Summer Roasted Peach Lemonade with Roasted Peach Puree + Honey Simple Syrup

Summer Roasted Peach Lemonade with Roasted Peach Puree +
Honey Simple Syrup

Summer is officially back... and it's back with a bang. It is so damn hot down here in Atlanta, I can barely even step outside before passing out. I'm literally counting down the days until Autumn returns. Until then, it's time to embrace the heat and enjoy signature cocktails, using the grill, and having cookouts with friends and family. And when I think summer days in Georgia, the first thing that comes to all of our minds are peaches. Peaches, peaches, peaches. Peaches on everything. Since they are just coming into season, I bought two bags of them at the farmer's market yesterday. I knew I wanted to make something refreshing, so I ended up deciding to make homemade peach lemonade. I put my own little twist on it by roasting the peaches with honey and turbinado sugar. I absolutely love roasting fruit, it concentrates their sweetness and gives off the most luxurious syrup. After you roast them, let them cool a bit and try to peel off as much of the skin as you can. If you can't get some that's fine because we will end up straining out the big flecks and pieces before serving. Then, all you have to do is puree the roasted peaches until as smooth as possible. I used meyer lemons for my lemonade because I love their sweetness, but any lemon will do to be honest. To sweeten the mix, I made a honey simple syrup. Whenever I make lemonade, I always make honey simple syrup. It enhances the lemon and gives it the most unbelievable balance with just a hint of floral notes. The thing about lemonade is that it is about as Southern as you can get.... uh, besides sweet tea of course. But then you add in roasted peach puree, and well, you've hit the maximum of southern-ness (if you know what I mean). This is great for a picnic, a lemonade stand, or even boozy (hey hey!). We spiked ours with vodka, cointreau, and fresh muddled peaches -- lemme tell you, it was awesome. So go on y'all... make it while the weather is still scorchin' hawt. It will quench your thirst indeed!!

a view from the top 

ready to gulp down...

how cute are these mason jars?!

For the Honey Simple Syrup:

1 ½C Water

1C Honey

¼C Sugar

For the Roasted Peaches:

5-6 Large Peaches, Seed Removed & Split in Half

Honey, For drizzling

Sugar, For Sprinkling

For the Summer Peach Lemonade:

Roasted Peaches, Cooled & Pureed (make sure to remove the skins)

Prepared Honey Simple Syrup, Chilled

2C Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (I prefer Meyer Lemons, but regular lemons are fine)

4C Cold Water (or more if you want it less strong)

Directions:

1. For the Honey Simple Syrup: Place the honey, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil, and simmer until the honey is completely dissolved. Pour in the syrup into a container and let it cool completely in the refrigerator until chilled, for about an hour.
2. For the Roasted Peaches: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the peaches by cutting them in half and removing their center seed. Toss the peaches with the honey and place them cut-side down in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, and then flip them over, sprinkle heavily with sugar, and continue roasting them for another 15-20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes of roasting, turn the oven up to broil and let the fruit flesh caramelize and brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. After cooling, remove the peach peels and puree them in a food processor until smooth.
3. For the Summer Peach Lemonade: In a large pitcher, combine the peach puree, honey simple syrup, lemon juice, and cold water. Stir to incorporate, and then strain to remove any solids. Chill the peach lemonade overnight or until cold. Enjoy on a hot summer day.

Layered Brown Sugar Pavlova with Sour Cream Whipped Cream, Meyer Lemon Zabaglione, + Macerated Berries

Layered Brown Sugar Pavlova with Sour Cream Whipped Cream, Meyer
Lemon Zabaglione, + Macerated Berries

