Astor Bake Shop opened in Astoria at the start of the summer and is now gearing up to add a light brunch and dinner menu, as well as select wines and beers, liquor license pending. Chef-owner George McKirdy hopes to tempt you into visiting (and tempt the summer into staying just a little longer) with his recipe for lightly salted lemonade.
“The best lemonade I ever had was at the Dansbury Fair about 30 years ago,” says McKirdy. “It took me forever to realize what made it so good. Salt! A small addition of salt just brightens the lemony taste. It also has a thirst quenching effect that regular lemonade doesn’t. It’s like a natural sports drink. Some like it saltier or sweeter than others, so just start off with a small amount of the base recipe and adjust it to your taste. It’s easily made into the base for a margarita, too.”
Sea Salt Lemonade
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Ingredients:
8 lemons
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 cups sugar
Cut the lemons into eighths, and in a bowl, toss with salt and sugar. Place the lemons in a mason jar for one to four weeks. In a large pitcher, combine the preserved lemons with one gallon of filtered water. Adjust with more lemon juice, sugar, salt, or water, to taste.
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