Meyer lemons: the outcome.

As it turned out, after much deliberation, I made the Meyer lemon cake from the Chez Panisse Cookbook. Despite the worrisome detail of the recipe--there was much fear of deflating the batter, and many urgings to fold in various ingredients gently--the cake turned out beautiful and delicious.

Moreover, while I was zesting the lemons with my ever-so-efficient Microplane grater, I found that there really was a difference in the odor of these lemons versus your standard, useful but sort of pedestrian lemon. There was some slight spiciness to them--floral, as one of the three tarts has noted.

Though the recipe asserted I would need eight lemons, I really only needed four for the cake. So, while it was baking, I used the remaining juice and zest to make lemon curd, as lis suggested. It was my first try at this wonderful confection. Again, this lemon curd had more bite, more citrus, more lemon to it than any lemon curd I've ever tried.

I totally don't regret my purchase of the lemons. The cake was divine. Yesterday afternoon, my son called and said, "Mom, I think you should have us over for dinner." Perfect: some people to help eat the cake. It was a big hit.