Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Salad with Sherry Vinegar

Winter in California means one thing to me: citrus season. Well, okay, two things: a respite from the blazing heat of the valley, and citrus season.

But really, the two go hand in hand. For so much of my life I associated citrus with hot weather. Sweet and tangy, refreshing lemons, limes and oranges make their way into so many summer beverages and ice pops. But I was shocked my first winter in Los Angeles, when the farmer's market began to overflow with dozens of types of citrus near the end of January and into February. I literally had no idea that there were so many types of tangerines, or oranges, and even grapefruit, in existence.

Meyer Lemon Focaccia

Fruity, floral, and intoxicating, the smell of meyer lemons brings back so many memories of my first winter in California. I had never tasted one before, and they were everywhere - so exotic to me, but so common here.

One of my favorite fruits, meyer lemons are a combination of lemons and mandarin oranges. They're exceptionally fragrant, slightly sweeter than a regular lemons but still tart, thin skinned, and very juicy.