Lemon Confit

[vox]

hi all...

forgive me if this has been done before...i'm looking for different ways of making lemon confit (not preserved lemons)...for both sweet and savoury applications.

cheers!

i tried slow roasting lemons in olive oil, but they were still quite bitter...any tips?

[paul o' vendange]

A little unclear what you're looking for, since confit by definition is a method of preserving foods - do you mean, not preserved as in confiture, preserves/candied fruit?

Paul

[Malawry]

I've made lemon "confit" (more of a sugared preparation before) following Louisa Chu's method combined with the way I learned to handle zests at culinary school. Basically: peel long strips of zest from lemons, scrape off the pith, and julienne. Blanch and refresh three times: bring water to a rolling boil, add zest, let go for a couple minutes, strain, and then rest the zest in a bowl of ice water. (Use fresh water for each boil, but you can use the same ice water each time if there's still plenty of ice in it.) Then make a simple syrup (1 part sugar:1 part water) and slowly simmer the zest until it is supple and semitranslucent. Remove from syrup and toss with sugar; spread out on a sheet pan and let cool before using.

This is excellent brunoised and tossed into scones, cookies, cakes, muffins...scattered on top of asparagus...stirred into rice with plumped raisins and slivered almonds...perched on the edge of a glass of lemonade...etc.

[BettyK]

Maybe something like this?

[vox]

hmmmm...i guess i kind of mean a slow-poached lemon in fat.

[fryguy]

There's a recipe for lemon confit in Colicchio's Craft of Cooking. The book was in my local library.

Basically, blanch some lemons, then slice them. Mince 2 shallots & 3 cloves of garlic and combine them. Mix 3tbsp sugar with 1/3 cup of kosher salt.

Cover the bottom of a container with lemon slices. Put some of the shallot mixture over the lemons, followed by the salt mixture. Repeat. Cover, refrigerate for 3 days.

[Adiabatic]

We are making the lemon confit out of the Rover's cookbook (pg 95) and have a question about storage.

The method is simple (water, rice wine vinegar and sugar, lemons - oven, 2 - 3 hours). It says that once the lemons are done to put them aside on a plate to if using right away or I assume that evening. But then it says you can make them up to 4 days prior to usage.

SO -the question is........do I store them in the fridge in the liquid that I confit'd them in? Or w/o the liquid but just the lemon slices alone?

My impluse is to store w/liquid but not sure if storing them in the water, sugar vinegar mixture will cause them to possibly break down over the next couple days.

Thoughts? Opinions? Are we over thinking? Thanks! (della, posting on Adiabatic's name)

[Trev]

I did a search here already but failed to come up with an answer to this question, so here it is. I started some lemon confit about 6-8 weeks ago using the basic recipe from Ruhlman's Charcuterie, which is just lemons and course salt. Today I went to inspect them and maybe rotate them for a more even cure. What I found was quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the container. This brine seems to be inhibiting the curing process for the lemons that are in the bottom. Is it advisable to drain the excess brine, change the salt or maybe just leave it alone? The lemons in the top 2/3 of the container are taking on a nice tan colour, which I understand is the desired effect. Thanks for any help.

[JAZ]

If lemons ever come down in price, I want to make preserved lemons. I was planning to use a recipe by Paula Wolfert (similar to this one), but I figured I'd take a look at some other recipes. I came across a recipe by Eric Ripert for what he calls "lemon confit." The main difference seems to be the amount of salt -- 5 cups, compared with 1/4 cup in the Wolfert recipe --and the addition of sugar. I figured maybe he just used the term "confit" because he's French, but when I searched for "lemon confit" I found a few more recipes. Michael Ruhlman has one on his blog that's very similar to Ripert's (sugar is optional) -- although his calls for curing for 3 months as opposed to Ripert's 2 weeks. Then there's this one from the Washington post, which is yet another method, using olive oil and onions along with salt and sugar.

So now I'm confused. I'm inclined to trust Wolfert's recipe because I know she's familiar with the cuisines that use preserved lemons. Plus I'd rather not use the larger amount of salt if I don't have to, and I'm unclear about what the sugar does. In addition, it sounds from the comments on Ruhlman's blog that a lot of people had problems with his method.

Can anyone shed any light on these recipes? Should I just stick with my original plan?

