Meyer Lemon Semifreddo

The saying goes “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Phil Dunphy says “when life gives you lemonade, make lemons, life will be all like ‘whaaat?'” But I say, “when life gives you Meyer lemons, make something incredible.”*

This is essentially what semifreddo is. Neither ice cream, nor custard nor gelato, but a mousse. I LOVE CUSTARD, if you haven’t noticed yet.

Also, egg-based equals rich and fairly simple. This is one of the recipes you need to embrace and hold on to tightly. Make it on special occasions when you want to ‘wow’ without much fuss. The first time you make it you might be all “LOL, I don’t know what I’m doing.” That’s ok. I was, too. And I was making it for a dinner party. And my boys were running around the house like maniacs (so business as usual).

Meyer Lemon Semifreddo has to be my favorite of all time. I do love a good tiramisu, a rich brownie and of course, creme brulee, but this is the genius fusion of two flavors that don’t immediately go together. Cream and lemon– Meyer lemons. If you’ve never had a Meyer, you’re in for a treat. They are like the cuter, better tanned, smoother skinned, more complex sibling of the yellow lemons you see at the store. This fruit has a deeper, warmer color to it and the peel is smoother. You may think you can’t tell the difference, but if you were to make a side-by-side comparison of the two you’d know right away.

I don’t want to knock regular lemons. They are great for so many things! But Meyers were made for desserts. Their scent is subtly sweet, as is their flavor. The rind is intensely fragrant, with floral hints. The juice has a milder acidity than that of your run of the mill lemon but sweeter. Yes, a sweet lemon. If you had a sliding scale, limes being on one end (the most sour) and a sumo citrus (like a mandarin, but even sweeter), the Meyer would be found right before the mid-point. You can see I’ve put a great amount of thought into my ode to Meyer lemons. They do make me feel quite poetic. Want to woo me? Give me lemons.