Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Meyer lemons appear for a few months each year, and when they do, everything changes. Hold one to your nose and you will understand. The perfume is not sharp like a common lemon but softer, more complex, with notes of mandarin and something almost herbal. This is what happens when a lemon crosses with a mandarin orange, and this is why you make this vinaigrette.

The technique here is almost nothing. You are whisking two things together. The skill is in the sourcing. Find Meyer lemons at the farmers market, still fragrant, with thin skins that yield slightly to pressure. Buy olive oil that tastes alive, peppery at the finish, green and grassy. These two ingredients, when they are right, need very little help.

I keep a jar of this in the refrigerator from December through March. It goes on bitter greens, roasted beets, grilled fish, anything that wants brightness without the assault of regular lemon juice. The floral quality of Meyer lemons makes this dressing feel gentle even when it is waking up a plate.