As a food blogger, I get asked a'shit'ton of questions. Most of those questions I am perfectly happy to answer... I mean, that's why I am here, right?! Well, more so than questions, I get asked for recipe requests from family + friends. Although I want to please them right away, my Willy-Wonka-inspired-brain has about 100,000 recipes that I want to try first. So most of the time, they get put on the back burner until I am truly motivated to make whatever their little heart desires. Birthdays are a good time to make up for lost time, but in this case, I did it by creating my mother's ultimate favorite dessert, Pavlova. If you haven't had a Pavlova, you must... especially if you love meringue, which my mom is mildly extremely obsessed with. What is so wonderful about meringue is its' balance of textures. One moment is crispy + crumbly and yet somehow dissipates into your mouth like thin air. It's unbelievable. Yet when all that outer texture is gone (and the pavlova has to be cooked perfectly), but the inside remains soft, chewy, & almost-marshamallowy-like. It is fabulous. Every texture note is hit... spot-on. I especially adored this recipe because it included brown sugar, which is my favorite sugar, simply because of its molasses-like flavor and the moistness that it adds to any recipe. The brown sugar isn't a stand-out flavor, but you can certainly tell by the picture that it is most definitely an ingredient. The other components could easily be switched out... but there is something so lovely about fresh summer berries that have been macerated until their sweet juices seep out and create a sugary syrup. One little secret ingredient for the berries... balsamic vinegar. Just trust me on this one-- it will really accentuates + deepens the sweetness of the fruit. And what pairs better with sugary-berry-goodness? Well, personally, I love to pair it with some zing, some pop, a little pucker... and that's where the Meyer Lemon Zabaglione comes in. If you haven't made it before, don't fret, it ain't very hard to make. Think of a creamy lemon curd... with the added step of heavy, rigorous whisking. If you can't find Meyer Lemons, that's fine too, just sub in the classic. I just prefer to use the Meyer variety because it's toned-down acidity. In order tone down the lemony flavor + syrupy berries, the Sour Cream Whipped Cream is the ultimate cure. The tanginess of the sour cream and fluffy whipped cream smooth out all the flavors, creating the most-melt-in-your-mouth-groan-until-you-fall-asleep-moment. Yep, it's that good. This dessert has it all-- the texture, the balance of flavors, the gourmet components, and the refreshing taste of summer that is just peaking around the corner. To say the least, my mom was thrilled when I surprised her with this layered pavlova cake for Mother's Day. But hey, it would be great for any party really... especially a cutesy-tootsy brunch with pals + mimosas. I really urge y'all to give this dessert a try because it exceeded our expectations in every way possible!! Enjoy :)

the beginnings of mother's day brunch

whippin' up some brown sugar meringue... ain't it purdy

And the layering begins :)

so many macerated summer berries + their juices

aren't they gorg?

And look at that luscious Meyer Lemon Zabaglione + Sour Cream Whipped Cream

layers upon layers upon layers

even miss molly loved it too :)

For the Brown Sugar Pavlova Meringue:

1C Superfine Granulated Sugar

½C Light Brown Sugar

1 ½T Cornstarch

2t Vanilla Extract

2t Distilled White Vinegar

1t Almond Extract

¾C Egg Whites (from about 5-6 Large Eggs), Room Temperature

Pinch of Salt

For the Macerated Summer Berries:

1lb Strawberries, Trimmed + Quartered

1lb Blackberries

1lb Raspberries

3T Sugar

1T Balsamic Vinegar

1t Vanilla

Pinch of Salt

For the Meyer Lemon Zabaglione:

2 Large Eggs

4 Large Egg Yolks

½C Sugar

2 Meyer Lemons, Zested

1 Meyer Lemon, Juiced

¼C Marsala Wine

2T Brandy

For the Sour Cream Whipped Cream:

2C Heavy Cream, Chilled

2/3C Sour Cream

1t Vanilla

1T Confectioners’ Sugar (sifted)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees with a rack in the middle. Lightly spray 3 cake pans with Pam, line with parchment paper, and dust with confections’ sugar (knocking out the excess until a light coating is left).

2. For the Brown Sugar Pavlova Meringue: Pulse the superfine sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch in the bowl of a food processor until well combined. Whisk together the vanilla, vinegar, and almond extract in a small bowl, set it aside. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add extract-vinegar mixture, and then beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Spoon meringue into pans (about 2 1/2 cups per pan) and smooth tops. Bake until meringues have a crisp crust and feel dry to the touch, about 1 hour (insides will still be marshmallow-like). Turn oven off and prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Cool meringues in oven 1 hour (the meringues may sink slightly and crack while cooling). Run knife along sides of cake pans and carefully turn meringues out of pans. Carefully peel off parchment (meringues will be fragile and the crust may crack further). Carefully turn right side up.

3. For the Macerated Summer Berries: Toss berries with sugar, balsamic, and vanilla; let stand at room temperature until ready to use (up to 1 hour). Season with a pinch of salt, if needed, right before layering into the Pavlova.

4. For the Meyer Lemon Zabaglione: Combine all the ingredients in a stainless steel bowl and set aside. Choose a saucepan large enough to set the bowl over and fill it with 2 inches of water. Bring to a simmer. Whisk the egg mixture in the bowl. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk vigorously until it is about triple in volume and thick and frothy. Lift the bowl off the steam a few times, while whisking, to insure that the mixture does not get too hot and scramble the eggs. The total cooking time will be about 8 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk to cool slightly. Serve now, or cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface and use within 2 hours. It may need to be whisked again just before serving.

5. For the Sour Cream Whipped Cream: Beat heavy cream with sour cream using an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks. Chill until yo are ready to use.

6. Layering the Pavlova: Put 1 meringue on a serving plate, spread one third of sour cream whipped cream over it, followed by one third of the meyer lemon zabaglione. Spoon one third of macerated summer berries, with its’ juice over top. Repeat with remaining meringues, cream, and fruit. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

source: three layer berry and brown sugar pavlova. lemon zabaglione.