When Life Hands You Lemons…Make Limoncello!

Today on Bevy we're featuring a special guest post from my mother-in-law, Sue Vick, who shares how to make homemade Limoncello. It's surprisingly easy, 100% delicious, and makes for a perfect holiday gift!

After weeks of waiting, the Limoncello is ready! 

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur that originated in Southern Italy more than a century ago. Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an aperitif or an after-dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses that are also chilled. I first enjoyed Limoncello in earnest a few years ago while on a fabulous trip to the Amalfi Coast. Lemons grow in abundance in the region and the local shops are filled with displays of the golden liqueur. The “liquid gold” was always offered at the end of our delicious meals. We always accepted. 

 

Limoncello gets its flavor and distinctive, almost neon-yellow color from the infusion of the lemon skins in pure alcohol. I have seen various recipes that call for Everclear or grain alcohol, but as neither is legally sold in Virginia I opted for Smirnoff 100 proof vodka. 

Admittedly, the very best Limoncello is made in Italy because they have the very best lemons. But, you can make excellent Limoncello at home. Why do it? Because it is easy to make and many commercial Limoncellos are too sweet. It turns out all you need to make truly incredible Limoncello are some good lemons, a bottle of stiff vodka, and just a little patience. 

When you make your own, you can use the best citrus available and control the sugar to your taste - a good reason to experiment with different recipes and different batches. And while it is traditionally a drink enjoyed during the heat of the summer, it is also a nice little gift to share with friends and family at Christmas. 

Homemade Limoncello

• 6 1/3 cups or 1.5 liter vodka 
• 15 lemons
• 5 cups water
• 4 cups of sugar

To make the Limoncello: This recipe occurs in 2 different stages: first the macerating of the lemon peels in alcohol, and then the actual brewing or mellowing with the sugar syrup.

First stage:

Wash and dry the lemons. If you can, use organic lemons as they are free of pesticides and wax. Peel the lemons, making sure to only separate the yellow part of the peel from the fruit, and not go too deep. Take care to avoid the white pith as it will add a bitter taste to the Limoncello. This is best accomplished with a sharp vegetable peeler, but you can also use a Microplane grater made especially for zesting citrus. I used a combination of the two tools. Save the zested/peeled lemons for another use (salad dressing, marinade or lemonade!)

Place the peels in a large glass jar and add the vodka. Seal tightly and store in a cool dark place for 10 days to two weeks. Some recipes recommend steeping for as long as 40 days. Basically, the longer the better. I placed my jars in a cabinet in the basement for 12 days. This steeping period is necessary for the essence of the lemon oil to seep into the alcohol. You can shake the jar occasionally, but resist the urge to open up the jar. The liquid will become bright yellow and very aromatic.

Second stage:

After macerating for two weeks, the alcohol is now ready to be drained and mixed with the water and sugar.

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup just comes to a boil. Some recipes call for filtered or distilled water, but I used good old Richmond, Virginia tap water. Remove the simple syrup from heat and let cool. I don’t like my Limoncello too sweet, so by all means experiment with the simple syrup and make it to your liking. 

Drain the lemon peel infusion from the jars through a moistened cheesecloth or coffee filter into a clean jar. Discard the peels. Repeat if necessary. Mix in the cooled sugar water with the drained liquid.

Now, for the second time, you have to exercise control and patience. Close and seal your jars tightly and let the liquid mellow for another two weeks to one month in the same cool dry place. Additional aging will result in a smoother marriage of flavors. Again, the longer the better.

Using a funnel, pour the liqueur into sterilized bottles. You can order bottles and personalized labels on-line.

Serve chilled. Salut, e cento anni!

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Cinnamon Butter

Although most of the leaves have fallen from the trees by now (tear), I'm still working frivolously to achieve my not-so-lofty goal of consuming as many pumpkin flavored things as possible before the season ends.

Luckily, I can easily achieve my goal, especially when I have: 

1) a solid two weeks left before the winter solstice

2) 8 pumpkin scones freshly baked with maple cinnamon butter sitting in my kitchen

Forget all those dry, crumbly scones you've begrudgingly eaten in the past. These are soft and chewy with a crisp crust; when you slather them with maple cinnamon butter, they make you forget that the polar vortex is on its way again.

At first, I was not sure I'd be able to pull these off (since I'm not the best baker in the world). They ended up being kind of fun to make and pretty simple, too. Once the dough is made, it's transferred to a lightly floured surface and patted into a 1½”-thick disk. 

The disk is cut into 8 wedges and doused in buttermilk — which soaks into the scones, giving them the soft center. Top with raw sugar for an extra sweet crunch.

The maple cinnamon butter is so simple a snowman could do it. Speaking of, do you want to build one? Or ride our bikes around the halls? Or mix butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl? If you're on board with the Frozen references, the butter is to the scones what Anna is to Elsa — necessary.

So as you're preparing your holiday menus, I hope these make the nice list. Even the naughtiest holiday houseguest in the world would want these for brunch. 

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Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Butter

Scones:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter
• ½ cup chopped fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries OR pecans (optional)
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup canned pure pumpkin
• ¼ cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
• 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Cinnamon Butter:

• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Mix butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.*

2. Whisk granulated sugar, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, cloves, baking soda, and 2 cups flour in a large bowl. Using the large holes on a box grater, grate in butter, tossing to coat in dry ingredients as you go; toss in cranberries or pecans, if using. Mix in egg, pumpkin, and ¼ cup buttermilk.

3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into a 1½”-thick disk. Cut into 8 wedges; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, 25 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 400F. Brush scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until golden brown, 25–30 minutes. Serve with cinnamon butter. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature. Reheat very briefly in the microwave, if desired.

*DO AHEAD: Cinnamon butter can be made 4 days ahead. Cover with foil or wrap and chill.

Grilled Steak Salad with Roasted Beets

'Tis the season for waistline expansion. I'm already feeling my motivation to exercise dwindling fast and my desire for hot comfort food increasing faster. Bring on the chili, sauces, and soups.

One way we continue to keep both warm and healthy in the late autumn/early winter months is by serving up hot salads. It's not the lettuce that's hot (obviously) — it's the toppings. One of my favorites combines fresh-off-the-grill, peppered, juicy steak with earthy, oven-roasted beets.

As with roasted broccoli, I could honestly eat an entire pan of sweet, roasted beets. When they're seasoned with thyme, salt, and pepper, I just find them irresistible! They're satisfying but light and the perfect addition to a fall salad.

So the beets are great, but what about the meat? A thin strip steak works best for salads in my opinion; it doesn't require a lot of fussing to make it taste great. We seasoned it here with only Kosher salt and ground peppercorns before firing it up on the grill.

What are some of your healthy winter food favorites?
  

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Steak Salad with Roasted Beets

• 4 cups lettuce of choice
• 1 can of cut beets
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to taste, for dressing
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• Crumbled goat cheese
• Cherry tomatoes
• 2 boneless strip steaks, grilled
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt and ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Open the can of beets; in a medium bowl, toss to combine with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper.

2. Place the beets on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from pan and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, toss beets with lettuce of choice (spinach, green mix, arugula) and cherry tomatoes. Season to taste with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add Lawry's Seasoned Salt and ground black pepper to taste, if desired.

4. Plate the salad and top with sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese and grilled steak.