So I saw this recipe on www.chow.com and thought it looked amazing. I followed the instructions to perfection...it was freaking terrible. Sorry, Chow, but I don't know who tested this recipe. Either they don't understand that lemonade is supposed to be sweet or they have the most out of whack taste buds ever...
Anyway, after much trial and error, and making another batch of the strawberry simple syrup to combat the exorbitant amount of lemon juice specified, I figured out how to make this amazing.
On a side note, I also made this diet. I used a zero calorie sweetener that I found at Whole Foods and it tastes exactly like sugar but is completely natural. It cooked like sugar as well. Very excited to find this product. Now if I could just remember what it was called...
Ingredients, yo.
1 pound of strawberries, fresh or frozen.
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar or zero calorie sweetener that measures like sugar.
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup - 1 cup lemon juice. Now, the original recipe called for 2 cups. So, I am voting to start with 3/4 cup and increase from there. Save yourself the trouble of making more of the simple syrup.
8 cups cold water
Fresh strawberries and more basil leaves for garnish.
How to make this...
1. Add 1 pound strawberries, 1 cup water and 1 1/2 cups sugar to a stock pot over medium/high heat. Stir until combined and bring to a boil.
2. After strawberry mixture is boiling, reduce heat to medium/low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat and add basil. Stir to combine.
4. Let strawberry/basil mixture cool completely for 45 minutes. Will look like this when done...
5. Strain solids from liquid through a mesh strainer into a bowl to remove all the chunks. You will have a bowl full of sweet strawberry liquid. This is a strawberry flavored simple syrup. A simple syrup is merely sugar and water brought to a boil and reduced. That being said, you could make this with any fruit.
6. Pour 8 cups cold water into a pitcher or punch bowl and add the strawberry liquid. Stir to combine.
7. Now, add the lemon juice a little at a time, stirring and tasting as you go. Add until it tastes good to you. I like my lemonade slightly tart, but sweet. Not like I just sucked on a lemon that kind of tasted like strawberries...Stir all together and enjoy!
Ok, so I don't have any pics of the final few steps because I was cursing the recipe and making more simple syrup and by the time I finished putting this together I was over it and just wanted a glass of Berry Sangria Spritzer. Maybe next time...
This is really nice and refreshing on a hot summer day. It would be a great punch or, as my Aunt Janis said, poured into popsicle molds and frozen into fun pops. I think I'll do that next...
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