[FrogPrincesse]

I believe that they are all variations on the same theme. Tom Colicchio in Think Like a Chef also calls his version "lemon confit".

The amount of salt in Eric Ripert's version seems off though, with 5 cups for 6 lemons.

I've made Molly Steven's version, which seems very similar to Paula Wolfert's, with great results. You need to wait for at least a couple of weeks but they last for a long time and get better with age.

[KennethT]

Eric Ripert had a recipe for "lemon confit" in "A Return to Cooking" - his first book. In that recipe, it's just salt - no sugar. I've made mine based on that recipe for years now with some minor variations and they come out great... I basically take a big jar, sterilize it and then take lemons and cut them into pieces - maybe 8-10 pieces per lemon - I cut all the way through as opposed to the originial which just slices lengthwise almost all the way down. I usually only use a little at a time, so I figure why not start with smaller pieces? Anyway, I never measure the salt anymore - I just line the bottom of the jar with some salt, then throw in 1 layer of lemon pieces, then cover with salt and repeat. Once in a while, I'll take a muddler or something and press down to make more space so I can really pack them in there. Then I just make sure I leave some space at the top of the jar to cover with salt. In the refrigerator for roughly 3-4 weeks, shaking around every week or so... As time goes on, you'll have more space in the jar, so I add more salt to keep everything covered. After that time, I take it out of the refrigerator and leave it in the cupboard, ready to use. It keeps basically forever unrefrigerated and indeed gets better over time.

[djyee100]

I wonder about the sugar in Ripert's recipe. I wouldn't expect it to hurt the preserved lemons. It does introduce sweetness in the lemons, though, and for many dishes with preserved lemons, you probably wouldn't want that extra sweetness from the get-go. You can always add a little sugar to a dish if it needs it, but if you're automatically adding sugar with another ingredient, you can't get that sweetness out afterwards--you can only modify it. Make sense?

The traditional salted lemons (like Wolfert's recipe) will give you the cleanest lemon flavor. That's the method I prefer. I learned this rule of thumb: 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt per lemon. Also, I always buy some extra lemons for the juice needed to top off the jar.

Depending on my mood, I will layer in some spices: cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, whole cloves, bay leaves, whole allspice. It's something to play around with if you feel like it.

I've been told Meyer lemons make great preserved lemons. I'd like to try that myself this winter.

I've also made this quickie version of preserved lemons, where the lemons are boiled and brined. The lemons are ready in a week. They have good flavor, but not the intensity of flavor of the traditional salted lemons. If you're pressed for time, this method comes in handy.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/preserved-lemons-10000000600612/

ETA: The Washington Post recipe is more of my idea of a confit. This one is an oil pickle, and a condiment. When I hear "confit" I think of oil, and sometimes sugar. It tastes good right out of the jar. None of these things are true of the traditional salt-cured preserved lemons, which are meant to be combined with other ingredients, and often cooked.

If you see "preserved lemon" in a recipe's ingredients list, it means the salt-cured preserved lemons.

I was reading the comments in Ruhlman's blog. Sometimes too many ideas spoil the broth. Excuse me, the preserved lemons. A traditional recipe like Wolfert's is the most safe and reliable. Lemons are extremely acidic, so they preserve well, and salt is...salt. Use a mason jar (no earthenware jars, which can absorb moisture if they're unsealed), use enough salt and lemon juice, pack those lemons down hard, so that they're packed solid, and you should be OK. I'm wary of sugar or water in the mix--those ingredients can be mold-inducing.

Edited November 10, 2011 by djyee100 (log)

[JAZ]

Thanks for the advice. I have a question about the jar -- Wolfert says to sterilize it. Will the dishwasher do the job, or should I use boiling water? Ripert and Ruhlman don't say anything about sterilizing -- maybe that's why they use so much salt, thinking it will inhibit mold growth.

An interesting note: In Ruhlman's latest book, he has an updated version that calls for sugar -- half as much sugar as salt (2 lbs. salt to 1 lb. sugar) -- plus a cup of water. A recent discussion of the recipe seems to indicate problems with the lemons not staying submerged. Ruhlman suggests that too much water is the problem, but it seems to me it's just the opposite -- that much salt would make the liquid so dense that almost anything would float in it.

