toddy recipe, from straight from the HP of the O –
- Fill the cup halfway up – about one Meyer lemon, juice + pulp.
- Healthy squirt of honey
- Microwave until you can “see it moving around and getting hot”
- Then add bourbon to taste
He reminds you not to add the bourbon before you microwave the toddy, as you don’t want to dilute the medicine. And, if you are really in a bad way, skip straight to bourbon mashed with raw garlic.
I forgot to take a photo of the Shaker Lemon Pie, but that gives me a reason to make it again soon. I rushed the recipe a bit, so while it tastes delicious, it looks a little anemic. And, frankly, goopy.
The recipe came from my most elegant baking book, Tartine, written by the incredibly talented team at the bakery of the same name in San Francisco.
I received the book as a gift from a friend whose aesthetic discernment, we have established in prior posts, is beyond reproach. Everything I’ve made from this cook book has been divine, save the time I made lemon cream and used a non-lined metal bowl. That was my mistake! While I’ve made several excellent items from the book, but have yet to make mine look quite as pretty.
That is my new quest – making a recipe from Tartine that looks as beautiful as the photo in the book. Shaker Lemon Pie will be the first. Some day, I will work my way up to the croissants.
For now, to satisfy your curiosity, I will link to this guy’s blog. He did an excellent job with the Tartine Shaker Lemon Pie, particularly with the crust. I will have to study his work before my next attempt. I tend to get something more like the crust rim you get on a Cornish pasty. You know – the ones that are extra thick so the coal miners can hold them without getting the entire pie dirty. Again, this is a me-problem and not a Tartine-recipe fail.
nonsequiteuse 
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