How about making your own fruit spread to enjoy with your morning toast?  Even if you only have a scoop of cottage cheese or a tub of plain yogurt to begin your day, a couple of tablespoons of my lemony marmalade will really jazz up the flavor.  You’ll also get a bonus of some Vitamin C.

If you aren’t familiar with Meyer lemons, they are a cross between oranges and lemons.  They are about the size of a smaller lemon and the skin is a bright golden yellow.  The fruit is so mild and attractive that even the birds find it delicious.

We have a small Meyer lemon tree in our back yard and each year it rewards us with a bountiful crop.  Besides sharing the fruit with friends, neighbors and some birds, we’ve used the lemons in many recipes.  Since they are naturally quite sweet—and require little sugar—I thought they might work well in a marmalade or fruit spread.

I call my spread marmalade because it has tiny chunks of lemon just like the marmalade in stores.  It's not as sweet as a prepared marmalade or jam.  Because I used Splenda it also has fewer calories and carbohydrates.  You can substitute another sweetener or even sugar if you prefer.

I didn't follow a formal recipe.  I got out my large stew pot, began washing and cutting up the fruit, adding some Spenda and spice, and tasting as it cooked.  I wrote down the proportions as I went along, and my final recipe is below.  You can vary the sweetener or spice to suit your own taste.  In fact, a little cinnamon might also be nice.  I was happy with my results using the coriander, and plan to make more before our crop is finished.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

6 Meyer lemons

1-1/3 C Splenda

1 C water

1/2 t coriander powder

1/4 t salt

Wash and dry the lemons.  Cut the whole fruit into small chunks and remove any seeds.

In a large saucepan with lid, add the lemon chunks, Splenda, water, coriander and salt.  Bring to boil.  Cover and simmer for about two hours.  Remove the lid and continue simmering for another 30 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced.

Cool and spoon the marmalade into 10-oz jam jars with lids and refrigerate.  It freezes well too.

After the marmalade has cooled, and while still in the pan,you can use an immersion hand blender for a smooth sauce for ice cream, pudding or pound cake.

Enjoy!

©Pauline Boren 2010