Spatula Diaries: Homemade strawberry syrup is easy and delicious

Strawberry syrup, like this, pictured above atop ice cream, is easy to make. Photo by Maggie Heyn Richardson.

Mmm … homemade syrup made from fresh local strawberries — how great does that sound drizzled over ice cream or poured over waffles or pancakes? It’s easy to make, is preservative-free and is a super use of fresh Louisiana strawberries.

Making strawberry syrup involves little more than boiling a combination of strawberries, sugar and water until the solution is reduced and thick. Some recipes call for pureeing the strawberries and leaving the consistency chunky. Others, like mine (which I modified from a Food52.com recipe), strain the strawberries for a more traditional texture.

Either way, you come away with intense strawberry flavor in a versatile syrup that’s fun for both kids and adults. It’s great in milkshakes, over ice cream sundaes or poured into a tall glass of seltzer for a quick Italian soda. You can even pick up some shaved ice from a snoball stand and make a homemade snoball.

Strawberry Syrup
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cups (16 oz.) fresh strawberries, washed, cored and sliced in half
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Steps
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover with lid and let continue to gently boil for 10 minutes. Remove lid and turn off heat. Remove strawberries with a mesh strainer. Holding strainer over saucepan, gently press berries with the back of a spoon to strain juice back into pan. Return syrup to boil. Keep lid off and let mixture gently boil and reduce for about 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let syrup cool completely.

Store in a clean container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and author of the recently released book, Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey (LSU Press). Reach her at hungryforlouisiana.com. Follow her on Twitter @mhrwriter