There are few things more New York than Italian ices, and nothing reminds me of summer more.
Every girl I hung out with when I was 14 worked at an Italian ice stand for the summer. Me and my boys would visit a couple stands a day and have our fill. It was great.
Needless to say this was a fun one for me. It transported me back in time to the summer of 1999 (a long time ago, but only if you measure it in years)… if only for a second.
This is a great recipe because it is easy and delicious. It also uses some basic techniques such as simple syrup, which are imperative in pastry as well as bartending.
Simple syrup is just that, simple. It’s equal parts water and white granulated sugar stirred slowly brought to a boil, at which point the sugar is melted and incorporated into the water. In this application we add lemon zest to it.
ITALIAN LEMON ICES
Ingredients
- 2 cups ice
- 180 g water
- 180 g granulated white sugar
- 90 g lemon juice As lemons vary in sizes and the amount of juice they produce it is hard to say how many lemons. Three large lemons should do it.
- Zest from all lemons used
Instructions
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Zest and then juice the lemons.
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Combine sugar, water and lemon zest in small saucepan.
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Slowly bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
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When the sugar is fully dissolved, strain and cool.
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Put ice in a blender and blend until the ice is shredded but still firm, like the consistency of a snow cone.
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Put ice in a bowl and return to the freezer for 10 minutes.
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Mix syrup and lemon juice to ice mixture fluffing with fork.
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Return to the freezer for another 5 minutes.
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Serve and enjoy!
