There are few things in my culinary life as exciting as picking up a Meyer lemon and inhaling its sweet and floral fragrance. When those golden fruits finally reach the shelves of specialty food stores on the East Coast (usually in January and hopefully until April), I find myself smiling and rushing to pick one up and smell it as hard as I can. I know that for the next few weeks, all I will think about are how many different recipes I can create with this marvelous fruit!

Part lemon, part mandarin orange, the Meyer lemon, which is believed to be a hybrid, was discovered in China in 1908 by agricultural explorer Frank Meyer (how I would have loved to have been in his shoes!). Mostly used as an ornamental plant due to its compact size and foliage, the Meyer lemon tree produces its delicious fruits from November through April. For many years it was known as the "backyard" lemon tree, as its fruits are more delicate than common lemons and therefore less suitable for shipping.

But it is the taste and fragrance of these golden jewels that send me into the stratosphere. How did Mother Nature produce something so utterly intoxicating? Their sweet flesh is surpassed only by their floral fragrance of mandarin, with a hint of honeysuckle. This means that every little bit of that lemon gets used up in my own recipes…from juice to zest!

Of course, I make desserts with Meyer lemons - soufflés, pound cakes, gelatos and delicate tarts. But I love to create savory dishes with them, too. This month I decided to share with you one of my more adventurous recipes, a crisp celeriac and apple salad with baby watercress and Meyer lemon-shallot vinaigrette. It is as delicate and intriguing as the Meyer lemon itself. I can only hope that you enjoy making it (and eating it!) as much as I have enjoyed creating it (and eating it!).

* Meyer lemons and celeriac can be purchased locally at Whole Foods and Fairway Markets (125th street in NY). Hydroponic watercress can be purchased at Fairway Markets, Back to Earth in Nyack and Organica Natural Foods in Northvale.