Tag Archives: citrus

Meyer Lemon Granita

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Filed under dessert, ice-cream. sorbet, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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Meyer lemon is my top favorite fruit. It is hard to explain what a Meyer lemon is, other that it has an exceptional taste. If I can describe it, it smells and tastes a bit like a mix of lemon and mandarin: tangy, subtle …yummy!!!

I am not fan of lemon, but love, love, love Meyer lemon. The problem is that they are very very seasonal and it can be difficult to find them. In fact, in our little town, only one grocery store carry them.

So no need to say that when they arrive on the stand, I purchase them … sometimes not even knowing what I am going to do with them.

Well, this time around I bought a few dozens and decided to make a lemon granita. I could have made sorbets but was too lazy to take out my ice cream machine.

For some of you who do no know what is the difference between a sorbet and a granita.

Here is the explanation:

A granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings – no dairy is involved. Basic granita begins with a boiled sugar syrup which is added into a fruit juice. The granita is then placed in the freezer in a shallow pan and scraped occasionally with a fork which produces a course texture.

A sorbet, on the other hand, is a frozen dessert made from sugar, water and fruit juice or fruit puree, sometimes chocolate, and sometimes wine, and/or liqueur.* Sorbet also has no dairy ingredients, but is frozen in an ice cream freezer for a smoother texture .

So depending which freezing process you will be using,, you will end up with a granita or a sorbet. Whichever, it is delicious.

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Ingredients for 4 cups of Meyer Lemon Sorbet or Granita.

  • 2 cups of Meyer Lemon Juice ( which comes from about  11 lemons)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 tbsp of Meyer Lemon zest
  1. In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar to make a syrup.photo 2
  2. Meanwhile zest about 2 lemons to get the zest that you need. Set aside.
  3. Also juice all the lemons so that you will have about 2 cups of fresh juice.
  4. Add the lemon juice and the zest to the syrup and mix well.
  5. Either use an ice-cream maker to make the sorbet according to the machine , or fill a container with the mixture and place the container into the freezer so that it will freeze.
  6. If you are making a granita, place the container in the freezer for several hours ( 5 hours at least).photo 3
  7. With the spoon, scrape the frozen mixture. You will be making the granita. photo 4
  8. Serve as a dessert, or in between meals to help with cleansing, and digestion.
  9. Easy, Yummy and delicious:-)photo

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Meyer Lemon Granita

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: Super Easy
  • Print
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Ingredients for 4 cups of Meyer Lemon Granita.

  • 2 cups of Meyer Lemon Juice ( which comes from about 11 lemons)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 tbsp of Meyer Lemon zest
    1. In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar to make a syrup.
    2. Meanwhile zest about 2 lemons to get the zest that you need. Set aside.
    3. Also juice all the lemons so that you will have about 2 cups of fresh juice.
    4. Add the lemon juice and the zest to the syrup and mix well.
    5. Either use an ice-cream maker to make the sorbet according to the machine , or fill a container with the mixture and place the container into the freezer so that it will freeze.
    6. If you are making a granita, place the container in the freezer for several hours ( 5 hours at least).
    7. With the spoon, scrape the frozen mixture. You will be making the granita.
    8. Serve as a dessert, or in between meals to help with cleansing, and digestion. Eh voila,  Easy, Yummy and delicious!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Chili-Lime Meatballs

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Filed under appetizers, beef, deep flexipan, Eating experiences, entree, meat, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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I love, love Asian food, but my husband is not a fan so when I cooked this recipe adapted from an old recipe book from The Pampered Chef and he liked it, I was really really happy because it is so hard to cook for this man;-)

I hope that you will love it too. It is easy to make, fast to cook and delicious.

