A few months ago I decided to go through my cookbooks (100's) and decide which ones I hadn't used in years. I collected a pile of about 40 cookbooks. While sorting through them I came across a cookbook that I bought my oldest daughter years ago. It was The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook. At that time we were watching the "Anne of Green Gables" series on PBS, so this was a find!
The cookbook has recipes from 'Poetical Egg Salad sandwiches' to 'Anne's Liniment Cake' and Diana Barry's Favourite raspberry Cordial.' It even has a recipe for 'Caramel Pudding Sauce' (without the mouse).
I was thrilled to come across this cookbook because I remember it having a fabulous 'Old Fashioned Lemonade' recipe.
This is the perfect time of year to have an ice cold glass of lemonade and my husband being a lover of lemonade will be thrilled to have this for Father's Day.
AND since my neighbor had just given me some lemons from her mother's lemon tree in California, it was the perfect time to pull out Anne's recipe. Thanks, Mimi!
Lemon zest, sugar and water...
...and fresh squeezed lemon juice from about 6 lemons. How easy is that?
In a small sauce pan mix the sugar and water together. This is pretty easy to remember, if you ever loose the recipe. 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups lemon juice.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes.
Let cool slightly. I pour the warm mixture into a pyrex measuring bowl.
Pour in the fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Add the lemon zest. Allow to cool.
Pour the lemonade syrup into a quart jar.
Screw on the lid and place in the refrigerator until cold. Syrup will store for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.
When ready to make lemonade, gather the following: lemon syrup, sliced lemons, water or sparkling water, fresh mint sprigs and if you'd like to make Strawberry Lemonade (you must try) you will need fresh strawberries that have been pureed in the blender.
Assembly: One glass (at least 10 oz). Take a good look at my glass. It was given to my great grandmother as a wedding gift in the late 1800's. This glass is paper thin. I'm being so careful. Wait until you see the rest of the set. A real treasure!
Continue: Put a few ice cubes in the bottom of the glass. Add 1/4 cup chilled lemon syrup.
A slice of fresh lemon...
Fill the glass with chilled water or sparkling water. I'm using sparkling water right now because Ryan likes a little fizz to his lemonade.
You will need to stir the lemonade because the heavy syrup will sit on the bottom of the glass. I generally just stir with a straw. Add a sprig of mint and you're ready to chill with a glass of fresh lemonade.
Now I'll show you how to mix the strawberry lemonade. You will need 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree and 1/4 cup lemon syrup.
Pour the lemon syrup into a glass.
Add the strawberry puree.
Pour 3/4 cup water over the strawberry lemonade mixture.
Stir with a straw to mix all those fabulous flavors together.
Add a few sliced strawberries and a sprig of mint.
Take out to the patio and sip.
This is the entire pitcher set that I received from my mother. If you look carefully, you can see that the glass is "crinkled" I'm sure it has a name. It is very delicate and I love it. It was very well kept by my great grandmother Mary Alice Stephens. What a treasure.
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice
Cold water or sparkling water
Measure the sugar and water into a sauce pan. While stirring with a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool slightly.
Add fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to the sugar syrup. Cool completely. Pour the lemonade syrup into a quart jar. Cover tightly with the lid. The syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks.
When you’re read to serve the lemonade, put some ice cubes in the bottom of a glass. Our ¼ cup of the lemon syrup over the ice cubes. Add ¾ cup cold water or sparkling water and stir.
Float a thin slice of lemon and, if you like, a fresh mint leaf on top of each glass.
The recipe makes enough syrup for 14 glasses of lemonade.
Pink lemonade: add 1/2 cup grenadine syrup to the jar of lemonade syrup and stir.
Strawberry lemonade: add 2 tablespoons of puree of fresh strawberries into each glass.
Limeade: Replace lemon with lime juice and lime zest.
Wouldn't it be great if Mimi was your neighbor and brought you fresh lemons from her mother's tree?
I hope you have time this summer to sit on your patio with a cooling glass of lemonade while reading Anne (with an "e") of Green Gables.
"...Anne had brought glasses and lemonade for her guests, but for her own part drank cold brook water from a cup fashioned out of birch bark...Anne thought it more appropriate to the occasion than lemonade."
