For us, Easter Sunday did not go as planned. Eager to start the morning off on the right foot, the family woke up early and headed up to church for 7:30am Mass. Ready to participate in and enjoy the early morning Easter service, we settled into our pew and began the day. Half way through the service, Leah decided she was apparently not in the mood for church and started misbehaving. And, if you know Leah, when she decides she doesn’t want to do something or be somewhere she let’s the whole world know.
I quickly tried to hush her and took her out into the lobby. Stares from old grouchy women and judgmental people who forgot what it is like to have a 2 year old in church were plenty. Towards the end of mass when Leah and I were still in the lobby of church, I saw Nick peek back at me through the glass doors and I signaled that Leah and I were heading home… hopefully to wear her out on the walk so she would at least behave the rest of the day.
When everyone got home, we did our best to try and recover from the scene at church. Putting back on our happy faces, we went outside and let the kids find the eggs in the yard the Easter Bunny had left for them. Things were looking up and all was well for the rest of the morning! A small blip in the morning at church, but we recovered. I was feeling confident… yay us!
“Yay, us!” lasted until about 1pm that afternoon. Nick and I spent most of the day cooking, getting ready to welcome our good friends and neighbors over for a late Easter lunch / early dinner. It was at about 1pm…one hour before our guests were to arrive… that Nick put the pork loin into the oven for me. He then said, as he was checking the recipe to see what the timer should be set at, “You realize this has to cook for 2 hours?” Uh oh… I had hungry guests coming over in just a short while and I had completely misread the cooking time on the recipe! There was no away around it… our guests were going to be here and dinner would not be ready. Not a stellar move for this seasoned hostess!
Everyone got here and you know what? We made due. We sliced up one of the two loaves of homemade bread and shared it with Kerry Gold Butter. We munched on fruit and the deviled eggs my friend contributed. The kids played together, we chatted and all was well. Of course, would you believe that 2 hours later when the timer went off Nick went to check the pork loin and it was overdone! Ah well… it all still worked out and we had a delicious meal with our neighborhood family / friends.
The moral of my entire post is… best laid plans often don’t turn out the way they were meant to, however, there is absolutely nothing about yesterday I would have changed in the end. We enjoyed hanging out with some of my favorite people, were treated to a gorgeous day, a delicious meal, and our many blessings.
Yesterday was all about savoring the moments… the pork loin mishap and the walk home from church required me to slow down and take things in. Just like Limoncello… a drink that is not meant to be guzzled but slowly sipped and enjoyed as you savor what is going on around you.
This recipe is my husband’s handiwork (the Limoncello) combined with a recipe I learned about when traveling to New Orleans with Zatarain’s earlier this year. The head chef of the John Besh restaurant, Domenica, let us enjoy creamy Limoncello, then went on to share what to do to turn regular Limoncello into creamy Limoncello.
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Creamy Limoncello (the non-creamy Limoncello was originally blogged on this post)
Author Dine & Dish
Ingredients
- 10 lemons
- 1 750-ml bottle vodka
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Using a vegetable peeler remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith.
Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the simple syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
Before serving, pour prepared Limoncello and Sweetend Condensed Milk into a large pitcher. Whisk together until well combined. Serve very cold. Refrigerate remaining Creamy Limoncello.
FAQs
Creamy limoncello is a version of the classic fruity liqueur made with the addition of milk and cream. Limoncello, sometimes spelled lemoncello, is an Italian liqueur made from a blend of vodka (or similar grain alcohol) and lemon zest–infused sugar syrup.
Why is my homemade limoncello cloudy? ›
Limoncello cloudiness comes from what is generally called Louching, where some of the oils that are soluble in alcohol but not in water come out of solution as it is diluted.
Does creamy limoncello go bad? ›
A: Crema di limoncello has a shelf life of 6 to 12 months. It should be kept in a cool place but does not require refrigeration. It contains milk/cream but it also has sugar and alcohol, which are potent preservatives. Therefore it is much more shelf stable than milk or cream alone.
