As we stroll into June we can reflect on the many turns that the sixth month of the year represent. According to the Roman calendar, June is named after the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of marriage. Perhaps that is why so many young brides crave a June wedding, aside from the very pleasant weather that the month brings for wedding season. June also holds the Summer Solstice for us in the Northern hemisphere. As we inch towards the longest day of the year and our days grow warmer we thirst for cool and refreshing drinks. Celebrations and the summer bring to my mind Limoncello and I remember one film that depicts Italian Lemon Liquor in a delicious scene. Under The Tuscan Sun takes a woman into wondrous new world, and I love magical stories that are novels turned movies.
In Under The Tuscan Sun, Diane Lane plays Frances Mayes, a San Francisco author who discovers her husband is cheating on her. She gets out of the marriage, and a friend, played by a very young Sandra Oh, gives her a ticket to Italy on a gay tour — “so nobody will hit on you,” she explains. The next thing she knows, Frances is getting off the tour bus and making an offer on a charming little villa that needs a lot of work.
The journey to restoring this once owned by a Contessa villa brings all the things Frances dreams of for her home in the most unique ways among new found friends…a wedding, family, love. She does it all while preparing large meals for the Polish workers who help restore the villa.
While Tuscan dishes are among the many visually scrumptious scenes, I’m still sticking with the seaside Limoncello to feature in this months A Fork and A Flick Friday post.
Ingredients
7 lemons
1 bottle (750 ml) vodka
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
Method
- Wash the lemons with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any reside of pesticides or wax; pat the lemons dry.
- Carefully zest the lemons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel.
- In a large glass jar add vodka and the lemon zest. Cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for at least ten days.
- In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water; cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let the syrup cool.
- Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the Limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels.
- Transfer the Limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours before serving.
