So here I am, trying to find uses for all the strawberries I picked. I was thinking about when you go to pancake houses and you get all the flavored syrups to choose from. One of my favorite memories of these types of restaurants was stopping at the Village Inn in Virginia, MN as a kid. The kids’ pancakes were called the “funny face” and were three pancakes arranged kinda like mickey mouse, with a bacon mouth and I think blueberries but it may have been chocolate chips as the eyes. The pancakes came with a little carrier of three types of syrups, a maple and two fruiting kinds. Making this strawberry syrup reminds me of going to the Village Inn.
Fresh strawberry syrup is amazing, and makes weekend pancakes just that much more special when you add this homemade touch. It’s relatively simple to make, boiling, straining, and boiling again. Strawberries are a natural source of pectin, which when combined with the water and strawberry juice that’s released during the cooking process will naturally thicken this syrup.
Here’s what you need:
Start by combining all the ingredients in a pot.
Stir everything together.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. This is going to soften the strawberries and extract the juice.
Now strain the strawberries using a mesh strainer over a large bowl.
Press down on the strawberries with a wooden spoon to push out as much juice as you can from the berries.
Save the mashed strawberries for another use – I like to add them to sliced strawberries I am freezing or using fresh for strawberry shortcake.
Pour the strawberry liquid back into the pan and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, and boil with the lid off for 15-20 minutes. We want the steam to be able to escape so this will reduce and thicken. It’s ready when it’s the consistency of a thin syrup – I like to use spoon to test it. Dip a spoon into the syrup and it’s ready if it coats the spoon.
Cool to room temperature. The syrup will continue to thicken as it cool.
Serve with pancakes, waffles, French toast or whatever other breakfast suits your fancy.
- 4 c hulled strawberries, halved
- ½ c water
- 1 c sugar
- ½ T vanilla, optional
- Combine all ingredients together in a pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Strain using a mess strainer, using a wooden spoon to push as much liquid as you can through the strainer.
- Return liquid to the pot. Reserve the strawberry pulp for another use.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer with the lid off for 15-20 minutes, until the syrup coats the back of a spoon.
- Cool to room temperature before serving, the syrup will continue to thicken as it cools.
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