Why is my homemade limoncello bitter? ›
Wash the lemons thoroughly in warm water, and rinse well. Remove the zest (only the zest - the yellow part) from the lemons. Try not to get any of the white pith that's under the yellow zest, because the pith makes the limoncello taste bitter.
Does limoncello with cream need to be refrigerated? ›
Refrigerator. It's best to freeze the crema di limoncello rather than refrigerate it, because the milk will spoil easily if left in the refrigerator. The mixture will not freeze fully in the freezer due to the alcohol, so it's the best method for storing the crema di limoncello.
How long does homemade limoncello last? ›
Can Limoncello Go Bad or Expire? You should generally try to consume limoncello within 2 years of creating or opening it. Limoncello only contains 4 ingredients, 2 of which are preservatives. So, it will never “go bad” like milk would but it does lose its lemon scent and flavor over time.
Can you infuse limoncello too long? ›
How Long to Infuse? Infuse your lemon peels and vodka for at least 4 days or up to a month. Most of the lemon flavor is extracted in those first few days, but you'll also get a stronger, bolder flavor the longer you let it sit.
Can you oversteep limoncello? ›
Don't oversteep!
My Recipes tell us that in doing so, the oil trapped in the skins of the lemons will slowly release, infusing the alcohol with the fruit's flavor and vibrant color! After this successful steeping process is when simple syrup is added to the maker's liking to sweeten up the bottle.
Can homemade limoncello go bad? ›
Know Your Storage: Unopened limoncello has a shelf life of two years. But, once you pop the top, try to polish it off within a year. Keep in mind that where you store it matters. To keep its zesty citrus punch fresh, stash it somewhere cool and dry, away from heat or direct sunlight.
Can I drink 10 year old Baileys? ›
Does Bailey's Irish Cream go bad or expire? Generally as long as you don't subject it to temperature extremes it will last well beyond the official 2 year "best taste before" date. Over time the taste will change and the liquid tends to go a bit darker but only really noticeable if you do a side by side comparison.
We could call it Limoncello's little brother as this is basically the creamy version of Limoncello, made with cream and milk. It is smooth, sweet, lemony and simply irresistible!
Does limoncello improve with age? ›
Fiore Limoncello is a liqueur with a relatively high (28%) alcohol content. Accordingly, it can age unopened for years with little to no degradation in quality, however once opened we recommend consuming it within a year for maximum lemon flavor.
Why don't you use lemon juice in limoncello? ›
Variation: Adding Lemon Juice
This will make the finished beverage more cloudy, while at the same time adding a sour note to the sweet, boozy lemon liqueur. The more juice you add, the more sour the finished liquid will become. We couldn't decide which method we liked better—so we did both!
What to do with lemon peels after making limoncello? ›
If you have extra rinds on your hands from preserving lemons and you've already made vats of limoncello, you can cut those rinds into smaller pieces and stuff them into your jars of preserved lemons for bonus pieces. But enough about the preserved lemons. Today, limoncello enjoys its day in the spotlight.
Is it better to use vodka or Everclear for limoncello? ›
I prefer 151-proof Everclear, which is the perfect balance of flavor without being overly strong. You can use 190 proof but you may want to add an additional 1/2+ cup of simple sugar to account for the extra alcohol. If you can only find a 100-120-proof, spirit start with less sugar and add more to taste as needed.
What are the two types of limoncello? ›
Sorrento & Sfusato lemons
Limoncello may not be a protected term, but true limoncello liqueurs are only made using the peel of one of two varieties of lemon, Sfusato and Sorrento.
Are there different types of limoncello? ›
Variants. Many variations of limoncello are also available. These include arancello (flavored with oranges), agrumello (flavored with mixed citrus), pistachiocello (flavored with pistachio nuts), meloncello (flavored with cantaloupe), and fragoncello (flavored with strawberry).
Does limoncello ice cream contain alcohol? ›
It's silky smooth because of the impact of the alcohol from the Limoncello. As it turns out, the addition of alcohol to the ice cream mixture lowers the freezing point. This retards the formation of ice crystals that sometimes plague homemade ice cream.
Can you get drunk on limoncello? ›
Limoncello has about a 30% alcohol content so while it may jump start your digestive enzymes, it will also get you DRUNK.
