When we are done zesting and juicing lemons we often throw the used pith into the trash. When I was in Canada we decided to try something different. We roasted the spent lemons in a 400°F oven until they became charcoal. The process perfumed the kitchen with the aroma of both char and bright, fruity citrus, reminiscent of the scent of grilling cut lemons. When the fruit was completely blackened and dry we pulled them from the oven. Amazingly enough they still had an incredible lemony perfume. We took the lemon charcoal and put it into the vita-prep and let it rip. The result was a light and free flowing lemon charcoal powder. The flavor was bitter and floral with the aroma of those burnt lemons. This was certainly a new and useful ingredient for our pantry. We put the lemon charcoal to immediate use in a meringue to accompany our Meyer lemon ice cream and whitefish roe. The lemons were first used to make the ice cream so using the charcoal in the accompaniment was a no brainer. And the fact that we could could call it burnt lemon meringue even better.
Now that we are back in our kitchen we have a number of ideas to put to the test with the lemon charcoal, in addition to experimenting with what other fruits will produce.
