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Lemonade and Iced
Tea
by Fred Thompson
(Harvard Common Press)
Lemonade:
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| Iced
Tea: |
Reviewed
by Lisa Messinger
Fred
Thompson has taken the old, practical adage, "When
life gives you lemons, make lemonade," to delicious
heights. Fortunately, he is also quite savvy about what
to do when life gives you tea bags.
Lemonade:
50 Cool Recipes for Classic, Flavored and Hard Lemonade
and Sparklers
and Iced
Tea: 50 Recipes for Refreshing Tisanes, Infusions, Coolers
and Spiked Teas include all you need to know (as
well as alluring color photographs as guides) to make you
popular among the thirsty set. In both books, first you
get the helpful basics, as well as cautions that it might
not all be as easy as it seems.
"Buying
lemons is an exercise in confusion," Thompson, writes
in Lemonade. "Are the bigger 2-for-99-cent lemons
juicier than the smaller 9-in-a-bag lemons for $2.49? With
lemons, bigger and more expensive is not necessarily better.
Look for lemons with a smooth skin and no blemishes. They
should feel heavy for their size. The medium-size, by-the-bag
lemons tend to have thinner rinds than the bigger ones.
That makes them easier to juice and makes for better-looking
slices and wedges for garnishes. Lemons that feel rock hard
usually have thicker rinds; if you have a choice, avoid
them."
What
you will undoubtedly not find yourself avoiding are Thompson's
refreshing recipes. He's more than a guy who had a few empty
pitchers handy. He's a professional recipe developer whose
prestigious Culinary Institute of America training shows
in his innovative, right-on-target blends. To perfect your
craft, old-fashioned, traditional versions fill your first
glasses. Then it's on to dozens of tempters like lemonades
flavored with basil, spearmint, vanilla beans, kiwi or chocolate
and iced teas infused with pineapple, apple cider, ginger
or Jack Daniel's, as in Thompson's smooth Beach Bourbon
Slush, which also includes lemonade and orange juice concentrates
and ginger ale.
There's plenty of crossover like that—lemonade concentrate
or lots of fresh lemon juice in the iced teas and tea in
some of the lemonades. For those enamored with these luscious
ingredients, it will be a love fest, indeed.
Buy
Lemonade
Buy
Iced Tea
RECIPES
WATERMELON
LEMONADE
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8 cups seeded watermelon, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup hulled and quartered fresh strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2 cups water (approximately)
Thin watermelon wedges with the rind (optional, for garnish)
Yields about 1-1/2 quarts.
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse the
watermelon, strawberries and sugar until blended and smooth.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a 2-quart container,
pushing down on the solids to get all the juice. Add the
lemon juice and enough of the water to make 1-1/2 quarts.
Chill until very cold. Serve over ice with a wedge of watermelon,
if desired.
ALMOND ICED TEA
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8 cups cold water
9 regular-size tea bags or 3 family-size tea bags
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
Juice of 3 lemons
Yields about 2 quarts.
Bring 2 cups of the water to a slow boil in a small saucepan.
Add the tea bags, cover, and remove from the heat. Let steep
for 10 minutes.
Remove the tea bags without squeezing them.
Pour the steeped tea into a 2-quart heatproof container.
Add the sugar and stir or shake until dissolved. Add the
vanilla, almond extract and lemon juice and stir or shake
to combine. Add the remaining 6 cups cold water and stir.
Let cool, then chill and serve over ice.
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