Kitchen Witch - High on Blues

For a long time, I avoided making real-deal lemonade because I didn’t want to be bothered making a simple syrup, the glue that holds lemonade together. Simple syrup, as its name implies, is not difficult to make - a cooked solution of equal parts water and sugar that’s gotta cool, unfortunately, before it can be used. And who has the time to wait when you’re hankering for immediate lemonade gratification?

But a good lemonade speaks loudly. Your friends will travel across state lines if you know how to create the right balance of sweet and sour in a pitcher that makes perspiring worth the trouble.

So, how to avoid the simple syrup nonsense and be the most happening kid on the block? Try my trick: Add blueberries.

Lemonade gets a hearty kick in the pants from a heaping pint of blues. Their indigo pigment isn’t just eye candy; it contains powerful antioxidants that work as magic wands, protecting us from cancer. When pureed with sugar and lemon zest, the berries transform from deep blue to far-out magenta, making this one of the most gorgeous beverages you’ll ever drink. The pureed berries also absorb the sugar, eliminating the need for the dreaded simple syrup.

Because of its striking color, blueberry lemonade usually elicits many oohs and aahs. A few sips and most of the guests are now knitting eyebrows, trying to figure out what in the world they are tipping back. Tart, yes, but with a certain sophistication; the berries add body as well as depth of flavor.

I enjoy my blueberry lemonade with or without vodka. You will, too.

Blueberry Lemonade?
Adapted from Lemonade by Fred Thompson

1 pint (2 cups) blueberries, rinsed and picked over

1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar, depending on sweetness of berries

Lemon zest of 2 lemons

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons’ worth)

2 cups cold water (filtered or bottled is best)

2 oz. vodka (optional, Grey Goose is a favorite brand)

In bowl of food processor or blender, add blueberries, sugar and lemon zest, and puree, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mixture will turn a magenta color. Pass through a strainer to filter out the blueberry skins.

Pour berry mixture into a pitcher and to that add lemon juice, water and, if using, vodka. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Although ready to drink, the lemonade is best chilled and served over ice.

Makes one quart lemonade; double amounts for a half-gallon batch.?
Culinary questions? Reach CL’s Kitchen Witch at kim.odonnel@creativeloafing.com.??