Strawberry syrup and a buttermilk waffles

I was beyond delighted when Food52 asked me to write a featured article for their site. Not only is it one of my favourite food websites (in the world), the recipe they suggested I do was strawberry syrup. I immediately imagined pink and red milkshake swirls and the delicious syrup poured over ice cream and a waffle.

I made the syrup twice to ensure it was perfect. It really is so easy to whip up. If you like it much thicker, just cook it longer, it will also sweeten up when you do. I like it just like this, where the fruit flavour is still very intense and it’s not cloyingly sweet.

You can also play around adding additional flavours if you like. A hint of orange zest and even black pepper would be wonderful, but a straight-up strawberry flavour is pretty perfect too.

I’m sad that I didn’t have any such thing growing up, and only a fake strawberry powder mix was how we turned our milk pink. Anyway, it’s never to late to have a happy childhood so you can just make this.

Strawberry syrup recipe:

• 4 to 5 cups hulled strawberries, cut in half
• 1 ¹/₂ cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Put all the ingredients into a medium pot with a lid and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, continue to let it bubble with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Strain the strawberries using a fine mesh sieve and press to release all of the liquid.

Put this liquid back into the pot and bring it back to the boil, this time with the lid off. Allow it to cook for 5 to 10 more minutes until it starts forming a syrupy consistency.

Allow it to cool completely — it will thicken even further — and then pour it into sterilized bottles or jars. Keep it for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

PS ~ And being one that cannot stand waste, the pressed-out pulp of the cooked strawberries are really delicious swirled through vanilla yoghurt. Just store it in the fridge for a few weeks and use it up when you can. I  imagine it would also be good to add to a muffin or spread on toast for a very fresh-tasting jam.

PPS ~ Im also planning on using the syrup with soda water to make a delicious spritzer and a plethora of cocktails come to mind. Cheers.

PPS ~ I did however love this buttermilk waffle recipe so I’ll share it with you too:

buttermilk waffles

Buttermilk waffles with home-made strawberry syrup.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp caster sugar
• 2 large eggs separated
• 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup sunflower oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
• Mix all the wet ingredients, except the egg whites in a bowl and lightly whisk to combine.
• Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and lightly mix until you have a batter. There will still be a few small lumps. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites until just combined. This can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.
• Heat a waffle iron and grease or spray it with cooking spray. Cook the waffles until they are done.

Author: Buttermilk waffles with strawberry syrup

I look forward to connecting with you again in the future.

Visit my Drizzle and Dip Facebook page or can also be found enthusiastically pinning beautiful food images on Pinterest, and snapping pics of my life in Cape Town and what I eat on Instagram

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