Raspberry Lemonade

I really do not like summer...too warm in my opinion.  Thank goodness for air conditioners...

The good thing about summer though is that it brings a lot of fresh summer produce especially berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.  The prices are also lower than off season prices.  I was over at the Korean supermarket the other day when I spied some really nice raspberries at a dollar per container. Ha! that is a bargain especially since they cost five times at WholeFoods. Of course, WholeFood's raspberries are organic but still huge difference in price.  I do buy organic produce at times but for the most part I do not really care.  

Berries are pretty flexible since you can eat it raw or add it raw on dishes and salads as well as cook it as fillings for pies, jams, and jellies..  They also work well in juices, shakes, and lemonades. Speaking of lemonades, I cannot remember how many I've featured in this blog so far...who's counting anyway...hehehe 

Lemonades are handy to have especially during summer months as they are great as thirst-quenchers and for fluid replenishment to prevent dehydration due to excessive sweating as a result of sun exposure.  You can serve it in a tall glass with plenty of ice to keep it chilled or you can use frozen berries and fruits as substitute for ices to prevent it from becoming watered down when the ice melts. 

To make frozen fruit garnishes, you can cut large fruits, such as apple, mango, etc into small slices or wedges.  For berries, you do not have to slice then but instead freeze them whole.  Arrange the fruits/ sliced fruits in a parchment paper-lined freezer safe container and freeze for about 1 hour or until they harden.  After an hour, you can transfer them to a freezer ziplock bags and leave in freezer until ready for use.  Freezing them in a single layer will prevent the fruits and slices from sticking together thus making it easier to use.  Use these garnishes as a substitute for ice or in conjuction with ice.

Ingredients:

1 cup raspberries, washed and dried then lightly crushed

1 cup sugar or according to desired sweetness

4 + 2 cups of water

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Place raspberries, 2 cups water, and sugar in pan and let it boil.

2. Once the mixture boils, remove from heat and let it cool

3. Strain mixture and transfer to a container with tight-fitting lid.

4. Add the rest of the water and lemon juice.  Mix well then chill.

5. To serve: Pour lemonade on a glass of ice or frozen garnishes and serve immediately.

Mint and Blackberry Lemonade

The abundance of lemons right now is such a blessing for the summer and the warm weather because it means that I can make a lot of lemonade whenever I feel like. Yesterday I went to one of the local bargain grocery stores and found that they had lemons on sale at 4 for $1 which is a real bargain. Normally I do not buy produce at these kind of supermarkets because they tend to have produce that are of lower quality. Today was different though because their lemons looked so good....maybe it is the summer months that's why their produce are of better quality that usual.

I grabbed a dozen which is indeed a bargain at around $3 with the intention of making some lemonade. I also grabbed a bunch of good looking fresh mints and went on my merry way.  When I got home, I prepared everything that I needed to make the lemonade but in the process found a container of blackberries which I bought from the farmer's market this week...light bulb moment- blackberry lemonade....hehehe

I made the usual lemonade and added a handful of bruised and hand-torn mint leaves.  I left it in the refrigerator overnight to allow the mint flavor to infuse into the lemonade.  When I checked on it the following day, the lemonade had a nice minty flavor to it.  Not overpowering but a nice-subtle hint of freshness.  

I used about 3/4 of a cup of blackberry and whirled it into the blender to break up the delicate fruits slight then added it into the lemonade mix.  The result is this nice red concoction that taste really good.  I didn't strain the blackberry seed out because that will also remove all the skin.  Instead,I just added everything as it and stir to mix well. They didn't really bother me since they sink to the bottom of the glass anyway. If you don't want the seed, you can strain then when adding the blackberry into the lemonade mixture. Personally, I think they give the lemonade a nice personally that different from other...hehehe

This lemonade really taste so good that I cannot stop drinking them.  I must have finished half of the batch that I made already,  They really hits the spot and quench your thirst especially if you add it to a tall glass filled with ice.  The minty flavor gives it a fresh flavor profile... a nice departure from the usual lemonade :)

One word of advice though...make sure that you wipe your glass sides and bottom after you have poured the drink because the blackberry can stain your linens.  I wiped the bottom of my glasses before I placed them on the tray and on top of my kitchen towel when I took these shots but still noticed a few scattered spots of blackberry stains when I moved the glasses around ... I was dreading that it might stain permanently but couldn't stop until I got all my shots in.  I made the same mistake when I took shots of a sandwich that I am posting soon and had specks of stain another kitchen towel as well when I used a glass of this lemonade as props...ughhh... I liked these kitchen towels which I got from La Surla Table... luckily, a quick trip into the wash got rid of the stains but make sure to wash them immediately or the stains might not come off.

