saturday, june 30th 2007

I learned an important lesson while hiking the Cinque Terre Trail during a college summer I spent backpacking through Italy. Olives might look appealing bobbing like mossy jewels in the sea breeze blowing up the terraced hillsides from the Mediterranean Sea along the Ligurian Coast, but only a fool would pluck one from a tree branch and eat it. I was the fool and to this day can still taste the astringent punch that hovered somewhere between licking the inside of a gas tank and drinking a bottle of Windex. Fortunately, that was the only mishap as a friend and I ambled along the eleven kilometer long trail carved from cliffside stone high above the sea.

Roman ruins, vineyards and olive trees fleck the ancient path that sees 500 meters of elevation change along its journey through the five villages of the Cinque Terre. Beginning with the northern-most town of Monterosso al Mare, the trail unfurls like a dusty ribbon of stone through the villages of Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola coming to its conclusion at Riomaggiore. The villages nearly spill into the sea from the humps of mountains they cling to in a jumble of houses that ring their diminutive ports. Restaurants speckle the serpentine streets that take their time to reach the sun-dappled sapphire blue water humming with the business of fishermen bobbing on the protected patches of sea beneath an azure stained sky. The streets hum with the sound of their voices as they call to each other from their electric green, red and yellow boats. They pay no attention to the tourists streaming into their villages from the trail, mouths agape at the raw beauty of it all. There are nets to be strung, fish to gut, sails to patch and after a day of work, a little limoncello to be drunk.

One of the villages of the Cinque Terre Trail
It was not until we wandered into the final village of Riomaggiore that I learned the second lesson of the day. It too was a gastronomic epiphany but unlike the bitter pinch of a raw olive, this one left nothing in my mouth but the desire for more. Hungry and thirsty from the dusty trek behind us, we settled into a speck of a restaurant snug up against the port. Lazy water lapped against the terrace as we made our way through a Ligurian feast.

Infused with the Mediterranean heat that rolls up then spills down its cliffsides, Ligurian cuisine is more reflective of southern Italy than the heartier cuisine of its closer neighbors, France and Northern Italy. Riviera Ligure olive oil, basil pesto, sardines, anchovies, bread and pasta hewn from wheat, chickpea, and chestnut flour, tomatoes, garlic and an abundance of fresh seafood along with rabbit and veal are washed down with fruity red and white wines produced from the sea-kissed grapes of the region. While the exact menu of that afternoon meal is lost to time, what I remember from it is the chilled digestif that followed.

This little dog followed us from Monterrosso al Mare to  Riomaggiore. We took him back on the return train to Monterrosso al Mare with us and the next day saw him playing on the beach with his owner.
I was a limoncello virgin until that shimmering afternoon in Riomaggiore. The tiny glass of sweet liquid sunshine was a revelation. Its bright lemon zip radiated through my body, the fresh spark of chilled citrus perfumed the hot dry air made suddenly cool. Much more gratifying than a sour olive, my second lesson of the day was clear. On the occasion that one wishes they were in the salty embrace of a seaside village along the Mediterranean but instead finds themselves in the headache-inducing rush of a city, a bottle of limoncello chilling in the freezer is a certain cure. Even if a visit to the Cinque Terre is not a filed away memory, one sip of the milky lemon elixir transcends experience and excites the universal human desire in all of us to do nothing with a day but fill it with pure, unsullied joy.

A staircase comprising a portion of the Cinque Terre Trail 
The origin of limoncello is up for debate. Some sources site Sicily, others the island of Capri or perhaps its neighbor Ischia, still others attribute its creation to various towns along the Amalfi Coast. Wherever its origins lie, one thing is certain, the secret is out on Limoncello. What began as a southern Italian glass of sunshine is spreading its light around the world, quickly becoming a favorite of bartenders and consumers alike. Limoncello's simple recipe of lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar has made it a favorite of home distillers and it's bright flavor adds zip to recipes both savory and sweet. Infused with the sweet oil of lemon rinds but not the pungent bite of its juice, limoncello is an ideal addition to drinks and recipes that require the essence of lemon without the sour kick.

