Although there’s no official drink of the South, any true southerner knows it always has been and always will be sweet tea. While our neighbors across the pond and up north think us nuts, we all know that a good glass of sweet iced tea is like drinking liquid gold. Here’s a refreshing spin on a southern staple you can serve at cookouts and barbeques all spring and summer long.

Recipe: Grilled Peach Iced Tea
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Inactive: 2 hours
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

16 black tea bags
½ cup sugar
1 large ripe peach, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
1 lemon, halved
½ small bunch mint, torn into pieces

Directions:

• Brew the tea: Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and as soon as it does, remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags (don’t squeeze them) and let the brewed tea cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, make simple syrup: Bring ½ cup of water and the sugar to a boil, stirring, until all of the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a large pitcher and let cool to room temperature.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the peach wedges on the grill and cook until nicely charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Grill the lemon halves, cut-side down, until charred, about 3 minutes.
• Add the grilled peach wedges and mint to the simple syrup in the pitcher. Squeeze in the juice from the grilled lemons. Use a potato masher or muddler to smash the peach wedges and mint really well. Pour in the cooled brewed tea, stir to combine, and then refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. (The longer it sits the more the flavors will develop.) Serve over ice.
  (Recipe from foodnetwork.com)

Helpful Hint: If you’re like me, you enjoy a little iced tea with your sugar. This recipe calls for only ½ cup of sugar per 8 cups of tea, but feel free to add more or less depending on your desired level of sweetness.

Try This: If peaches aren’t your thing or you just want to switch it up, try grilling other fruits like pineapples, strawberries, or mangos for this recipe. Your guests will always be guessing what flavor you’ll try next!

Health Life – March-April 2017

Recipe: Grilled Peach Iced Tea

Written by: Anna Limoges