Ripe, juicy strawberries make for a rich, syrupy treat. Fruit toppings are easy to make, and this homemade strawberry compote will enhance pancakes, waffles, cakes, ice cream, cheesecake and more.There's no need to buy strawberry sauce when it's so easy to make your own.
¼teaspoonpure vanilla extract or a scraped vanilla bean
½teaspoonlemon zestoptional
1tablespoonlemon juice from a lemonif adding the lemon zest
Instructions
Wash strawberries and cut off the stems. Chop them into quarters, leaving some small ones whole. If using frozen strawberries, make sure they are thawed.
Put strawberries in a medium saucepan. Cover with the granulated sugar or monk fruit.
Cook the strawberries over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Stir a bit more as the berries start to release their juices. Then leave it to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Be sure to not burn the sugar or scorch the fruit. Do not let it boil. If it does, lower the heat down until it's simmering.
Once the berries have cooked down, remove the pan from the heat. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
Serve warm or refrigerate to serve cold.
Notes
If while simmering, the strawberries are getting too mushy or are falling apart, remove them from the mixture and return them to the pot the last few minutes of cooking. When making compote, it's important to have some larger fruit pieces.To store, let the strawberry compote cool completely and store in glass jars or bowl with an airtight lid. Set in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze it for up to three months.