Homemade limoncello is easy to make and a bottle of it is a wonderful gift. Sorrento lemons of the Amalfi region are said to impart the best flavor due to the high oil content of their peels but this variety has only recently become available in the United States and if it is not accessible, choose lemons with thick, waxy skins as they will have the highest oil content.

For approximately three quarts of limoncello, wash and dry between 17-20 lemons and remove the ends with a knife. Using either a vegetable peeler or a microplane, carefully grate the yellow rind from the lemon. Go slowly so as to avoid scraping off any of the white pith, which will impart a bitter taste to the limoncello.

In a one gallon Mason jar with a rubber sealing lid, combine the peel with about 48 ounces of grain alcohol. Spirits that contains 40% alcohol or less are typically not strong enough to properly extract the oil from the peel. Therefore, choose alcohol that contains a higher proof. Screw the jar cap on tightly and store it in a dark, cool place. Shake it once each day to agitate the lemon peel.

After two weeks, prepare a simple syrup by bringing to a boil 5 cups of water. Add 5 1/2 cups of sugar, remove the pot from the heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and bring the syrup to room temperature. Strain the lemon peel/ alcohol mixture over the syrup preferably with a fine mesh chinois. Discard the lemon peel then transfer the syrup mixture to the jar. Store for another three weeks after which time the limoncello is ready to be transferred to smaller bottles for consumption. Store limoncello in the freezer as the high proof alcohol will not freeze and limoncello is best served chilled as it is most refreshing this way. Voila! Sunshine in a glass!

Other citrus varieties such as blood, mandarin or Valencia oranges or Meyer lemon work just as well for this recipe. Grapefruit does not translate successfully however due to a chemical called nootkatone found in its peel and flesh that imparts a bitter flavor.

Not only is limoncello a welcome addition to drinks, it also adds a perky zest to edible recipes. My husband's favorite asparagus preparation includes a limoncello beurre blanc sauce which is a buoyant accompaniment to countless other vegetable, seafood and poultry preparations. Limoncello imparts a sweet hint of lemon to a marinade and is a bright finish to fresh fruit, pound cake or drizzled in a sunny ribbon over ice cream. Here I've added limoncello to a simple cupcake recipe. The result is a moist, lemony cake topped with a fluffy hat of cream cheese frosting that I also infused with a bit of limoncello. The batter puffs up to a moist golden cake from only a small portion of batter in each cup.

I topped the cupcakes with a variety of organic edible flowers and while the sweet cake beneath them might be more desirable to munch on than a daisy or mum, the flowers impart undeniable cheerfulness and a burst of fresh color. Serve the cupcakes with a glass of limoncello at the end of the meal and this summer treat is guaranteed to perk up the day.

Limoncello Cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel, no pith
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons limoncello
1 tablespoon milk

1 batch cream cheese frosting, recipe follows
a variety of organic edible flowers, see resource guide
equipment: 16 bun muffin pan lined with cupcake papers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients except for 2 tablespoons limoncello and milk. Pulse until the batter is smooth. As the food processor runs, slowly add in remaining limoncello and milk through the funnel and mix until completely incorporated into the batter.

2. Divide the mixture up into the 16 bun muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cupcakes have risen and are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and cool the cupcakes for a few minutes in the tin before removing from the tin and cooling completely. Once cool, frost and top each with a flower. Serve with chilled limoncello.

Yield: 16 cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened
2 teaspoons limoncello
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese, butter, limoncello and lemon zest at medium speed until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and beat at high until full incorporated and the frosting is light and fluffy, about three minutes.

Notes:

This amount of frosting will exceed the amount needed for the cupcakes but the remainder can be refrigerated for up to two weeks and used for additional recipes. 

Resource Guide 

Organic Edible Flowers:  Melissa's and igourmet sell organic edible flowers. Fairway, Gourmet Garage and Whole Foods carry them in their stores.

Limoncello: Store bought limoncello is sold at many liquor stores throughout the country. On-line it can be purchased from Wine Specialist and  Wine Chateau, among others.

Microplane: The microplane is one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. It's inexpensive and useful for so many things including grating citrus and garlic, spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon and creates a light, fluffy grate of any hard cheese such as parmesan or pecorino. They can be purchased at virtually any kitchen supply store and bought online here: Microplane