Once you try the pairing of balsamic vinegar and strawberry, your life may never be the same. Strawberry Balsamic sauce is simple and versatile. The best part (other than flay-vore) is that at the end of the recipe you actually end up with two products: the chunky fruit sauce and the strained strawberry vinegar. The fruit sauce is amazing on cheesecake, ice cream, biscuits or with a nice cheese. Feel free to dribble dabble the strawberry vinegar as a salad dressing or as an addition to a fine olive oil for dipping, among many sweet and savory applications.

Balsamic Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 – 5 cups hulled and halved (unless small) strawberries
• ¾ cup balsamic vinegar (don’t go cheap)
• ½ – 1 cup honey (or sugar if you like)

Instructions:

• Combine the balsamic vinegar and half of the honey in a sauce pan.
• Heat to a boil then simmer until reduced by about 25%. This might take 10 minutes or so. Stir periodically.
• Add in the berries and simmer again for 30-60 minutes. This will help the berries break down and more of the vinegar tang dissipate.
• Near the end, taste your sauce and if you want sweeter, add more honey. Stir to combine.
• After nice and simmered and thickened up a bit, you could mash the berries with a potato masher, if you want. Or just leave whole – they are probably falling apart by now anyways
• Pour the sauce through a sieve/fine wire colander with a bowl underneath to catch most of the liquid. Let it sit and drain for a bit.
• Once the sauce has drained, it is ready to serve. If for some odd reason, any remains, you can store in refrigerator or freeze for a future date. You could also process in a hot water bath and preserve it for the long haul (~ 10 minutes, following good canning practices)
• Pour the remaining strawberry vinegar into a jar. This can be stored in the fridge. I put half away in the freezer.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce and 1 cup of vinegar

Cheesecake with Balsamic Strawberry Sauce

Amazingly good, not complicated and well worth the from scratch effort. Besides a homemade cheesecake really is the most respectful thing you can do for the strawberry sauce after all. Thank you to Tyler Florence and the Food Network. Here is the link to their recipe. No sense in me repeating this one…. I made it as directed, save for the sauce. The cinnamon in the crust is a must and be sure to choose a good full fat cream cheese and sour cream – none of that fake low fat business. Mine turned out a bit yellow, because my hen’s eggs have such vibrant yolks.

Other Strawberry Recipes:

• Strawberry Oven Jam
• Strawberry Vinegar
• Strawberry Honey and Lemon Ricotta Tart
• Strawberry Fruit Leather