How to Make Meyer Lemon Dust
Have you ever been overcome by a case of “Costco-sis”, a bulk buying phenomenon that strikes when you least expect it?
This recently happened to me while on what was to be a quick run into Costco for a few items. I managed to exercise restraint when it came to the 10 pound bag of quinoa I came across, and even passed on the 3-pack of Himalayan salt (that was a tough one). But when I spotted the Meyer lemons (at Costco!), I couldn’t resist. When do you ever see Meyer lemons at Costco? So into my cart went 4 pounds of Meyer lemons, and into my mind came all of the wonderful things I could make with the Meyer lemons.
First up would be Meyer Lemon Dust. Dehydrating other citrus fruits and grinding into a fine powder worked, so why not Meyer lemons? The process is actually really easy, and the results are amazing!
Here’s what you do, step- by- step:
1. Use a knife or a mandeline to slice the Meyer lemons into wafer thin slices and spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer. (I used 4 Meyer lemons.)
2. Bake them in a 275 degree oven for 3 hours, or until the lemons have darkened in color and are dehydrated.
3. Add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the dehydrated slices. Use a spice grinder or coffee bean grinder (coffee bean residue removed of course) and working in batches, grind slices/sugar/salt mixture into a powdery dust.
The result? An intense concentration of Meyer lemon flavor packed into powdery crystals. I eneded up with about 1/2 cup of dust from the 4 Meyer lemons I dehydrated. I have been experimenting with all kinds of things using this Meyer Lemon Dust, and will share my results as I go along.
My first creation was Pan Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Dust and Chipotle Beurre Blanc. I added the Meyer Lemon Dust after the scallops were seared so that the dust wouldn’t scortch and become bitter. The chipotle beurre blanc offered just the right amount of heat, and a nice combination with the hints of orange you get with a Meyer lemon.
Pan Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Dust and Chipotle Beurre Blanc
For tips on pan searing scallops, please refer to my post How to Perfectly Pan Sear Scallops
Beurre Blanc
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and kept cold
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
Salt
16 dry- pack sea scallops
2 teaspoons Meyer Lemon Dust
Prepare the Beurre Blanc:
Place the shallots, zest, chile powder, juice, and wine in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Whisk in the cold butter, one tablspoon at a time, adding the next piece just as the previous one has melted. If the sauce gets too hot, remove it from the heat so that it does not separate; season with salt and pepper and keep warm over very low heat while you sear the scallops.
Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the scallops. Cook 3-4 minutes on the first side; until bottom has a nice golden crust established. Flip and cook and additional 3-4 minutes on second side. Pool 1 1/2 tablespoons of the Beurre Blanc onto each of the serving plates and top with scallops. Sprinkle each of the scallops with a pinch of Meyer Lemon Dust (see recipe above)and serve.
4 entree servings
You may also like:
Grilled Grouper with Quinoa, Asparagus, and Meyer Lemon Dressing
Pan Seared Scallops with Cider Glaze
I always love scallops and searing them is just the best way to do them. You’ve done such a beautiful job with this dish by pairing it with lemon meyer dust and a beurre blanc. Never had the chance to taste lemon meyer yet in my entire life. If there’s Costco from where I live and there’s quinoa and Himalayan sea salt, I might buy them in bulk.
Quinoa is very expensive here.
Scallops look great. Adding Caviar is a good mix as well.
Caviar Merchant Company
The powder can also as material for Hippe added for decoration or isomalt
Oooh, Meyer lemon dust! What a great idea, it must be so great with the scallops.
Tasty Trix´s last blog ..Senegalese Yassa, My Way
I love your idea of Meyer lemon dust – brilliant! And the scallops look absolutely amazing! I just grabbed the last bag of meyer lemons from my store. I will definitely be making this!
5 Star Foodie´s last blog ..Fiber One Blueberry Muffins Review and Giveaway
Oh another one of my kind of dish, I love meyer lemons, just planted some, hopefully they’ll grow. I’m sure the flavor of the lemon dust must be absolutely delightful with the scallops. Beside the “dust” adds a lovely connotation to the dish.
citronetvanille´s last blog ..More pesto stories – Penne with broccoli rabe-almond pesto and shrimps
I absolutely love scallops. I havent made them many different ways since I just love them in butter grilled. I just love the way these look, and have to try these,amazing pictures, I could eat a ton of them…. I just made the sauce on filet mignon, but since I cant eat onion (allergic)I used garlic …I can wait to try it on the scallops sounds fabulous
pegasuslegend´s last blog ..Broccoli and Sausage Cavatelli with Garlic and Oil( Aglio ed olio)
Meyer lemon dust is a brilliant idea! I’m imagining the wonderful accent this must have brought to the scallops!
Christine @ Fresh Local and Best´s last blog ..TRUFFLE HUNTING IN PROVENCE
Costco-itis! Hahahaha! Totally. Great blog by the way, I’m new here. Love what you’ve done with the scallops!
See, this is precisely the reason I didn’t renew my Costco membership! I too get all excited and buy way too much. I would have totally bought that 10-lb bag of quinoa, just so you know. You are tempting me with your Costco purchases! These Meyer lemons (and your lemon dust) sound awesome! That dust could be used so many ways…and if I had those lemons, I’d definitely make some lemon curd and make a tart…drool!
Oh – one more thing. If you ever wanted to make this lemon dust a regular event at your house, and if you ever wanted to say, do a giveaway, or sell it on etsy.com, something like that, I’d totally be game to relieve you of some!
Too beautiful — what an elegant and innovative dish! I’ve been seeing a lot of people making “dust” from ingredients, and it’s such a fantastic way to concentrate flavor and play with textures. Well done!
wasabi prime´s last blog ..UnRecipe: Happy Valentine’s Day, Tiger
What a SPLENDID idea! I’m so delighted
Thanks for this post. Making dust to cook with rather than to vacuum up is a great idea. I haven’t seen chipotle chili powder at the market but I do – I bet they would work in the flavored buttler like the flavor of chipotles in adobe sauce.
Carol Egbert´s last blog ..Fava Beans with Olive Oil
This is so cool! Grinding dried citrus into powder for seasoning is new to me.This is so ‘gourmet’…. Will have to try it out! Thanks for enlightening.
shirley@køkken69´s last blog ..Staying Healthy With Beetroot Juice
Thank you for the lesson, I love it! (as well as the combination you’ve shared – it sounds fabulous.)
Cara´s last blog ..Imagine if…
I had never thought of doing that to lemons, but your right once you have the powder just imagine all the wonderful possibilities! This is definitely worth a try
Lauren´s last blog ..Celeriac Mash
Congrats on the top 9, it looks amazing, and the lemon dust such great tip. Thanks.
Anna´s last blog ..shakshuka for Brunch
Beautiful Plate. I love the lemon Idea!
Ed Schenk´s last blog ..Valentines Day
Good to know you can use meyer lemons as well as mandarins, Debi. I ended up giving mandarin dust as Christmas presents in cute little tins. Big hit.
Chef Gwen´s last blog ..Oatmeal Brulee
What a great and refreshing idea!! I love it…will be making dust soon.
sweetlife
sweetlife´s last blog ..She’s Killing Me!!
Wow, these scallops turned out beautifully! I made them for my family for the first time over the summer and we’ve become addicted! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I will definitely be giving this recipe a try soon!
What a fantastic idea…….I’m going to try these right this minute with blood oranges……………..superb!
Kitchen Butterfly´s last blog ..Cooking with fruit: Tomatoes….
[...] hunt in the world of deliciousness (aka catching up with blog reading) led me to Debi’s supercool Meyer Lemon dust: no reference to sweeping lemons off the street [...]