A recipe for roasted strawberry lemonade with a gingery kick – the ideal sip for all the warm, sunny days ahead. Jump to recipe.
The Virginia spring is, as always, resplendent. The lacy overlay of newly unfurled bright green leaves and the contented tittering of birds provide a needed respite from these heavy times. After an exhausting winter, the lightness of the season is a welcome change.
This weekend, I plan to make another pitcher of roasted strawberry lemonade and a mess of sandwiches, pack up the car, and head out for a spring picnic on some verdant piece of land. Whatever your plans, I hope there’s plenty of sunshine and lemonade.
- 1 pint strawberries (about 3/4 pound), hulled and halved
- 2 tablespoons turbinado or granulated sugar
- 1 (5-inch) piece ginger, grated
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (from 8 - 10 lemons)
- 1 1/4 cups ginger simple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup roasted strawberry puree
- 5 cups water
- 4 strawberries, sliced, for garnish
- 1 lemon, sliced thin, for garnish
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss strawberries with sugar and scatter (allowing plenty of room) on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15 - 20 minutes or until strawberries have released their juices and edges have just begun to caramelize. Scrape berries and any juice into a blender and puree. Set aside to cool.
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Meanwhile, make ginger simple syrup. Heat water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar, and heat just until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, grate in ginger (no need to peel it), and set aside to steep 10 minutes. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain syrup into a jar.
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To make lemonade, pour lemon juice into a large pitcher. Stir in simple syrup, roasted strawberry puree, and water. Add more simple syrup to taste (keep in mind that the ice will dilute the lemonade). Serve over ice with sliced strawberries and lemon slices.
Roasted strawberry lemonade and will keep well covered in the fridge for 3 days. Leftover strawberry syrup will keep in the fridge 3 days as well – consider adding it to yogurt or smoothies. Simple syrup will keep well in a sealed jar in the fridge for about a month.
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