Lemon paste?

I recently posted on my personal Facebook page that I had made lemon paste and I got a LOT of questions! Some wanted to know what it is, some wanted to know where I get the the energy to make that sort of thing after working all day, and some wanted the recipe!

So, here are your answers! Lemon paste, very simply put, is a preserved lemon substitute. I found this on a page when I went looking for how to make homemade vanilla. After searching on the web, almost every recipe has salt in it, and this one does not. However, it does use alcohol to preserve the lemons. The alcohol does cook out, so no need to worry about that!

Energy? Hmmm...well, it's one of those things that I wanted to do, so I found the energy. The laundry also needed to be done, but I didn't have enough energy for that!

Recipe? Here ya go! I'm including the recipe for the sugared lemons, as well, because you have to start with those. Also, before you ask, vanilla caviar is simply the inside of a vanilla bean. I am in the process of making vanilla, so I was able to use one of those, split it open and scrape out the inside. That's what the little brown flecks are in the paste.

HOMEMADE LEMON PASTE

First you need to make Sugar Preserved Lemons (recipe at the end) and then use the sugar preserved lemons to make up the Lemon Paste recipe. You can substitute unflavored gelatin for the xanthan gum in equal amounts. The entire recipe makes about 4 - 5 cups of lemon paste

● Sugar Preserved Lemons, including the liquid

● 8 ounces Water

● 1 cup Alcohol (80-100 proof)

● 1 ½ Tablespoons Honey

● Caviar from 1 Vanilla Bean

● 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

● ¾ - 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients, except the xanthan gum, in a saucepan on med high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Take off the burner and strain lemons from the liquid and set both aside to cool completely.

2. After mixture is cool, Place lemons into your food processor and

pulse until smooth.

3. Begin adding your liquid into the food processor, ½ cup at a time and pulsing continuously, until all the liquid is added. Mixture should be smooth.

4. With the food processor on, begin adding xanthan gum, about ¼ teaspoon at a time, sprinkle it in as the processor is on. DO NOT just dump the xanthan in as it will clump if added all at once. Add until you have reached the desired thickness (keeping in mind that the mixture will thicken as it cools and sits).

4. Pour into mason jars and secure with airtight lids and store with your extracts, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated but it won’t harm the

extract if you choose to put it in the fridge.

NOTE: THIS IS A TART PASTE as it’s a lemon extract/juice/zest substitute. Don’t expect this to be sweet and think you did something wrong or that you need more sugar, you want this to be tart. You can use this 1 to 1 in place of lemon juice or extract, but others have stated that they added double or triple the amount to their taste and

said it was delish in their final baked good, so know that you can taste test along the way as you cook or bake, and you can add more to your liking.

Sugar Preserve Lemons (made at least the day ahead)

● 6 lemons, washed and dried (approximately 24oz)

● 10oz sugar

Instructions:

1. Thoroughly wash and dry your lemons

2. Using a sharp knife, slice the lemons into thin slices (crosswise), removing any

seeds and the tip and stem end of the fruit

3. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar into the bottom of an air-tight container or jar. Begin to layer the sliced lemons into the bottom of the container. Add another sprinkle of sugar to the layer of lemons and continue to add more lemons, adding more sugar between each layer of lemons. Continue to sugar each layer of lemons until the entire 10oz of sugar is used up and all your lemons have been added to the container. If you need more sugar to cover up all the lemons, go ahead and add a little more! It’s most important that each layer gets a good amount of sugar and that you don’t skip layers, because you want all the slices to become nice and sweet.

4. Place the lid on the container and refrigerate the lemons for at least 24 - 48 hours before using/enjoying. Juices will start to release from the lemons as they sit, and the lemons will marinate in the sweet juice.

NOTES: Yes, you’re making these lemons for the lemon paste but know you can also make this recipe & keep the lemons in the jar in your fridge and use them to garnish your desserts, you can eat the entire slice, they are a great addition to

any meal, especially fish & smoked salmon, roughly chopped them & add to fresh salads, mix w/ roasted veggies to brighten up your sides. You can use them to put on anything & everything. Use the lemons as needed, push the remaining lemons back until the juice in the jar between uses & this will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.