preserved lemons with marinade
yield: 12 lemons
12 fresh lemons, room temperature
2 ¼ cups kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups vodka, any is fine
1 tbsp the marinade
3 quart size ball jars
fill a medium stock pot half way with water and bring to a boil. carefully add lemons to pot. allow water to come back up to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. remove from water and set aside to cool slightly. using a plate to catch the juice, slice one end of the lemon with an x, ¾ of the way down the fruit.
bring another pot of water to a boil and use it to sanitize the ball jars.
in a small pot add vodka, salt, sugar and the marinade. cook until the liquid heats all the way through and is bubbling, about 8 minutes. there will be sugar and salt that is not fully dissolved. before pouring into jars give the mixture a hard stir so that the residual salt mixes throughout. carefully pour the liquid over the 3 jars evenly. you may not need all of the vodka but distribute all of the remaining salt between the 3. tightly close the jars. it is not necessary to fully seal them in boiling water, as you would with canning.
stack 4 lemons to a jar so that the uncut side of one lemon sits snuggly inside the cut side of another. distribute the reserved lemon juice between the 3 jars.
lemons will need 4 full weeks to preserve. leave them on a counter or in a cabinet at room temperature to preserve and than transfer to a refrigerator once opened. 
to use we recommend cleaning the lemon of its flesh and than carefully sliding a very sharp knife across the peel to remove any white pith. thinly julienne the remaining zest and serve in a salad, cook into sauces or serve as a garnish to fish!