Rhubarb Lemonade

Wednesday, 08 June 2011

Yesterday I was having a rare alone night. I kind of love those alone nights (well, alone with two large demanding orange cats alone) as I usually take the occasion to induce in a craving and make whatever I want for dinner and then do some girly things I don’t usually do, usually involving a face-mask, toe painting and a romantic comedy. As I was trying to pick what I wanted for dinner, the only thing that I really wanted to make was this rhubarb lemonade. I guess I might have been in a perpetual state of dehydration for the past few days, I am not too sure. But rhubarb lemonade it was for dinner (ok, along with a bunch of other nibblies).

A few months ago, I came across this fantastic recipe for Rhubarb Water from Laura Calder and it had been lingering in the back of my mind since it seems. I thought it was a very neat way of using rhubarb, different from the usual pies and crumbles and such. Don’t get me wrong, of course we will also make a rhubarb-strawberry pie (or this cake!) at some point before the rhubarb season is over but this is a nice and welcome change in the rhubarb repertoire. I adapted the recipe making it more lemony, hence the 'lemonade' and cutting back on the sugar a bit to my taste. It definitely makes one of the best lemonade I have ever had, just tart enough, not overly sweet and very refreshing. It is also the most beautiful pale pink, quite unlike any kind of pink lemonade (that mostly came from a can) that I have ever seen. If you would like to turn it more into a cocktail-kind-of-drink, I am sure that, like any lemonade, a splash of vodka or sparkling wine would be quite nice with it.

Rhubarb Lemonade

for 1 pitcher (~6 cups)

3 stalks of rhubarb, cut in pieces
6 cups boiling water
juice of 2 lemons
¼ cup sugar

Put the rhubarb pieces in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over it and set aside, letting it cool (1 or 2 hours). Once it is cool, put in the refrigerator and let it soak overnight. Strain the rhubarb, keeping the rhubarb water and discarding the pieces and put in a pitcher. Add the lemon juice and the sugar, stir and serve. Keeps in the fridge for a few days.

Limonade à la Rhubarbe

pour 1 pichet (~ 6 tasses)

3 tiges de rhubarbe, coupées en morceaux
6 tasses d'eau bouillante
jus de 2 citrons
¼ tasse de sucre

Mettez les morceaux de rhubarbe dans un bol. Verser l'eau bouillante sur la rhubarbe, mettre de côté et laisser refroidir (1 ou 2 heures). Lorsque refroidi, mettre au réfrigérateur et le laisser tremper toute la nuit. Égouter la rhubarbe, jeter les morceaux et garder l’eau, mettre dans un pichet. Ajouter le jus de citron et le sucre, mélanger et servir. Se garde au réfrigérateur pendant quelques jours.

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