Watermelon Limeade - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I spent some time today perusing new cook books in our library. I found Emeril Lagasse's latest book, Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh and brought it home with me. I've not always been a fan of his, and it's only in the past few years that I've come to appreciate the work he does. I never doubted his ability as a chef or business man, but his antics as a showman made me uncomfortable and I tuned him out. Then, in the final episode of the first America's Next Food Network Star, I saw him perform an act of kindness that changed my mind about the man. When the winner was announced, everyone, save Emeril, swarmed around the couple who had won. The loser, who had obviously not been told what to do should she lose, just stood there, stunned, and unfortunately the cameras stayed trained on her. Emeril came to the aid of the visibly shaken young woman and gave her a squeeze, distracting her until she regained her composure. He was genuinely sympathetic and I became more interested in the man and his cooking after that. Who knew? The guy's a mensch. This wonderful version of limeade is in his new book and I can attest to how good it is. It's very easy to prepare and, while this version of the recipe contains no alcohol, this, mixed with white tequila, has the makings of a fabulous margarita. If you don't feel like cutting watermelon, the watermelon juice that's available in supermarkets will also work in this recipe. That juice, by the way, makes wonderful ice cubes, as well as popsicles for the kids. This is a lovely new take on classic limeade. I think you'll love this. Here's the recipe.

Watermelon Limeade...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Emeril LaGasse

Ingredients:
8 cups cubed watermelon (seedless), or 1 quart watermelon juice
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste
Lime slices, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1) Place half of watermelon cubes in a blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl; discard solids. Repeat with remaining watermelon cubes. You should end up with about 1 quart of watermelon juice.
2) Add lime juice and sugar to watermelon juice, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Taste, and add more sugar if necessary. Transfer limeade to a nonreactive pitcher and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
3) Serve over ice in tumblers, with lime slices for garnish. Yield: 5 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Homemade Ginger Ale - One Perfect Bite
Limeade Concentrate - One Perfect Bite
Watermelon Smoothie - One Perfect Bite
Iced Coffee Recipes - Yummy
Pineapple Limeade - Real Mom Kitchen
Coconut Iced Tea and Coffee - Jenn Cuisine

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.