Limoncello

Had the best run this morning! Not only was it a perfect 74 degrees, but I also came upon a giant box of lemons with a sign that said something like "Free Lemons" "Please Take All of Them" "For Real, We Have A Ton More." They even had bags! I guess it's that time of year here in Arizona, where you break into your neighbor's car to hide citrus in the trunk. I took 2 shopping bags full, and may go back tomorrow.

So far I've been cranking out lemonade (Epicurious has a great ginger and mint recipe) like I'm battling scurvy, and have my first batch of limoncello marinating in the cupboard. I think I'll try my hand at lemon curd or candied lemon peel next, as the limoncello will take a couple months to finish. And that's assuming I remember it's there. I am the same bad news bear who forgot about her sourdough mother in the cabinet over the fridge for a month a couple years ago. Yeasty! Anyway...


Limoncello
adapted from Deborah Horn, Slow Food Italy

1 bottle Everclear
1 bottle vodka
20 unwaxed lemons, zest removed in strips (with a veggie peeler)

Combine zest and liquor, let sit in a cool dark place, gently swirling every few days for 2-8 weeks. The longer it sits, the more lemony the result will be. Before you move on, test a lemon peel, ideally it should break like a potato chip.

Dissolve 4 cups sugar in 4 cups water, boil for 5 minutes, and then let cool. Remove zest from alcohol mixture with a spoon, then strain liquid through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. Clean and sterilize a large glass jar, and strain liquid one more time into the jar. Add sugar syrup and mix. Return the jar to your cold dark place, and let sit for at least one more week, but ideally longer. Strain again using coffee filters, and then transfer to sealable, freezer-sized bottles.

So far I'm only on step 1, but I'll report back on how things go from here.