I knew I shouldn't buy them, but they were so pretty. They were so juicy, so alluring, and so tantalizing in the dead of winter. they were far from being organic and even farther from being local., but I caved. there were four pounds of red morsels that smelled just like summer. And as i stood there debating if I should fall for this grocery store Valentine's Day ploy, I recalled this delectable recipe. It took a borrowed iPhone to get the exact details but I remembered hearing about these strawberries swimming in their own thick syrup and I wanted my own.
I knew these strawberries would need to be preserved in some way. There was no way they would last more than a few days and I wanted to stretch their lifespan. This was an absolutely simple recipe that I was able to fit into a crazy, hectic day. There is literally just a few minutes of cook time and a few minutes of clean up. The most time consuming part is prepping all of the strawberries, but that is half the fun. The results are tender strawberry chunks soaked in a bright strawberry syrup that can be drizzled over all sorts of delicious things. The berries could be topped with whipped cream. The syrup could be used in some fancy cocktails or to spruce up some sparkling water. I hope I can make these strawberries last until these beauties are actually in season around these parts.
Strawberry Conserve adapted from the lovely people at The Canal House, Bon Appetit and Orangette.
4 cups fresh strawberries (about 1 pound), hulled, halved (and preferable organic)
3/4 cup sugar
Peel (with white pith) of 1/2 lemon
1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy, wide pot. cover and let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally for 2 hours.
2. Bring strawberry mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring gently until strawberries are tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer strawberries to 1 pint jar.
4. Continue simmering the sauce until it thickens into a syrupy consistency, 1-2 minutes.
5. Discard lemon peel and pour syrup over strawberries.
6. Seal and let cool to room temperature. Chill for up to 1 month.
1 comment:
I am tempted by your pictures to go buy strawberries. I could add them to my yogurt in the morning or pour them on ice cream at night. The sauce could be drizzled over a thin slice of chocolate cake, or just place a slice of dark chocolate in the whipped cream you put on top. I'm getting hungry.
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