Carolina Strawberry Lemonade Food

ALMOST-FAMOUS STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Make the lemon syrup: Bring the lemon zest, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves; let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, make the strawberry syrup: Toss the strawberries and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl and let sit at room temperature until the sugar dissolves, about 45 minutes. Strain the strawberry mixture; reserve the strawberry syrup and berries separately.
• Make the lemonade: Combine the lemon juice, lemon syrup, salt and 2 cups cold water in a pitcher. For each drink, put about 1 tablespoon of the strawberry syrup in a tall glass. Fill with ice, then top with the lemonade and some of the reserved strawberries.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.
• In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.
• Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries with 1 cup of the sugar and 1 cup of water.
• In a large container, mix together 11 cups water, the remaining 2 cups sugar, the lemon juice and the strawberry mixture. Stir and taste, adding more sugar if you like. Refrigerate until well chilled.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Tip the sugar and 1 litre water into a saucepan over a medium heat and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
• Put the strawberries in a blender and blitz to a purée. You can strain this through a fine mesh sieve to remove any seeds, if you prefer. Tip the strawberry purée into a large jug with the sugar water and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Pour into glasses filled with ice and serve garnished with whole strawberries, if you like. Will keep chilled for a day.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Wash and remove stems of strawberries.
• Place in blender for several minutes until smooth.
• Pour strawberry mixture into 2 quart drink container.
• Prepare lemonade as normal in container with strawberries.
• Mix well.
• Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Place water, strawberries & sugar in a blender; cover & blend until smooth.
• Stir in lemon juice.
• Blend in soda; serve immediately, garnished with lemon if desired.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Puree strawberries.
• Combine sugar and water.
• Heat until sugar dissolves.
• Mix with puree and lemon juice.
• Serve chilled.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

Steps:

• Mix ingredients together in a pitcher.
• Serve over ice.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CAKE

Steps:

• Butter two 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the butter and caster sugar into a stand mixer and beat until pale and fluffy. Or, do this using an electric whisk. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.
• Add the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and mix again, then the yogurt. Zest the two lemons, add this and mix until everything is fully combined. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
• Divide the cake batter between the prepared tins and smooth the surfaces with a spatula. Bake for 30 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middles comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. Once cool, the cakes can be wrapped and frozen for up to three months. Defrost overnight before icing.
• For the candied lemon peel, use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the remaining lemon in long, thin strips. Use a small, sharp knife to cut the white pith away from the peel, then cut it into thinner strips. Put 50g of the caster sugar in a small pan with 100ml water. Juice all three lemons and pour into the pan. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Tip in the strips of lemon peel, then return to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer again and cook for 5 mins until the peel is soft. Tip the remaining 25g sugar into a bowl. Remove the lemon peel from the syrup using a fork and add to the bowl of sugar. Shake the bowl gently to coat the strips of peel, then shake off the excess and arrange the candied peel on a plate or baking tray in a single layer to dry, about 30 mins. Once set, the candied peel will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for six months.
• Spoon 3 tbsp of the lemon syrup over each of the cooled sponges. For the icing, beat the butter in a stand mixer until soft and creamy, or do this using an electric whisk. Add half the icing sugar and half the soft cheese, then beat again. Add the rest of the icing sugar and soft cheese and most of the freeze-dried strawberry powder (reserving 1 tsp for decorating later), and beat until well-combined.
• Hull and finely chop 200g of the strawberries. Put one of the sponges on a cake stand or plate and spread over a generous amount of icing. Scatter evenly with some of the chopped strawberries and put the second sponge on top. Spoon the rest of the icing over the top and use a palette knife to spread it all over the top and sides, smoothing and swirling it as you go. Thinly slice five or six strawberries of a similar size, then arrange these around the base of the cake, with the pointed ends facing upwards. Cut half the remaining strawberries in half, leaving the rest whole with their stalks intact, and pile all of these on top of the cake. Scatter over the candied lemon peel, reserved freeze-dried strawberry powder and the popping candy, if using. Best eaten within a day, but will keep chilled for up to two days.