Winter giving way to spring happens to me one of my favorite culinary seasons. There are a handful of fruits and vegetables at their peak – just teasing us of all the good to come in summer. Luckily citrus season is beginning to wane as sweet spring strawberries are coming to market just about the time we start bringing out sandals!

Strawberry lemonade is my ideal spring-time drink – refreshing and bright perfect for warm breeze afternoon picnics. Unfortunately – most strawberry lemonade doesn’t taste like strawberries to me.

My solution? Roasted strawberry puree! Roasting the berries concentrates their flavor making them sweeter and, well, more strawberrier. Bonus – roasted strawberries will make your whole house smell amazing.  I also like to make the most of my lemons by zesting and juicing them for this lemonade.

Cheers to spring!

Roasted Strawberry Lemonade

Yield: 2 quarts of lemonade

Ingredients:
4-6 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pint of strawberries, stem removed and halved
1 cup lemon juice (from the lemons above)
4 cups water, divided
4 cups ice
Lemon slices for garnish

How–to:

• Heat the oven to 375 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Set aside.
• Zest the lemons on a micro-grater. Mix the lemon zest with the sugar – massaging the zest into the sugar until the sugar is a pale yellow and fragrant. Halve the lemons and juice them – you’ll need a cup of juice for the lemonade.
• Toss the strawberries with ½ cup of the lemon sugar and spread them into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
• Roast the strawberries for 30 minutes or until the berries are shrunken, fragrant and juicy. Remove for the oven to cool for 10 minutes.
• Combine the remaining lemon sugar with the lemon juice and 2 cups of water in a large pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the ice and stir again. Taste and top with additional water as desired. I find 4 cups of water is the perfect balance of sweet to tart!
• Puree the roasted strawberries in a blender or food processor. Pour the puree through a fine mesh strainer into the lemonade pitcher. Stir well to combine and serve with additional lemon slices to garnish.

Cook’s Notes: The lemon sugar and roasted strawberry puree can be made up to a week in advance. I served the roasted strawberry puree on the side so guests could make their own glasses strawberry to their own tastes.

Both the strawberry puree (on its own) and the finished strawberry lemonade make killer popsicles – just pour into molds and freeze!

Meghan Splawn is a professional recipe developer, wife, and mama. Meghan’s blog, Stir and Scribble, is full of clever cooking and useful kitchen tips. She’s a fan of candy, classic cocktails, and fuss-free family dinners. 

Find more of Meghan here: twitter | pinterest |instagram.

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