What I Used for Inspiration:
Strawberries on the fritz
I made the mistake of not refrigerating the strawberries I bought yesterday at the market (and to make matters worse they were suffocating in a plastic bag! horrors!)--this morning they were definitely on their last leg! There's no way I was going to throw them out, so instead I made a puree the French call coulis (say cool-ee). Coulis is basically a strained puree of fruit, traditionally made with berries. It's great to use as a topping for yogurt or ice cream, and can also go on top of cake (angel food, anyone?) or I suppose can be the base for making homemade jam (which is a lot easier to make than you'd think!)
In any event, I turned my berries-gone-wild into this delicious culinary canvas. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I encourage you to give this a try! It's more of a technique than a recipe, so below are the step-by step photos.
Coulis aux fraises (Strawberry Coulis)
My berries don't look so bad in this photo, but trust me, they were on the verge of fermentation! haha
Instead of using the stove, I harnessed the power of microwave energy
After about 3 minutes in the microwave oven, the berries were nice and squishy. Be careful when you cook them--they have a tendency to boil over in the microwave and make a mess!
Next step is to pass them through a strainer...
....and squish the pulp! (it's good exercise, I swear!) The seeds and any other tough bits will be left in the strainer, the yummy pulp and juice ends up in the bowl.
Mmmmm pulp
All that should be left in the strainer is a bunch of insoluble fiber bits and seeds--ready for the compost bin!
What's remaining in the bowl is a smooth, semi-viscous puree of strawberry goodness. As the coulis cools off, the natural pectin from the fruit will thicken the liquid.
Berry coulis is a perfect naturally sweet topping for yogurt, ice cream, or cake. Enjoy!!
No comments:
Post a Comment