Need:
1 Fresh Lemon
2 tsp. Whole Black Peppercorns
Coffee Grinder
Cutting Board
Wooden Spoon
Zester or Fork
Baking sheet
Instructions
1. Remove the zest (only the yellow zest and none of the white pith) from the lemon carefully, using a zesting tool or a vegetable peeler. If you have neither, a fork will do fine - just takes longer!
2. Mince the zest and place it in a small bowl.
3. Place the peppercorns on a cutting board and crack them by pressing on them with the clean bottom of a heavy pot, or whirl very briefly in a spice grinder - you want them in large pieces.
4. Add the cracked pepper to the zest.
5. Use a wooden spoon or other sturdy tool to mash the cracked pepper and zest together. This helps release the citrus oils in the zest and combine them with the pepper.
6. Spread the zest and pepper on a small baking sheet or piece of foil and place in the oven. If it's a gas oven, leave it in the oven overnight and the pilot light will dry the mixture out. If it's an electric oven, set it to 200 degrees F, less (125 - 150 degrees) if your oven will go that low.
7. Pulverize the mixture the next day in a clean spice (or coffee) grinder. You can also mince it by hand with a knife.
8. Place spice mixture in a spice bottle and close the lid tightly.
9. It is now ready to sprinkle on chicken, fish and other foods before cooking.
Tips & Warnings
The ratio of lemon zest to pepper should be about 1.5:1, but exact measurements aren't necessary.
Try sprinkling this mixture on fish fillets before cooking, then sprinkle on some fresh lemon juice after cooking to boost the flavor.
If you have a mortar and pestle, use that to crack the pepper coarsely.
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