southern belle

Remember last week when I told you I was successful at making myself like watermelon?! Here's the story behind that other dish I alluded to...

I'm in NY visiting my future in-laws. Matt and I took a day to see some of our friends who live in the city and that included brunch with one of my favorite foodie friends. A few years ago when we lived in SF, she took me to an amazing place for brunch. In fact, that same place inspired one of my first posts, pumpkin bread french toast with bourbon caramel sauce. The pictures don't do it justice, that dish is AMAZING! But back to brunch with Helena at Brenda's French Soul food… Hels ordered a watermelon sweet tea and I completely dismissed it because, well, I'm not a big fan of the fruit. When that watermelon showed up at my door, the timing couldn't have been more perfect. I had just made plans to meet Helena for brunch which lead me to thinking about the last time we brunched together. I knew I had to try making my own watermelon sweet tea.

Turns out, I shouldn't have snubbed the beverage. It plays nicely with strong black tea. Agave gives it a nice sweetness in addition to the fruit. Straining it in a fine mesh sieve gets rid of that sweet mush I'm not very fond of. But now that I'm thinking about it… I bet if you didn't strain it and added in some ice or even frozen watermelon cubes into the blender, that this would make one fine slushy. I'm trying that next! 

I totally should have frozen some watermelon cubes and used them instead of ice cubes for this drink, too. Think about it… iced tea that stays cold and doesn't get watered down?! That's ideal for summertime sipping! I highly recommend doing that if you have the time. How fun would that be for your 4th of July party?! Very festive if you ask me! And an easy last minute addition to any party since it's 3 steps!


Happy 4th of July everyone!

watermelon sweet tea

yields 4 - small glasses

ingredients:

2 c. cubed seedless watermelon

2 c. brewed iced tea

4 T. agave nectar (to add a little sweetness, it is sweet tea after all)

In a blender, combine ingredients and puree until combined. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Pour over ice, sip, enjoy!

improv style:

you like pulp in your oj? skip the sieve step - the texture will be similar. you could make this into a slushy as mentioned above by freezing your watermelon first. not a fan of watermelon? i don't blame you. cantaloupe would be delicious combined with a black or white tea. that's another thing you can improv. sweet tea is traditionally black tea but why not use green or white?! get creative with it! i'm not an overly sweet lover so i kept the sugar level down. add as much as you want (i'm sure true southerners are thinking i'm crazy for suggesting this is "sweet tea"). speaking of sweeteners… agave was my choice but honey, simple syrup (1 c. sugar + 1 c. water heated up until dissolved), artificial sweetener, super fine sugar… they all work. whatever you have on hand you can use. didn't get enough watermelon flavor out of this? add some more. like i said, i'm slowly starting to appreciate the fruit, don't push me! :) 

feeling like day drinking?! add in some vodka or light rum and you're on your way to summertime sippin! enjoy!