Tomatillo Risotto Appetizer Recipe

This is my take on a Mexican-inspired risotto flavored with tomatillo. I prepared salsa verde and added it to creamy risotto. I spooned the risotto onto blue tortilla chips and topped them with salsa verde and crumbled queso fresco as a reminder of the flavor.

I recently received a goodie box of a selection of Queso Del Valle and Karoun cheeses. I’m a huge fan of their products and with Cinco De Mayo just around the corner, I’ll be sharing recipes all week using the cheeses. I’m not a master of authentic Mexican cuisine, but I love Mexican ingredients and flavors and use them often in fusion dishes like this one. 

Meyer Lemon Mousse in Wonton Cups

Don't be intimidated by the photo of today's dessert, because these little dessert cups are so easy to make! As long as you have lemon curd and wonton wrappers, the preparation will take no time.

I've made a lot of jars of Meyer lemon curd over the last few days and I used one of them to create this dessert. I folded in a bit of sweetened whipped cream so the mousse was light and airy and used it to fill the shaped and baked wonton cups. A topping of my citron confit and a dash of powdered sugar made the cutest garnish that also acted as a reminder of the flavors of this elegant dessert.

Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake Recipe

I've made this cake recipe for years. I think I found the recipe when I was a little girl on the back of vanilla sugar packets that are commonly available in France. I haven't changed the base of the cake batter much since then.

The great part of this recipe is that the measuring tool is the yogurt container. And after making it once, you'll probably never have to refer to the recipe again. Simply remember "1, 2, 3, ½, 3": 1 yogurt, 2 measures of sugar, 3 measures of flour, half a measure of oil (½), 3 eggs, 1 packet of "levure" (baking powder) and 1 packet of vanilla sugar.

Instead of serving the cake plain, which by the way is great with tea, I flavored the cake with Meyer lemon zest and glazed it with a Meyer lemon mascarpone glaze. It was truly fantastic!

Citron Confit Recipe (Candied Lemons)

"Chose promise, chose due!" is a French expression that approximately translates to "promises are made to be kept". And as promised, this is the recipe for the citron confit I served to my family last night as part of the lemon tofu dish. I made it with approximately two pounds of freshly picked Meyer lemons from our garden.

You'll see that a lot of sugar is required to obtain the beautiful candied coating. But fear not, only a few thin slices per serving are necessary to flavor your dishes and the citron confit stores well for months. The one thing to keep in mind is to use organic, pesticide-free lemons, so even the rind is safely edible.

Meyer Lemon Risotto Recipe

This is the time of the year when my husband Lulu brings me lots and lots of citrus from our garden. I'm always most excited about the lemons from our Meyer lemon tree. If you go to the market, you'll notice how expensive this variety of lemon is. It was such a treat when Lulu came inside a couple of days ago with about 50 Meyer lemons. It’s a small dwarf tree and hasn’t produced nearly as much in the past, but boy did it make up for it this year!

In honor of our bounty, I have a few recipes I’m going to dust off and make, such as Meyer lemon mousse, lemon curd, lemon cake and a few jars of marmalade. I also tried to  think of a savory dish I could make, and Lulu suggested I adapt the lemon pasta sauce I made in the past (that recipe in turn was from Ina Garten) and turn it into a risotto. 

This evening, I made the Meyer lemon flavored risotto and it was such a hit. I used a combination of garlic, shallots, butter and half and half in the dish, so really, how could it go wrong?