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Strawberry Topping (Sauce)
Instructions
To prepare the strawberry topping, you will need only a minimum of accessible everyday ingredients: fresh ripe strawberries, cornstarch and a small amount of regular sugar.
Select whole, firm and properly ripe strawberries for the best flavour. Gently wash the strawberries under cold running water. The strawberries will remain beautifully fragrant and tasty if we leave the green calyxes attached during the washing step. To avoid damaging the delicate berries, dip them in cool water using a colander rather than scrubbing them. Now you can carefully remove the calyxes from the strawberries. Leave small berries whole, and cut larger ones in half or into quarters for the most uniform finished sauce texture.
After sprinkling the prepared berries with the measured sugar, place them in an enamelled cooking pot with a properly thick bottom and put it on low heat. To avoid damaging the delicate berries during cooking, do not stir them with a spoon, but gently shake the container with the berries instead. A couple of minutes of gentle heating is enough for the sugar to completely dissolve in the released strawberry juice.
Pour 1 tablespoon of clean cold water into a small bowl. Take 1 heaped teaspoon of cornstarch. The cornstarch can be replaced with potato starch, but with cornstarch the finished sauce tastes noticeably better and has a glossier appearance. Add the starch to the water and mix the mixture thoroughly until properly homogeneous. Pour the starch mixture in a thin steady stream into the cooking pot with the strawberries when the sugar has completely dissolved in the released strawberry juice. Cook the sauce for 2 more minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool briefly.
The strawberry sauce can be stored for up to 2 days in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar or container. If you want a properly smooth topping without any visible pieces of strawberry, blend it briefly in a blender until completely smooth before serving.
Tips
- 1
Choose properly ripe red strawberries at the absolute peak of the brief summer season for the most beautifully fragrant and naturally sweet finished sauce. Underripe pale berries produce a noticeably less flavourful finished result that requires more added sugar to compensate. The brief seasonal window for ripe strawberries genuinely matters, so plan to make this sauce when the local berries are at their best each summer.
- 2
Adjust the sugar content gradually based on the natural sweetness of your particular berries, since strawberry sweetness varies considerably between different varieties and harvest times. To pair this beautifully bright fresh-fruit sauce with a properly indulgent baked dessert that benefits from a fruit topping, try our beautifully classic Classic New York Cheesecake as the perfect rich base for a generous spoonful of homemade strawberry sauce alongside.
- 3
Mix the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the hot fruit, since adding dry cornstarch directly to hot liquid produces unsightly lumps that ruin the smooth finished texture. The brief slurry-making step genuinely matters for the most beautifully smooth and properly glossy finished sauce. Whisk the slurry continuously while pouring it in for the smoothest possible incorporation into the fruit base.
- 4
Serve the finished strawberry topping warm, at room temperature or properly chilled depending on the dessert it accompanies for the most flexible kitchen use. For another properly classic homemade summer-fruit preparation to add variety to your dessert menu, try our beautifully tender Zebra Pie on kefir in the oven as a more substantial cake-based dessert to spoon the warm strawberry topping over generously.
FAQ
Can I use frozen strawberries? +
Yes, frozen strawberries work absolutely brilliantly in this recipe when fresh berries are not in season at the local market. Use the frozen berries directly from the freezer without any pre-thawing for the best finished texture, since pre-thawed berries release too much excess liquid during cooking. You may need to cook the sauce for slightly longer to reduce any extra moisture from the frozen fruit. The finished flavour from frozen berries is genuinely indistinguishable from the fresh-berry version in the finished sauce.
What desserts pair well with this topping? +
Vanilla ice cream, plain or vanilla Greek yoghurt, classic cheesecake, homemade pancakes, fluffy waffles, French toast, sponge cake, angel food cake, panna cotta and pavlova all pair absolutely beautifully with the bright fresh-fruit flavour of this strawberry topping. The sauce also works brilliantly stirred into porridge or oatmeal for a beautifully bright breakfast finish. Spoon generously over each individual portion just before serving for the most visually striking finished presentation at the table.
How long does this sauce keep? +
Store the cooled strawberry topping covered tightly in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two full days for best results. The sauce may thicken slightly during refrigerator storage; warm it gently in a small saucepan or in the microwave to restore the original pourable consistency. For longer storage, freeze the sauce in airtight portion-sized containers for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving for the best finished texture.
Can I make this sauce without thickener? +
Absolutely. Skip the cornstarch entirely and cook the strawberries with sugar over low heat for about 15-20 minutes total until the natural pectin in the fruit thickens the sauce slightly on its own. The unthickened version produces a noticeably looser finished sauce more like a fruit syrup, which works beautifully drizzled over ice cream or stirred into yoghurt. Add a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice during the cooking step for extra brightness and slightly improved natural setting from the added pectin.
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