[Franci]

I didn't sterilized my jars.

I made two batches last june with Menton lemons, with Ms Wolfert's recipe. For the first batch I used extra juice to keep the lemon submerged and every other day I placed the jar upside down and reverting it again (as I read the discussion on the preserved lemon thread). For the second batch I didn't have enough juice and used more salted water and the pickl-it, they sell a glass disk to keep food under brine. I don't know if it was for the fact I used just juice but first batch is so much more intense. I kept covered both jars to avoid sunlight.

Interesting Kenneth, I'll give it a go next year.

[andiesenji]

I had a brainstorm a few months ago and ordered a pickle press in which to process my preserved lemons.

I did one batch of lemons and it worked just fine. Rather than stack them partially cut, I cut them all in quarters and got three layers.

[djyee100]

I put my jar through the dishwasher, then let it sit on the counter (right-side up) to air-dry. That has always been sufficient. As I see it, the lemons are not going to be canned or vacuum-sealed, and air will get in there anyway. The extreme acidity and salt of the mixture is your biggest preventative against mold or spoilage.

Sometimes the topmost lemon is not covered entirely by lemon juice. I don't worry about it. It's got acidic, salty brine on it. I upend the jar now and then so the topmost lemon gets a briny bath. You can always discard the topmost lemon if you don't like it.

That sugar business interests me. I went surfing around the web yesterday. Some talk on the web about how the sugar is supposed to sub for some salt, so the lemons don't taste so salty. Since sugar can be a drying agent and preservative, there's some theory behind that. OTOH, I remember how I once made fruit preserves, didn't seal the jars properly, and found myself with moldy jam. When totally dry, I've found sugar to be an excellent preservative--for candied citrus peel for instance. I kept some citrus peel from Thailand for a long time by burying it in dry white sugar. So I'm guessing that when wet, sugar is less stable as a preservative. How wet, I dunno. Adding water to the mix, as Ruhlman does, doesn't reassure me.

[andiesenji]

I make a lemon concentrate with no salt, just sugar - well-washed and scrubbed lemons, roughly sliced or in big chunks, layer of lemons, layer of sugar till jar (gallon, large mouth) is full of lemons and extra juice, smash lemons down with something that will fit in the jar. (I have a round potato smasher.)

This is left to sit at room temp for a few days and it begins to ferment just a little. The juice is drawn off and mixed with seltzer for a very refreshing drink.

This was my great grandmother's favorite summer drink - she didn't believe in iced tea - tea was hot or not at all.

[sazji]

Several months back I finally got curious as to what all the fuss was about and decided to make preserved lemons. I won't be without them again. Of course there's no real substitute for them in Moroccan dishes, but I've used them in other areas too - a little bit in sauteed winter squash (which I do with onions, olive oil, a little orange juice and orange peel, and sometimes a dash of soy sauce) really wakes up the dish. And I've used extra brine in salad dressings in place of salt.

What I've seen is almost every batch comes out a little differently, depending on the kind of lemons and how mature they are. Right now we're getting very young lemons with smooth thin peels. The aroma hasn't quite developed and they aren't as juicy as they'll be down the line. I did make some from them because I was out, but they're not much to write home about them. The best batch for me was from really ripe lemons, but before they had begun to grow too soft. (These "old lemons" are prized here because they give lots of juice, which is fine if you aren't using the peel.)

One warning that Paula Wolfert gives is not to touch the brine with your fingers. I had one batch fall on the floor - no lemons dropped out but I lost a lot of the brine. So I added more salt and fresh lemon juice, and evidently got some finger oils or something into my batch - within a day or two it smelled like lemon-scented solvent. The song from the commercial, "We put the lemon in the Tidee-bowl for you" was going through my head!

I wonder, has anyone ever tried doing this with limes? I've read of one person doing it and not being that impressed, but as limes are as variable as lemons, it seems like it might be worth a try.

[RobertCollins]

I wonder, has anyone ever tried doing this with limes? I've read of one person doing it and not being that impressed, but as limes are as variable as lemons, it seems like it might be worth a try.

yes, I have, and I won't bother again. I found the limes to be just bland and salty not at all having depth of flavor like lemons.

