Strawberries are tangy fresh fruits usually associated with Valentine’s day. It’s such a delicious flavor that it can’t be limited to just that holiday!
It’s an aromatic berry that can transform any dessert into a super attractive treat with its bright red hue. Strawberry desserts are all over on social media and it’s the gorgeous ingredient that can easily make anything Instagram-worthy. We think it’s this year’s favorite ingredient.
Learn how to make strawberries work in your dessert, no matter what you make:
1 Make a strawberry puree.
Also known as coulis or a simple jam, this liquified mixture is the best way to easily preserve the berry before it can spoil. To make this mixture, here’s what you do:
- 1 In a food processor or mini chopper, add 1 cup (about 140 grams) chopped strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar.
- 2 Purée strawberry mixture, and transfer into a saucepan.
- 3 Heat the strawberry mixture until it simmers and reduce until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, transfer to a container, and cool completely.
- 4 Chill puree until ready to serve.
This puree can be used to top cheesecakes, drizzled liberally on top, or it can be mixed with more chopped strawberries to give it a gorgeous glistening look. It can be mixed into batters, too, to make a fresh strawberry cake or even a no-bake cheesecake.
2 Macerate strawberries first.
One of the easiest ways to prepare strawberries is to simply toss the slices or cut up berries in a little sugar and let the two ingredients meld together. Macerating is a method of soaking ingredients in a liquid. The liquid is usually a liquor. However, in this case, macerating strawberries simply lets the sugar draw out the juices of the strawberries so it can macerate in its own juices.
This method results in super juicy fruits that transform not-too-sweet berries into perfectly sweet chunks that you can use as a topping for cupcakes, stir into frosting, or add as a cake layer filling.
3 Stir strawberries in the batter or dough.
Strawberries are naturally delicious. So, you don’t need to do much more than chop up or slice the berries and add them to a mixture. You can stir fresh fruit into a thick batter for easy strawberry muffins, cake batter for a fresh strawberry cake, biscuit dough for an easy breakfast.
4 Just use it as is.
If you happen to have gorgeous berries, let the fruit shine and use it whole to decorate your favorite dessert to instantly transform your dessert into something stunning. Take a page from Vizco’s famous strawberry shortcake from Baguio or either slice or chop it up and use them as the finishing touch of your dessert.
However you choose to use the berries, the resulting dessert is sure to a delicious one!
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Thinking about what to cook next? Join our Facebook group, Yummy Pinoy Cooking Club, to get more recipe ideas, share your own dishes, and find out what the rest of the community are making and eating!
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