African Heat Spicy Lemonade Food

SPICY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups vodka, 1/2 cup Pimm's No. 1, 1 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup each lime juice and honey, 2 teaspoons hot sauce and 1 scant teaspoon coarsely ground pepper in a large container. Cover and shake, then refrigerate at least 1 hour. Shake the vodka mixture again, then pour into a pitcher filled with ice and lemon and lime slices. Stir in 1 cup chilled lemon-lime soda.

SPICY LEMONADE WITH JALAPEñO ICE CUBES

Steps:

• For the jalapeñoice cubes: Place a jalapeño slice in each well of 2 ice cube trays. Fill with water and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
• For the lemonade: In a beverage dispenser or pitcher, add the lemonade, jalapeño slices and lemon slices. Let sit, refrigerated, for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Serve in glasses filled with jalapeño ice cubes.

SPICY LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• The objective: A nice, pink, juicy leg of lamb has a final temperature of about 120 degrees F. Use a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with a fitted rack. Elevating the lamb slightly off the bottom of the roasting pan allows the hot air to better circulate around the meat as it cooks.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the spices: In a medium bowl, combine the cayenne, fennel seeds, dry mustard, paprika, red pepper flakes and cinnamon. Mix the spices and pour them out onto a baking sheet. Place the tray inside the oven for 1 minute to warm the spices and allow them to toast slightly. This will awaken their flavors. Remove the tray from the oven.
• Make the paste to coat the leg of lamb: In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, molasses and salt. Add the toasted spices and mix together to create a paste. Coat all sides of the leg in the seasoning paste. If you have time, allow the lamb to sit out for about an hour and come closer to room temperature. Alternatively, you can marinate the lamb like this for several hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator before cooking.
• Cook the lamb: Place the lamb leg in the center of the fitted rack on the roasting pan and place it in the center of the oven. Cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Use an instant-read meat thermometer and take the temperature of the thickest part of the leg meat. Your meat thermometer should read about 85 degrees F. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Ideally, the thickest part of the leg should come to about 118 degrees F. Remove the lamb from the roasting pan to a flat surface to rest.
• Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar and mustard. Place the fresh chiles on a flat surface and, with a small knife, cut them both into thin rounds, ribs, seeds and all.
• Pour off some of the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the pan on top of a burner on your stove. Start a low heat under the pan and when the drippings begin to sizzle, add in the mustard, vinegar and fresh chiles. Taste for seasoning. Pour over the leg of lamb.
• Carve the meat: Begin carving at the loin end of the leg; you want to carve at a right-angle relative to the grain of the meat. Observe that this meat has lines almost like a piece of wood, aim the blade of your knife at a right-angle to the grain and slice thin pieces. Arrange the slices on a platter with the sauce.

HONEY-LAVENDER LEMONADE

Steps:

• Combine the honey, lavender buds and 3 cups water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Set aside and allow to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Add the lavender sprigs and the lemon juice to a large measuring cup and muddle to release the lavender oils. Strain the honey-lavender water and combine it with the muddled lemon juice. Let sit for 15 minutes before removing the lavender sprigs. Divide the lemonade between two 2-cup to-go containers. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Divide the vodka, if using, between the containers. Add some frozen grapes to keep the drink cold! Serve.

SPICY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Gently stir club soda, rum, lemonade concentrate, lemon juice, and hot sauce together in a pitcher. Pour into glasses filled with crushed ice to serve.

SPICED LEMONADE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water, sugar, cinnamon and cloves to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; discard cinnamon and cloves. Cool. , Pour into a large pitcher. Stir in lime, lemon, lemon juice and remaining water. Chill at least 1 hour. Serve in chilled glass over ice. Garnish with cinnamon stick if desired. Can also be served warm.

SOUTH AFRICAN HOMEMADE LEMONADE

Steps:

• The secret to perfect lemonade is to make a simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in warm water so that it's dispersed evenly instead of sinking to the bottom. So if you have a stove handy, heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir until its completely dissolved; otherwise just stir very well.
• Extract the juice from the lemons. I use my Granny's juicer but you can do this anyway you like.
• Pour the juice and sugar water into a jug, throw in the raisins and leave for a while, overnight if possible, to allow them to start fermenting and give it a fizz.
• Before serving add about two cups of cold water and a bag of ice to the jug - more or less, depending on how strong you want it to be. If the lemonade is still a little sweet for anyone's taste, chuck a slice or two of lemon into the glass.