Italian Lemon Ice (Page 860)

RECIPE #786

• Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 -- 8pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: Matty's Apartment
• Fellow Chef: Matty
  
• Recipe Rating: A-
  

I was looking for a cool summer treat last week, so I threw together this lemon ice. In a word: yum! I am very partial to anything composed entirely of sugar, flavored liquid, and ice (slushies, slurpees, sno cones, Italian ice, Hawaiian ice, Icees, frozen lemonade, etc...). When it comes to those items I also have high standards. But this lemon ice did not disappoint. Matty was completed enthralled with it. In the two days it lasted in our freezer he must have asked me a dozen times if I wanted some so he wouldn't feel guilty eating it all himself! The lemon flavor was delicious, and there was just the right amount of sugar to produce a frozen treat that was neither too sweet nor too tart. We squeezed the lemon juice fresh, which I believe is absolutely essential -- the flavor wouldn't be the same with bottled juice. The texture was just right, and it melted in the mouth just as Italian ice should. This was a delicious summer treat -- absolutely perfect for the dog days of summer.

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In any relationship, no matter how good, there will inevitably be times when your loyalty and commitment are put to the test. The latter half of this week was that time in my relationship with running. Training in the summer in Boston is one thing -- running around a shady reservoir is generally a pleasant experience. Training in July in small town South Carolina is another thing entirely. Between the extreme heat and the packs of wild dogs (no I am not kidding), it is a difficult place to run. The heat also doesn't break down here the way it does in Boston. Up north if you hold out until 7 or 8pm eventually the temperature will drop. Down here, not so much. So today I faced a 6 mile run in 95 degree heat. The temperature didn't drop into the 80's until after it got dark, and then the wild dog thing is too much for me to handle. So it was sunny and hot when I set out to run 6 miles of .7 mile laps around my parents' neighborhood (no, the wild dogs do not spare residential neighborhoods, but I figured if you are going to be chased down by a pack of dogs you might as well be close to home!). My special gentleman sat in a lawn chair at the end of my parents' driveway throughout my run, reading a math paper. Every time I ran by he would drench me with the garden hose -- it was the only way to cope with the heat (yes, I am aware of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful partner!). A few laps in I convinced some kids at the other end of the loop to spray me with the hose as I ran by them too. In the end, the 6 miles were manageable. Hot, but manageable. Tomorrow we are driving back to Boston, and I am definitely looking forward to running in the Boston heat rather than the South Carolina variety.