Strawberries in Lemon Syrup

Approximately 30 miles north of San Diego lies a town called Carlsbad.  Home to Legoland and gorgeous flower fields (ranunculus for days), Carlsbad is a stunning coastal destination complete with serene resorts, beautiful beaches and some seriously yumzo foodie hotspots.  One of my favorite hotspots to visit is actually not a restaurant.  It’s a strawberry field!  The Carlsbad Strawberry Company has been growing strawberries on this 80 acre (approximately) field for over 40 years.  You can start strawberry picking around mid April or beginning of May.  If you can’t wait that long (like I couldn’t), then you can purchase baskets of pre picked strawberries from a nearby roadside stand.  This recipe for Strawberries in Lemon Syrup is a simple celebration of the beauty and flavor of a strawberry.  Quartered berries are macerated in a syrup flavored with bright lemon zest.  Enjoy these strawberries with cake or ice cream for dessert or with oatmeal for breakfast.  So easy and versatile!  Continue reading for the recipe.

Print

Strawberries in Lemon Syrup

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop.

Servings 6 servings

Author Brandon Matzek

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 lb. strawberries

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and lemon zest. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Once all sugar is dissolved and the mixture has come to a boil, remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and chill thoroughly.
2. While the syrup is chilling, prepare your strawberries. Hull each strawberry by cutting the leafy top from the fruit. Then cut your strawberries into quarters.
3. Once the lemon syrup is chilled, add quartered strawberries, tossing to coat. Let the strawberries sit in the refrigerator covered for 1 to 4 hours (this is known as maceration) before serving.