I have also done lemon in both the two common varieties from our grocery produce here in the Seattle area, both the thick skinned not so juicy type and the thinner skinned types that are a bunch juicier. The thick skinned I don't care as much for.

I've been told Meyer lemons make great preserved lemons. I'd like to try that myself this winter.

I really do agree that Meyers lemons are great as preserved lemons. Better, maybe. You'll have to make up your own mind.

I have done them using their own Meyers Lemon juice with salt and with using the plain grocery type lemon juice with the salted Meyers, I vote for lemon juice from the store bought lemons rather than using juice squeezed from Meyers Lemons for being less costly. I can't tell the difference in the finished lemon rind.

I do hope that last run on sentence makes sense.

[djyee100]

I vote for lemon juice from the store bought lemons rather than using juice squeezed from Meyers Lemons for being less costly. I can't tell the difference in the finished lemon rind.

There is some commentary on the web that Meyer lemons are not acidic enough for this preserve, and some people have had problems with mold. The solution is to use the more acidic juice from other types of lemons, like the supermarket lemon (the Eureka or Lisbon), to top off the jar.

As I heard it, the Meyer lemon is not a true lemon, but a sport, a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. That's why it's sweeter and less acidic than other lemons.

[blue_dolphin]

A while back, in another topic, I suggested lemon confit as an option for using up extra lemons.  What I had in mind was not the salt-preserved lemons that have been mentioned by some in this topic (which I love and always have on hand) but the sort put up in oil.  I've made 2 versions and like both of them, for different purposes so I figured I'd share in case anyone else wants to try them.

 

The first one is from Naomi Pomeroy's Taste and Technique cookbook and basically yields oil-poached slivers of lemon zest floating in a lemony olive oil.  The slivers have just enough pith left on to hold them together and you can use either the zest, the oil or both.  

Lemon Confit from Taste and Technique

Combine the following in a small saucepan:

Rind of 3 lemons, removed with 1/16" of pith remaining and trimmed into strips 1/8" wide by 1" long

1/4 t fennel pollen (I have never used this)

2 t sugar

1.5 t salt

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic

Simmer over very low heat for ~ 20 min, until the rinds become soft.  She recommends using a diffuser and specifies the bubbles be no bigger than those in Champagne.  Ever detailed, that Naomi is, but it is important to not to get the oil too hot as the zest will fry and get tough.

Rest overnight at room temp for the flavors to meld, then store in the fridge for up to 3 months. 

 

That yields a LOT of oil.  It's very nice in a vinaigrette but I don't usually need that much so I usually make this with just one cup of oil. 

The lemon strips and a drizzle of the oil are great on fish, chicken or vegetables.  For fish, I like to add some capers and freshly chopped parsley to make a little relish. Naomi makes this in the book with fried capers and a bunch of other stuff and it's delicious but my quick version is pretty good, too. 

 

I find it easiest to remove the strips of zest with the appropriate amount of pith with this Boska cheese slicer.

 

Here's the finished stuff, made with 3 lemons and one cup olive oil:

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

The other lemon confit recipe that I like uses whole slices of lemon instead of just the zest so it has a much more complex and tangy flavor with some bitterness from the pith. I think it's a much more interesting condiment than the one above. The recipe can be found online here: Master Class Lemon Confit Recipe.  This one gets cooked in a low oven for 2 hrs and is great on pasta, fish, tossed with white beans, on toasted crostini.   As with the recipe above, you can give this one a rough chop, add capers and parsley for a nice lemon confit relish. The recipe gives the option of using rosemary or thyme. I've always used rosemary and used more than they say but I think I'll try a batch with thyme.  Might also try this with a mix of citrus, including some of the "quats" like kumquat, limequat, mandarinquat, etc. 

The recipe says you can use either regular lemons or Meyer lemons.  I've used and liked both but will caution that with Meyer lemons, it's best not to slice them super thin as the slices tend to disintegrate. I also like the tartness of the regular lemons a bit better. 

 

Here's what this one looks like before going into the oven:

 

And after 2 hrs:

[KennethT]

@blue_dolphinAre there any botulism concerns with the storage of the rinds in the oil?

[blue_dolphin]

8 minutes ago, KennethT said:

@blue_dolphinAre there any botulism concerns with the storage of the rinds in the oil?

 

I would imagine there are.