How do you "supreme" a Meyer Lemon?

January 9, 2007 4:48 PM

How do you "supremed" a Meyer Lemon?

I have a recipe that asks for Meyer lemon segments, supremed.
First off, what's supremed--I thought it meant segmented, but if so,
something's redundant, no? Second, anyone know where I can get
Meyer Lemons tomorrow in Toronto? Third, what's a good
substitute for Meyer Lemons if I can't find them: regular lemons?
Oranges? Mandarins? Thanks! (Note, the recipe is for a Red Bell
Pepper Soup with Mango and Meyer Lemons.

posted by Badmichelle to food & drink (10 comments total)

Cut away the skin and the pith from the fruit and then slice the flesh next to the membrane on either side. What you are left with is also known as a supreme.
posted by jrossi4r at 4:54 PM on January 9, 2007

Supremed is like segmenting on steroids - you're removing all the membranes in between the segments. Here's a good photo that might help.

Sorry I can't help you with the other two parts of your question.
posted by marylynn at 4:56 PM on January 9, 2007

Supreming citrus is bascially cutting away the membrane from the segments. There are some good pictures here, about halfway down the page.

Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons. As a substitute for meyer lemon juice, you can use 3 parts lemon juice to one part orange juice. That obviously won't work when you're using segments, though.
posted by amarynth at 4:56 PM on January 9, 2007

Suprêmed citrus fruit segments are segments without any pith or membrance. A picture from Martha Stewart Living.

I'd substitute orange segments, and have the juice of a regular lemon on hand for correcting the soup's balance.
posted by goetter at 4:57 PM on January 9, 2007

Meyer lemons do not ship well. They bruise easily, and I've not seen them in stores. While they are just in season right now, unless you live in Southern California or Florida, you're unlikely to find them.
However, navel oranges ship very well and they are delicious right now. I would do that, and perhaps add some Meyer Lemon Olive Oil (olive olive that has been crushed with meyer lemons) if you can find it, to your soup.
posted by lilithim at 5:51 PM on January 9, 2007

Fine Cooking's video here.
posted by Marky at 7:02 PM on January 9, 2007

I live in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire and Meyer lemons are currently readily available in ordinary supermarkets here, lilithim. The time is, erm, ripe.
posted by bcwinters at 7:09 PM on January 9, 2007

For the oil, try The Olive Pit at 805 Queen St. W...they have more or less every flavoured olive oil imaginable.
posted by thisjax at 7:15 PM on January 9, 2007

I've bought Meyer Lemons recently in Loblaws, so I would think any upper-middle grocery store would have them. If not Loblaws, I would probably try Whole Foods, Highland Farms or Pusateris, in that order.

(Actually, I would probably try Highland Farms, Whole Foods then Pusateris, but that's got much more to do with how they fall on my driving route and proximity to my house than likelihood that they would have them and sell them for less than a zillion dollars (I'm looking at you, Pusateris!))
posted by jacquilynne at 8:56 PM on January 9, 2007

We just had quite good Meyer lemons from Trader Joe's here in Massachusetts. Looks like there are no TJs in Canada (there goes my emigration plans...), but I'd try any high-end grocery.

As the recipe calls for supremes, and this is a soup, I'm guessing they are for garnish, in which case Goetter sounds right about substitution strategies.

Bob Loblaw runs a grocery now?
posted by Rock Steady at 9:50 PM on January 9, 2007