Sparkling Roasted Peach Lemonade

Guys, Fall is here. I can't quite figure out whether I'm super happy about this, or kind of sad. I LOVE summertime. There is always so much to do, and my kids are usually completely worn out by the end of the day from playing around outside as much as possible. I'm going to miss the days at the pool, picnics at the splash pad, and long summer nights. However, fall is quite lovely, and I'm already super excited for all the fun events we have planned in October as a family. 

But just for one second, while we are still in the thick of peach season, I wanted to share one more lovely peach recipe to hang on to summer, but also enjoy the juicy fruits early fall has to offer. Harvest season has never tasted so good! 

Very close to where we are building our first home right now, a brand new Smiths Marketplace has been built (in Daybreak, Utah), and I couldn't be more excited! I attended and loved their opening event, and have been back several times since. Right now, ending this week (so hurry on over if you live near one!), they are having their #tasteofItaly event where they have tons of yummy authentic Italian ingredients to try (and some killer BOGO deals, too, for stuff you'd already be buying for groceries, but at a better price, and more authentic ingredients!). I left with a basket-full of ingredients to make into recipes and had such a blast with it in the kitchen. THIS recipe here today was my favorite one, and I just couldn't wait to share it with you! It's a twist on one of my classic recipes: Roasted Peach Lemonade, and after tasting my newest updated version, I knew we had scored big time!

I simply added two ingredients to my original recipe: Limonata and San Pellegrino. I had actually never tried Limonata before, but DANG that stuff is amazing! It was like a sparkling lemonade with a rich lemon undertone. I loved it, and knew we'd be in for a treat using it in this recipe. 

Next, was the San Pellegrino. Whenever I see this stuff, it totally reminds me of my mother-in-law. She speaks Italian, loves Italy, served a mission in Italy, is a professional genealogist for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and just so happens to have lots of Italian in her blood. She loves San Pellegrino, so cheers to you, Ruth, on this one! :) It tasted amazing in this lemonade, and added just a little bit of heaven to each glass.  

Making this lemonade is pretty simple. The "Roasted" part is the secret ingredient, for sure! It takes the peach flavors to the very next level, and changes everything from awesome peach, to HOLY CRAP THIS IS AMAZING peach flavor. Yep, we had to go there. :) 

Roasting the peaches is super easy. All you do, is slice the peaches in half, remove the pits, place them in a 9x13 dish (cut side up), sprinkle with some brown sugar to caramelize and broil those babies until they are nice and toasty-roasty. You can remove the skins before pureeing them for the lemonade, but I kind of like the way the skins taste, so I usually leave them in. Plus, it adds a rich, lovely color to the already sunset-dream this lemonade color has! 

Next, you can strain the pulp out if you'd like, but I think it's yummy in this lemonade. I usually just keep it in. Stir in that heavenly puree with the rest of the ingredients, and you're almost ready to pour yourself a glass. 

But there's one last step - refrigerate. Yep. It's complete torture, but I promise this lemonade tastes much better as cold as possible. It's worth it. Enjoy!  

Sparkling Roasted Peach Lemonade

makes almost 2 quarts

ingredients:

6-8 peaches, halved, pitted

2 T light brown sugar 

8.4 fl oz Limonata

1/4 C lemon juice 

1 pt San Pellegrino 

1/2 - 1 cup sugar

3 cups water

method:

1. Preheat the oven to broil. Line up the peach halves on a 9x13 glass baking dish (cut side up). Sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil until tops are toasted brown (mine took about 2 minutes, but watch 'em!). Set aside to cool while getting the rest of the lemonade ready. 

2. In a 2 quart pitcher, mix together the Limonata, lemon juice, San Pellegrino, sugar, and water. 

3. Puree the peaches (skin and all) in a blender until nice and thin (no chunks). Pour into the prepared lemonade mixture and stir. Refrigerate until completely cold. Enjoy! 

recipe source: Baking with Blondie