For those of you lucky souls with an "excess" of lemons, I highly recommend this limoncello recipe (lemon-flavored liquor). I don't have an excess of lemons and they tend to be a bit expensive around here, but I should start a batch of this soon! I've made it several times and it is excellent. My comments are in the parentheses.
Limoncello
Limoncello, if you like anything Italian, lemons, vodka or all of
them... My friends in Italy used to talk about this and I just found a recipe
so I could make it myself. It's basically a liquor served, well chilled, in the
summer months. (You can easily halve this recipe!)
15 lemons, well scrubbed
two 750ml, 100 proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
You will need two rather large glass jars or simply split the recipe as
I did. Carefully zest the lemons so there is no white pith on the peel.[I used a vegetable peeler and it worked quite well.] Place
one bottle of vodka in a jar and add the peel as it is zested. .[Since I halved the recipe, I just put the vodka and peel back into its original bottle.]Let sit for at
least ten days and up to 40 days in a cool dark place. The longer rest is
recommended.
Combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil and cook for about 5
minutes until thickened and allow to cool. [Because of comments from my book club ladies, I used a smaller amount of sugar and water to decrease the sweetness a bit.] Add to the Limoncello mixture along
with the other bottle of vodka and allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.
Strain and bottle, keeping one in the freezer for use.
Now, after 10 days of just peel and vodka, we decided to taste it and
ladled some over ice. It was simply amazing. The taste is rich and refreshing
and that batch never made it to stage two! If you are looking for a "better
than any commercial lemon vodka" I highly recommend this but don't use the 100
proof, it will get you! This is now a freezer staple in our house.
It's wonderful as a palate cleanser or after dinner. If you go the
whole nine yards you don't have to add all the syrup if you prefer something
less sweet. whatever you choose, it is certainly worth the effort. You can use
the lemon juice for cooking or sorbets.
FOR BEST RESULTS, KEEP LIMONCELLO IN THE FREEZER (IT WON'T SOLIDIFY).
IT'S TRADITIONALLY SERVE IN CHILLED SMALL GLASSES.
Variations: Use limes, blood oranges, mandarin oranges, etc.
-------------------------------
Limoncello
Limoncello, if you like anything Italian, lemons, vodka or all of
them... My friends in Italy used to talk about this and I just found a recipe
so I could make it myself. It's basically a liquor served, well chilled, in the
summer months. (You can easily halve this recipe!)
15 lemons, well scrubbed
two 750ml, 100 proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
You will need two rather large glass jars or simply split the recipe as
I did. Carefully zest the lemons so there is no white pith on the peel.[I used a vegetable peeler and it worked quite well.] Place
one bottle of vodka in a jar and add the peel as it is zested. .[Since I halved the recipe, I just put the vodka and peel back into its original bottle.]Let sit for at
least ten days and up to 40 days in a cool dark place. The longer rest is
recommended.
Combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil and cook for about 5
minutes until thickened and allow to cool. [Because of comments from my book club ladies, I used a smaller amount of sugar and water to decrease the sweetness a bit.] Add to the Limoncello mixture along
with the other bottle of vodka and allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.
Strain and bottle, keeping one in the freezer for use.
Now, after 10 days of just peel and vodka, we decided to taste it and
ladled some over ice. It was simply amazing. The taste is rich and refreshing
and that batch never made it to stage two! If you are looking for a "better
than any commercial lemon vodka" I highly recommend this but don't use the 100
proof, it will get you! This is now a freezer staple in our house.
It's wonderful as a palate cleanser or after dinner. If you go the
whole nine yards you don't have to add all the syrup if you prefer something
less sweet. whatever you choose, it is certainly worth the effort. You can use
the lemon juice for cooking or sorbets.
FOR BEST RESULTS, KEEP LIMONCELLO IN THE FREEZER (IT WON'T SOLIDIFY).
IT'S TRADITIONALLY SERVE IN CHILLED SMALL GLASSES.
Variations: Use limes, blood oranges, mandarin oranges, etc.
-------------------------------
-jenni
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf