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Strawberry sauce is a delicious and adaptable addition to a variety of breakfast dishes and sweet treats. You can use it as a topping for ice cream, garnish yoghurt-based parfait, or drizzle over cakes for a smooth and irresistible finish.
For this sauce (coulis) recipe, you may use either frozen or fresh strawberries. These berries add a depth of flavour to your desserts and dips while loading your body with antioxidants. While the recipe for this condiment is simple, a few handy tips will help you make a perfect batch on the first try.
Selection Of Fresh Strawberries
The quality of the strawberries is the foundation of this sauce. Choose berries that are fragrant, plump, and bright red. Avoid berries that are mushy, overly ripened or dull and have a sign of mould. Fresh picks will ensure not only is the batch lip-smacking, but its shelf life also extends beyond a couple of days.
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Balancing Of Sweetness and Tartness
Before cooking strawberries, taste them to understand whether you need to balance the natural sweetness or sourness. As the sauce simmers, start adding a little bit of sugar, honey, or maple syrup to balance the tangy notes. If the sauce is sweet, add a little vinegar or lemon juice for a hint of tartness.
Cooking Process Tips
Cook the strawberries over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are mushy but still have some firmness. Stir it often for even cooking and prevent the ingredients from sticking to the surface of the cookware. Some of the strawberries can be mashed with a fork, leaving larger chunks for texture. Once the concoction comes to a boil, turn the heat to a lower setting and let the sauce simmer until it is smooth. You can use either a simple blender or an immersion blender to grind the ingredients. Let the sauce cool a little bit before blending. Then, taste it and adjust the sweetness if necessary.
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Thickening Of Sauce & Flavouring
You can use a cornflour slurry to thicken your strawberry sauce. To make a slurry, combine a few teaspoons of cold water with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of cornflour. It should only take a few minutes for the sauce to thicken after whisking the slurry into it and stirring constantly.
While spices like cinnamon or nutmeg can provide a unique touch, the addition of vanilla extract provides richness to the taste. These flavours can give your sauce an elegant flair and go very well with strawberries. Fresh basil and mint herbs will offer unique aromas along with their fresh cooling effects.
Storing Tips
After cooking, let it cool until it reaches room temperature. You need to pass your mixture through a sieve to achieve a smooth texture. This is particularly helpful if you want to utilise the sauce with cream fillings or frostings. You can refrigerate it for up to seven days in an airtight jar. Use a glass jar with a non-metal lid because metal can react with the sauce's acidic ingredients.
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