Lemon Ice and Losing My Innocence in New York City

Whenever I make this refreshing lemon ice, I always think of a story my father told me many years ago, about the Italian ice vendors in New York, stirring a few lemon seeds into their tubs, so that people would think they were using real lemons.

They weren�t, which sort of disappointed me at the time, but eventually I came to appreciate the hustle. I loved the story, but it also had me facing the cold, hard truth that all is not what it seems. What else wasn�t real? Anyway, that�s about as heavy as I want to get on this pleasant summer evening.

This couldn�t be any easier to make, and you can really play around with the texture, depending on what you�re into. Some people will stop at the slushy stage, but I generally keep freezing and forking until I have shaved ice crystals. I love the contrast between that light texture; and bright, vibrant flavor. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

 Ingredients for 8 portions:

4 cups cold water

7/8 cup sugar (14 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 8 to 10 lemons)

1 teaspoon lemon extract