Quarter Sheets in Echo Park serves Detroit or Sicilian-style pizza, and unique quarter sheet cake from Hannah Zizkin's culinary imagination. For the Market Report, Hannah speaks with Ben Mims about her fascination with Meyer lemons from J.J. Lone Daughter Ranch, and the many ways she uses them in her creations. "Right now I'm loving Gaviota strawberries, so I've been making a cake that's a Meyer Lemon Bavarian."
For Ziskin, the most special aspect of the Meyer lemon is its versatility: The pith, the zest and the peel are all edible. She'll even preserve the lemons and blend them into her Meyer lemon cakes for "the earthiness of the lemons.
Laura Ramirez of J.J. Lone's Daughter Ranch in Redlands will use every part of the Meyer lemon, too. "You can eat the peel on its own. You can make a preserved lemon, the zest is great and aromatic … and I myself like to put them in cocktails. I love myself a martini with a Meyer Lemonade." Ramirez’s mom was also a big fan of the variety, making lemon bars with the fruit.
Ramirez recommends freezing the lemon juice in ice cube trays so you can have the juice year-round.