Sparkling Roasted Vanilla Lemonade

Name: Sparkling Roasted Vanilla Lemonade
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 10 lemons, trimmed, halved crosswise, and seeded; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup water; 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved; 1 1/2 to 2 cups club soda

Vanilla seeds roasted in a skillet with lemon halves and sugar offer a surprising flavor in a sparkling lemonade made with both club soda and still water.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, June 2008

8 Makes 6 1/2 cups

Servings Yield

Ingredients

10 lemons, trimmed, halved crosswise, and seeded
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved
1 1/2 to 2 cups club soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place lemons, cut side up, in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet or a large baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar, then add the water and vanilla seeds and pod. Roast until edges of lemons are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool.
2. Squeeze the juice and pulp from lemons into a blender. Remove vanilla pod, and add syrup in the skillet to the blender. Puree, then strain through a sieve into a pitcher, pressing to extract liquid and some pulp.
3. Fill glasses with ice. Pour 3/4 cup lemonade into each glass. Top with 1/4 cup club soda. (Or cover, and refrigerate lemonade for up to 3 days.)

Cook's Notes

Roasting the lemons takes the edge off the acidity.

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Industrialkitty

23 SEP, 2008

Might help to slice lemons instead of simply trimming and halving. Be very sure to strain! I didn't do too good of a job straining and it became almost undrinkable (very pulpy and thick).
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