Start summer off right with Blackberry Lemonade, then...

So, in the South it's summer already, with temperatures skyrocketing into the 80's daily. ALREADY! With that in mind, there's nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day, after mowing the lawn especially, than a glass of freshly made lemonade. Except, maybe...

Mmmm...

When living in Seattle, a friend of mine  got hooked on trying new flavors of lemonade - strawberry, raspberry, blueberry were usually early in the season when she would go picking them at a local farm. But, in late summer, the blackberries grew HUGE on the side of our house. We'd wait for them to get to the point that they were nearly falling off the vines, and PLUCK 'EM! Mah-gawd...

I recently saw some blackberries in the local grocery and said, "yep. It's time." So, I'm going to share with you my blackberry sauce recipe, which can be used here to make some blackberry lemonade, and then as well in a blackberry and Chipotle bbq grilling sauce, than can also be used as a pan sauce at the end (that's in the NEXT installment/recipe!)

And, if you're really adventurous... on a hot afternoon when you finished all your chores... why not a little somfin'-somfin' extra in that lemonade?

Highly recommended!

BLACKBERRY PUREE SAUCE RECIPE:

• 2 Pints of blackberries
• 6 packets of Stevia sweetener
• 1/2 C of water

1. Place all ingredients into a sauce pan, bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes

2. 

   Between low and medium heat on this pan, otherwise they will overflow!

3. 
   
4. Mash them with a potato masher, and return to the heat for another 5 minutes.
5. Let sit in the pan off the heat and cool, for about 15 minutes.
6. You can reduce these in a couple ways, in a blender or a food processor, crush these for about a minute. 
7. Finally, put a glass bowl on the counter, with a fine mesh strainer (sieve) over top of the bowl. Pour the blackberry reduction into the strainer and use a silicone/plastic spatula to mash this through the strainer. Every now and then, scrape the bottom of the strainer, into the bowl. Wrap or place into a storage container for future use.

BLACKBERRY LEMONADE RECIPE:

• 1/2 C of blackberry puree you just created above
• 1 C fresh lemon juice
• 2 C water
• Ice

1. In a tall 2 QT pitcher, mix together the first three ingredients.
2. After blended, add ice to bring the liquid to the top of the pitcher, and let sit a few minutes.
3. If you enjoy it, add a shot of moonshine to each glass!
4. If it's not sweet enough, add a spoonful of the blackberry puree to each glass and stir!