Lemon wheel crisps bring zest to holiday drinks, cakes

Published 4:57 pm Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Lemon adds a good squeeze of sunshine. Tart, tangy and brilliant yellow, it’s the antidote to darkest winter.

Citrus crisps

3 fresh, firm Meyer lemons (or standard lemons, limes, oranges or clementines)

1. Slice: Rinse and dry fruit. Use a sharp knife to slice into 1/8-inch thick disks. Discard any seeds. Settle the circles on 1 or 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between slices.

2. Bake: Heat the oven to 150 degrees – or as close as it will get (170 may be the lowest setting). Bake, turning once, until dry (or dry-ish) to the touch, about 3 hours.

3. Rest: Turn off oven and let citrus crisps cool to room temperature, about 3 hours.

4. Dry: Pull sheets out of oven and let crisps sit at room temperature until completely dry. This can take anywhere from 12 hours to 2 days.

5. Store: Gently peel crisps from the parchment. Pile into a clean glass jar and seal it. Crisps will keep up to 1 year.

6. Enjoy: Nice dropped in a drink, pressed onto a cake, scattered over roast chicken or conscripted as crackers. Makes a lovely gift, garland, ornament or gift tag.

Prep: 20 minutes

Bake: 3 hours

Wait: 2 days

Makes: About 2 dozen slices

Provenance: Adapted from “Food Gift Love” by Maggie Battista.