It’s HOT this week. Nasty hot. So let’s make ourselves some fruity syrups and dip ourselves some big bowls of ice cream. Drizzle said syrups on top and you have a winning dessert. (Or snack. Just sayin’.)
The blueberry syrup is my personal favorite. Such deep, blue flavor. But the strawberry is good, too. A hint of orange underneath that smooth drizzle of crimson. I think you’ll have to agree that both are quite delicious and relatively healthy, if natural sugars don’t bother you. You’ll just have to ignore what’s underneath the syrups, health wise.
There would be wonderful versatility with these syrups. Drizzle them on yogurt or add them to parfaits. Pour them on top of pancakes or waffles. They’d even be delicious on top of some fresh, seasonal fruit or a tender white cake.
2 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water, divided
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 T lemon juice
tiny pinch coarse kosher salt
In a sauce pan, simmer the blueberries with 1/2 cup water. Mash with a potato masher to break all of the berries. Pour into a strainer set over a measuring cup. Squish the berry juice through the strainer. You should have about 1 1/4 cups. Discard the solids.
Wash out the sauce pan and set it back on the stove. Add 1/2 cup water and the maple syrup to the pot and simmer 10 minutes or until reduced by about half. (This makes me wonder…what’s the purpose of the water? Can’t you just add the syrup to the blueberry juice and be done? Whatever.)
Add the blueberry juice, lemon juice, and salt to the maple syrup mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 more minutes. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. Keeps a long time.
Yield: 2 cups?
6 cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 T frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 t orange zest
tiny pinch coarse kosher salt
Cook the strawberries, water, and syrup until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. Stir in the oj concentrate, zest, and salt. Strain the whole mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Cool. Store in a glass jar in the fridge. Keeps for quite a while.
Yield: 2 1/2 cups?
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