Monday, June 30, 2008

White Flower Challenge - Final Day

Citrus, lemon


Lemon tree very pretty with the lemon flower so sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat....


Actually the fruit of the lemon is valued in many cuisines. We especially like to use them for roasting meats, desserts, and lemon sauce for chicken paillards. But our favorite use for lemons is lemoncello. I looked through my old posts and can't find the recipe. I'm so sorry I haven't posted it yet! Here it is, from my dear neighbor Emil:
Lemoncello
15 thick skinned lemons, not Meyer
2 bottles 100 proof Vodka (750 Ml each)
4 1/2 cups sugar
5 cups water
Wash lemons in hot water. Remove peel with a vegetable peeler. Don't get any of the white part. Put peels in a 4 quart glass jar. Add one bottle of vodka and stir. Cover and label with date. Put to rest in a dark cabinet at room temperature for 40 days. I know this sounds like forever, but trust me - IT'S WORTH IT!
After 40 days boil the sugar and water in a sauce pan for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes, then add to lemon/vodka mixture. Also add the second bottle of vodka. Label with date and put back in dark cabinet for another 40 days.
At the end of that 40 days, remove and discard lemon peels, strain into clean bottles, store in dark cabinet. Put one bottle in the freezer for use.
To serve; pour semi-frozen lemoncello into a straight sided tiny glass and serve after a meal. It's like a little taste of summer. Cent'anni!



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful way to end your white bloom month.

And, I am so coming to your house. I like your recipe - a perfect cool refreshment for the summer.

Mary said...

How pretty! I really enjoyed the month of white flowers. What is in store for next month?
xoxo,
Mary

Unknown said...

Well done with the challenge! By the way, your pics have been lovely. What sort of camera/lens do you use?

Anonymous said...

You did a great job with your month of white flowers! Oh, I could use a sip of that lemoncello right now! It sounds fabulous!

Amongst The Oaks said...

Hi all,
Thanks for sticking with my on that looooong month of white flowers. I'm thinking next month will be about Days Out, Cooking, Traveling, Old Adventures, Belly Button Lint, anything but WHITE FLOWERS!
I use an Olympus 550 Ultra Zoom which has all kinds of nifty settings. When I'm doing a tutorial I use a tripod, but for most of those flower photos I didn't. Consequently, some of them are blurry. Which bothers me. And I shouldn't be so lazy, but it's a hassle to drag it around the yard.
Thanks again, Laura

Tara said...

I am making the lemoncello-thanks for the recipe!