One of my most profound food memories from my childhood is lemon slushes. We had a prolific lemon tree in the backyard that produced plump, juicy, thick skinned Eureka lemons. With them, we made lemon squares (gluten-free recipe to follow shortly), lemonade and lots of lots of this frozen form of lemonade. Using the same ingredients in much the same quantity as lemonade (but substituting ice for the majority of the water), gives a wonderful, tart treat perfect for warm days.
I just made four recipes of this for a backyard full of eight kids and three adults. I grew up making this in our reliable Oster blender, but my Vitamix produced a lovely texture a bit finer than a blender, but either will deliver an icy habit forming treat. Depending on your blender, you may need a bit more water, so play with it a little. If it gets too watery, just add a bit more ice.
A note on lemons. I have a friend with a monster lemon tree. My daughter and I collected a full laundry basket full of the fruit, wondering how we’d use it all. We juiced them all in one day, resulting in over a gallon of lemon juice! We froze them in four cup quantities and thawed when we need them. Use the juice right away after thawing and you’ll never know the difference.
Prep time: 15 minutes (less if you’ve already squeezed the juice)
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Special equipment: blender or Vitamix
1 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 c. superfine sugar
3 1/2 c. ice
1/2 c. water
- Place all ingredients into the bowl of a blender of Vitamix and process on high until smooth, about 15 seconds. Serve immediately with a spoon.