I have been toying around with the idea of blogging now for quite sometime. Seems there are many things to do with any spare free time - not taken up by work outside of the home or work in the home - or raising an almost 2 year old whirlwind of a little boy. But There are so many things that need to be put down for preservation the the e-world.

Like The fact that I used 36 lemons from our trees in the back yard to make my very first ever batch of limoncello tonight... I'll post later on wether or not it works - but seems sorta fool proof. I remember having this in Italy -- Florence to be exact - almost 16 years ago now... But That FIRST taste of anything always sticks with you ( any good chef will agree) and with the abundance of free lemons from the backyard this year i had to give it a go....

Recipe is....

20 - 30 lemons - clean, unwaxed with nice plump skins. The skins should give off a lemon sent, don't get ones that don't smell heavenly.
2 (750-ml) bottles everclear
4-6 cups water
2-4 cups sugar (more if you want it thicker or sweeter)

For this recipe you also need a 2-3 litre glass jar with a sealed lid. The jar should be washed and rinsed very well or sterilized. You don't want anything in your limoncello but what you put there.. .
You will also need the bottles you want to put the final brew in. I have good reusable tops.
I will employ a three-step process.
Step 1
Wash and dry the lemons. Only use the ones without blemished peels or pare off any spots and the stems, ends.
Remove the peel from the lemons with a sharp peeler or fine grater, carefully avoiding the bitter white pith. If any white pith remains on the back of a strip of peel, scrape it off. If you get any of the white part in the batch, the limoncello will be bitter and you don't want that!

put those the peels in a glass jar and add the vodka and/or Everclear about two inches below the top and seal tightly.
Leave the jar to steep in a cool, dark place until the peels lose their color, at least 2 weeks. I think I'll leave mine for at least 2-3 months. (maybe it will make it extra yummy). Every couple of weeks I will swirl the peels around in the jar to mix up the oils in the alcohol, plus It will be good just to check in on it!

Step 2


Put the water and sugar in a saucepan, stir and slowly boil until it turns clear. Let the syrup cool
Put the cooled syrup in the jar with the lemons (you might have to divide the batch into two jars at this point, depending on the size of your jar).
Put the jars back in the closet for at least two weeks. Longer is fine too.

Step 3
Strain out the lemon peels through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and pour the limoncello into another container.
Press down to remove all the vodka and oils that you can from the peels before tossing them in the trash.
Stir the liquid with a clean plastic or wooden spoon.
Put the liqueur in clean bottles, seal tightly and leave the finished bottles for at least 1 week before using.


For best flavor and drinking it straight, store the limoncello in the freezer. It shouldn't freeze because of how much alcohol is in it and it's wonderful ice cold.

Tips:
The time consuming part is the peeling, but take your time and don't get any of the white underbelly of the skin in the batch. I use a very sharp paring knife or a potato peeler.
Use organic lemons or at least ones you know where they came from. Now that I have an everbearing lemon tree in my backyard, I don't have to worry about that anymore.
Make a big batch at once. Especially if you're letting it steep as long as I do. Once you taste this or give it away to friends, it goes quickly and people will beg you for more.
You can also make similar liqueurs using other citrus fruits, but I've never tried them myself. “Lime-cello” sounds great to me and could be terrific in cocktails and cooking. (Substitute the peel of limes for the lemon peel. Taste the liqueur for the degree of sweetness you want as you add the syrup.) An orange version might make an appealing alternative to triple sec.

Delicious Uses for Limoncello:


straight up frozen in limoncello shot glasses (best if you put them in the freezer too)
spiking a tall glass of cold lemonade or iced tea
splashed in glasses of champagne
over ice cream or angel food cake
splashed on a fresh fruit mixture
in cranberry juice
in sparkling water, tonic or soda.