Lemon Myrtle
Friday 6th August, 2010.
Hello everyone. If you didn’t see it, we received a favourable review in the Herald on Saturday making us quite a popular spot for lunch this week. We’re thrilled with our winter trade this year – thank you to everyone for supporting us.
I’ve also been working on the summer menu in the past few days – more native ingredients will be showcased and everyone’s favourites will be staying so don’t worry. I’m excited to see what everyone thinks; the pizzas are getting a revamp with a move towards a more modern approach and of course incorporating some native ingredients not yet seen at Lexie’s.
I’m still getting a lot of people asking me about where they can get them to experiment with at home and also what they can use them for. I thought I would start with one of the more common ingredients and one of the most versatile – Lemon Myrtle.
Lemon Myrtle is a citrus-fragranced spice that is native to coastal regions. It has been described as “more lemon than lemon”. Lemon myrtle has been growing wild in the coastal areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia for many thousands of years. The aroma of lemon myrtle is similar to a blend of lemon verbena, lemongrass and kaffir lime with a slight eucalyptus background. The flavour is distinctly lemony and tangy, with lime zest notes and a pleasantly lingering, slightly numbing camphor aftertaste. Powdered lemon myrtle leaf is coarse, pale green and when fresh releases all of these aroma and taste attributes.
Because the flavour of lemon myrtle resembles that of the citrus fruit so closely but lacks the fruit’s acidity, it is especially useful in recipes that are milk or cream-based. It imparts a strong lemony flavour and won’t cause dairy products to curdle. On the other hand, it is unsuitable for extended cooking times, as the lemon flavour begins to dissipate and a strong eucalyptus flavour can begin to emerge. For this reason, lemon myrtle is more successfully used to flavour cookies, ice creams and sorbets, pasta, stir-fries, fish, and grilled meats than foods requiring longer cooking times, such as roasts and dense cakes. Lemon myrtle is an excellent substitute for lemongrass and complements Asian stir-fry dishes, especially those with chicken, seafood and vegetables.
It is available from most good food suppliers, but start with The Essential Ingredient. Have fun and experiment.
Til next week, Peace and Good Eating.
