messy.beautiful: 31 Days to Green Gables: On Raspberry Cordial. {Day 4}

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

31 Days to Green Gables: On Raspberry Cordial. {Day 4}

All Anne-fans know the "Raspberry Cordial" scene....

well, okay, for those that DO NOT KNOW...Anne, the main character, is so smitten to have her best friend (or bosom buddy), Diana, over for a tea party. She is happy to go through all the "formalities" of such a party (the etiquette, the conversation, the dress etc) but this party comes to end when she mistakes Marilla's (her foster mother) homemade red currant wine for Raspberry Cordial. Her best friend, embarrassingly gets drunk on the wine, cuts the party short and goes home. Diana's mom is not happy (as she's trying to raise a "proper girl") and puts a (temporary) end to the girls' friendship.

Well now, I made a non-alcoholic version of Raspberry Cordial....
and it was fantastic!

Ingredients:

* 2 pkg (300 g) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
* 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 3 lemons
* 4 cups boiling water

The How to:

In large saucepan over medium heat, combine raspberries and sugar; cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.

Transfer raspberries to bowl; using potato masher, mash berries well. Strain through fine-mesh sieve into separate bowl, pressing firmly to extract all juice. Discard seeds.

Squeeze 2 of the lemons and strain juice. Add to bowl of raspberry juice. Pour in boiling water; let cool slightly. Refrigerate until chilled.

Slice remaining lemon thinly. Pour juice into glasses; garnish each with lemon slice.

So that was the official "how to"...however, I didn't have a thin enough sieve or cheesecloth handy...so I literally was sifting through it with a cheese grater. Yes, a cheese crater with very tiny holes and trying to "pick up" the pulp! Also, as a result, I ended up adding more water to thin it out somewhat.

And the result --- very refreshing!!! Like a really good, natural juice, as opposed to the overly sugared, jelly-tasting "fruit drinks" you can buy in a store. It's real fruit juice. Well, more like a fruit spritzer, minus the fizz. But I guess you can add that to if you were making a punch.

I will have to try this recipe again....this time with a cheesecloth and proper straining....but overall, a definite winner!

Also, fun at my expense, here is a picture of me in 2007 on our trip to Prince Edward Island. Yes, I donned the Anne-hat/braids...kinda scary...