Strawberry Passionfruit Lemonade

Welcome summer with this refreshing twist on a classic lemonade, made with Meyer lemons, fresh passionfruit juice, and a ruby red strawberry syrup for the perfect amount of sweetness and strawberry flavor.

Sure lemonade is refreshing, but have you ever tried strawberry passionfruit lemonade? The unique combination of fruit results in an extra tart, bright fruity flavor that folks of all ages will adore.

We’ve had a lovely spring here in Nashville, but the heat and humidity are definitely upon us now. In this kind of weather there are few things more refreshing than an ice-cold glass of homemade lemonade.

If that lemonade is gussied up with strawberry and passionfruit… well, I’m not complaining (really, it’s all of my favorite flavors in one dewy glass!)

It’s one of those recipes that is ripe for adaptation too (get it? ripe?) whether you use sparkling instead of still water, replace the strawberries with blueberries or blackberries, or even add a splash (or more than a splash) of something boozy for an adults-only variation.

This is an adaptation of my Passion Fruit Meyer Lemonade recipe from a few years back. The main difference being the addition of strawberries, which are cooked down with the sugar syrup. This version also has a bit more lemon juice to passionfruit, mainly because passionfruit is a bit of a rare find these days and I wanted to preserve the precious little I have, but also to give a better balance of flavors and tartness to the final product.

The flavors in this recipe are beautifully balanced; as much as I love strawberry I didn’t want that to be the the only thing you tasted. Instead, you should get equal amounts of strawberry as you do the passionfruit and Meyer lemon.

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Strawberry Meyer Lemon Tart

The taste of springtime in one show-stopping tart: a velvety smooth Meyer lemon curd and a layer of bright strawberry jam nestled inside a lemon-scented shortbread crust, and topped with fresh strawberries and edible flowers.

Lemon and strawberry come together in a tart that’s as bright in flavor as it is in color. Using Meyer lemons gives the curd filling a well-balanced sweetness with a vibrant lemon flavor, paired with fresh strawberries and a layer of strawberry jam for a perfect finish.

Technically lemon season is at its end, but, thanks to an over-eager tree trimmer, my aunt had a surplus of lemons that needed to be used immediately. Three days later (the postal service is an amazing thing) I found myself with yet another box full of gorgeous Meyer lemons.

After having already made a lemon loaf cake and lemon mousse cakes and a double batch of homemade limoncello, I decided to revisit an old lemon tart recipe to update and rephotograph.

Well, one thing led to another and I ended up making something entirely different (are you surprised? You shouldn’t be).

Seeing that strawberry season is upon us, combining strawberries and lemons seemed like an obvious choice. While I toyed with the idea of mixing the strawberries into the lemon curd, or even adding a layer of strawberry gelée on top, I ultimately decided to keep it simple and spread a layer of fresh strawberry jam in the bottom of the crust. I was a bit worried the jam would mix with the curd or even migrate to the top in the oven, but, to my surprise, it came out as a beautifully defined layer of strawberry jam beneath a vibrant yellow lemon curd.

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Marzipan-Stuffed French Toast

Talk about starting the day off right, this decadent marzipan-stuffed French toast is an almond lover’s delight. Two thick slices of buttery brioche with a layer of creamy marzipan spread in between, it takes Brunch to an entirely new level.

If you love the flavor of marzipan, this stuffed French toast is right up your alley. The creamy almond filling is similar to what you’d find in the middle of an almond croissant, soft and gooey and bursting with almond flavor.

What’s not to love: a creamy almond filling sandwiched between two thick slices of buttery brioche, then soaked in an egg and milk custard and pan-fried for a perfectly golden brown and crispy finish. Topped with toasted almonds, a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup, it’s the perfect brunch recipe you never knew you needed.

Yes, I’ve called it marzipan-stuffed French toast, but if you want to nit pick, almond paste-stuffed would be the technically correct name. But that doesn’t sound nearly as appealing as marzipan-stuffed, does it? In reality almond paste is a more rustic version of marzipan, marzipan being a sweeter and more finely textured almond paste. At least here in the States, what is sold as marzipan and almond paste are two different things (in Europe good quality marzipans are much more prevalent, unlike the dried out, overly sweet stuff we’re stuck with here).

The filling is similar to that of an almond croissant; when it’s cooked it gets wonderfully gooey but still retains that distinct almond flavor (there’s no denying this recipe is plenty almondy even without any added extract).

The filling could also be described as a frangipane-like, which is an almond custard used in fruit tarts and other baked goods (though frangipane usually starts with almond flour rather than almond paste).

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