Ingredients for about 5-6 people:

  • 1 pack of lean ground beef ( about 1.33lb)
  • 4 slices of bread or 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp of salt
  • 1/8 tsp of pepper
  • 4 tsp of Thai curry paste
  • 4 green onions diced very thinly

Chili-Lime Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup of soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup of honey 
  • 2 tbsp of toasted sesame seed oil
  • 1 inch of grated ginger
  • 4 garlic gloves pressed
  •  the zest of 1 lime
  • 4 tbsp of lime juice ( you may need 2 limes to get 4tbsp)
  • 4 tsp of Thai Red Curry 
  • 2 tsp of corn flour
  1. In a large bowl, place either the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs or the 4 slices of bread and pour the milk that you would have previously warmed up.
  2. With a fork, puree the bread.
  3. Add all the other ingredients to the bread and mix well. You can either use your hand, or a kitchen mixer.photo 1
  4. With a small scoop, scoop the meatballs and place them onto a deep flexipan that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet.
  5. Cook then for 15 minutes at the temperature of 400.photo 1
  6. Meanwhile prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, mix all the ingredients and bring the mixture to boil.
  7. When the mixture has come to boil, turn the heat down and cook for a few more minutes or until the sauce thickens
  8. Place the meatballs into a large bowl, pour the sauce over them and mix well.photo 2
  9. Serve with steamed rice, and roasted asparagus seasoned with toasted sesame seed.photo 4Yum, and fast!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Lemon Meyer Poundcake

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Filed under Cakes, dessert, Fleximolds, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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Lemon Meyers are my favorite fruit! I love their tangy taste and their fragrant flavor. There is nothing like it. If you have not tried Meyer Lemons, they are very difficult to describe. I think that their flavor almost equates to a mix of lemon and tangerine.

Meyer lemons are not easy to find. Not all stores carry them, plus they are very seasonal so when i find them, I grabbed them;-)

I made this recipe a few weeks ago but did not have the chance to post it before now. The recipe I post today was inspired by a recipe viewed on Saveur called The Best Damn Myer Lemon Cake and adapted to cook in my demarle bakeware.

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Ingredients for 1 large pound cake, 3 medium-sized of 1 1/2 qt, or 12 cupcake sized. 

  • 8 tbsp butter melted
  • 1/2 cup of almond mill
  • 1 1/2 cup of flour
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp of salt
  • 1 1/3 plus 3 tbsp of sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 2 tbsp of lemon extract
  • zest and juice of 2 Meyer Lemons
  • 1 Meyer Lemon sliced in thin rounds for the candied lemon

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  1. Turn the oven to 350.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a mixer place the butter and the sugar and beat until the mixture becomes fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating only to incorporate.
  4. Add the flour and the milk in 3 batches. First add the four, then add the milk, and repeat this process until you have used all the flour and milk. Beat after each addition.
  5. Mix in the lemon extract.
  6. Then the zest, and the almond mill.
  7. Pour the batter into the pan of your choice and cook until the center of the cake is cooked. For the large cake, I used the sunflower mold, for the medium cake I used the daisy mold as shown below, and for the cupcake ones, i used the charlotte tray.
  8. Cook the cake in a warm oven of 350 For one cake, it will take 45-50 minutes, for 3 small cakes of 1 quart: 25 minutes, for cupcakes size: 15-20 minutes. For regular cookware, cook the large for 65 minutes, the medium for 35 minutes, and the cupcake for 25 minutes.
  9. photo 3
  10. While the cake is baking, make the syrup and the candied lemon.
  11. In a small saucepan, add the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved but does not come to boil. Add the sliced Meyer Lemon and cook at low temperature for 15 minutes until the lemon looks translucent.photo 2
  12. When the cake, or cakes are cooked, place them onto a cooling rack and drizzled the syrup over the cake.
  13. Let the cake cool completely before wrapping into plastic wrap to keep them moist.photo 5
  14. Let them stand at room temperature before serving.
  15. Before serving the cakes, place the candied lemon on top. If you wish, you may serve some lemon flavored whipped cream to eat with it. Yum;-)

photo 5Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!