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)

4+1 cup water

3/4 cup blackberries

a handful of mint leaves, bruised and hand torn + some for garnish

ice cubes

1. In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool. Set aside.

2. Using a juicer, extract juice from enough lime to produce 1 cup of lemon juice.

3. Combine lemon juice, sugar syrup, mint leaves, and water.  Mix well. Leave on the refrigerator overnight.

4. The following day, strain lemonade mixture to remove mint leaves.

5. In a blender, pulse blackberry with about 1/4 cup of lemonade in a blender just until the fruit is broken slightly.

6. Add blackberry mixture into the lemonade and stir to mix well.

*** NOTE, you may have to stir the mixture well prior to serving to mix everything again if it has been sitting for a while.

7. Pour in a tall glass filled with ice and serve.

Frozen Lemonade

Ughhh... I swear summer came early this year....but, then again, it is practically summer all year long here in Los Angeles ...hehehe.... I guess it was silly of me to complain.  Unlike the rest of the continental US, the weather here in LA remains pretty constant all year long save for some very occasional rain and a few cool nights in the winter.  Other than those, it is sunny most part of the year. This is great for most people but this is torture for me.  Ha! that coming from a girl who grew up in the tropics :0  It also does not help that daylight saving time is in effect because the sun is out really early in the morning and is still up until about 7p.m. Aigoo, pure torture...

Having lived in LA for over 10 years, I still cannot seem to get adjusted to the weather.  I usually do my errands in the morning to avoid the scorching heat and keep the air conditioner running most part of the year (approximately 10 months).  The temperature these past few days was rather high and it does not help that my living room get the afternoon sun.  even with the air blasting, I can still feel the warmth coming in from outside despite having closed both the vertical blinds and drapes. 

Because of the unusually warm weather, I made some lemonade and lemon-limeade yesterday which are both great thirst-quenchers.  I made too much lemonade that it didn't fit in my pitcher so I poured some in several ice trays and popped them in the freezer.  I checked on them this afternoon and they froze nicely so I made this delicious looking frozen lemonade.  Instead of lemonade ice cubes, you can also make limeade ice cubes which are great as they can be used for frozen margaritas...just add tequila into the mix, coat the glass rims with salt, and you're ready to party...

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 whole lemon
3/4 cup sugar (may adjust according to taste)
4 + 1 cup water
ice cubes
Mint leaves (for garnish)

1. In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool. Set aside.

2. Using a juicer, extract juice from enough lemon to produce 1 cup of lemon juice.

3. Combine lemon juice, sugar syrup, and water.  Mix well.

4. Pour some of the lemonade in an ice tray and place in the freezer until frozen. Chill the rest in the refrigerator until ready to use.

5. To create frozen lemonade, remove lemonade ice cubes from freezer and place on a blender. Add three or four regular ice cubes and about 1/4 of a cup of chilled lemonade.

6. Blend until smooth.  You may add more ice cubes and lemonade to adjust taste based on your preference.

7. Transfer to tall glasses and garnish with mint sprigs. Serve immediately

frozen Lemonade

Summer + warm California weather + cooking = too darn hot temperature inside the house.

This is exactly what happened while I was cooking my sardine pasta yesterday. Since I had zest-less lemons (I used the zest for the pasta recipe), I thought of making frozen lemonade. It definitely hit the spot...cool and refreshing... and a fraction of the price of frozen lemonade sold at the resto that I get it from.



Ingredients:

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
2 + 1 cup water
2 cups ice cubes



1. In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar.Heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool. Set aside.

2. Pour the above mixture in a blender and add lemon juice. Blend to mix well.

3. Add 1 cup water and 1 cup of ice cubes to the blender and blend well until smooth.



4. Add the remaining ice cubes and water and blend again until smooth. NOTE: If you prefer your lemonade to be less strong, add more water and ice, blend until smooth.

5. Transfer to a tall glass and serve immediately.

Minty Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 whole lemon
3/4 cup sugar
4 + 1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
ice cubes



1. In a small sauce pan, add 1 cup water and 3/4 cup sugar.Heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let it cool. Set aside.

2. Using a small grater, grate zest from lemon. (NOTE: do not include the white part). Place lemon zest and mint leaves in a small bowl and crush using a muddler but don't bruise the mint leaves too much because it will make it taste bitter. Set aside.



3. Using a juicer, extract juice from 4 lemons.




4. Add 1 cup lemon juice, 4 cups of water, sugar syrup (#1), and lemon zest-mint miture(#2). Stir to mix well. Place in refrigerator to chill for a few hours.




5. When ready to serve, strain the zest and mint leaves from the lemonade. Serve in a tall glass with ice. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs.