Home Made Lemon Extract

I actually made this out of desperation.

I had a recipe that called for Lemon Extract, but because I read it in a hurry, I totally skipped over the fact that it called for Lemon Extract, a whole 1/2 tsp. and didn't pick any up at the store, and I had already started making the recipe, and did not want to drive 7 miles to the store, again.
 
But...

I had some lemon zest in the freezer and a couple of lemons waiting to be sliced up for Ice Tea and there was this bottle of vodka in the cupboard and I went "AHA" and put them all together.

I now have some lovely Lemon Extract waiting to be used. 

Waiting...

But in the meantime, the quickie lemon extract I used in the Apple Cake actually worked very well.  There was a little lemony zesty thing going, and I'm quite pleased with myself.

Here's how I did it.

First off, last fall when I got a surfeit of Meyer Lemons, I made some 3 Citrus Marmalade, then I zested away madly, and finally juiced all the lemons I'd zested.  (Is that a word?, it is now).    I froze the zest because I could, thinking it would come in handy, sooner or later.  So when I needed some for the Lemon Extract I pulled it out and dumped it into the vodka.  And used a half teaspoon of the Lemon Extract right away in the Apple Cake.

I then peeled, very, very carefully, making sure not to get any of that nasty pith, the lemon I had sitting out.  I also zested a couple more lemons, and placed all of that peel and zest into a little glass jar and let it sit, in the cupboard, in the dark.  I do take it out and swirl it around once a day or so, but the magic has already begun.  I open up the jar and inhale this wondrous, lemony scent and I get inspired.  

If nothing else I can get a nice lemony whiff every day, but I'm thinking of recipes I can use it in.

I know I have some, somewhere...