Monday, June 29, 2009

Strawberry Sauce

I bought a half-flat of strawberries a few days ago. They were beautiful--deep red and perfectly ripe. And then I started eating them. Such a disappointment! I'd say that three of every four were either bland or downright sour. But the sweet ones were little punches of happiness. Still, it wasn't worth plowing through the sour berries for the occasional sweet one.

The solution? Strawberry sauce! Cooking the strawberries and adding a little sugar turns even bland and/or sour berries into something wonderful. The recipe measurements are very forgiving--it's really one of those "a bit of this" and "a pinch of that" compositions. But here's what I did:

3 cups strawberries, trimmed and halved (or quartered, if you prefer)
2 tablespoons sugar or agave syrup (I used sugar)
a splash of lemon juice
a pinch of salt (to enhance the sweetness)

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat. Cook until the strawberries start to fall apart and everything is a big, bubbling mess. Taste for sweetness. If needed, continue simmering until the sauce is reduced to your preferred thickness.

Done! You can refrigerate it and serve over ice cream. Pour it over shortcake or a big slice of vegan cheesecake. Or, following my example, you can eat it straight out of the sauce pan with a giant spoon.