I have a goal for my garden this year of growing only things that I can preserve into jam or freeze with strawberries being my number one plant. I plan on another good crop of raspberries this year, but the big change is how large an area I am going to give to strawberry plants. I don’t plan on having leftover strawberries, or so many that I don’t know what to do with them, but if I did have an overabundance of them, I would make syrup.
Also, it’s no secret that I love my coffee. A funny fact about me; I used to hate coffee, or at least coffee without sugar. That was over ten years ago. Now I refer to it as ‘the elixir of life’. I am a straight up americano girl. No sugar, no cream. I do love the occasional late of multiple flavors, but americano it is. My husband, however, loves his mochas and other flavored coffee drinks. So, I have become creative in my barista skills, and with my new espresso machine, I am coming up with new concoctions for him. This new one utilizes what I hope to be abundant in my garden this year: Strawberries.
Artisan flavored coffee drinks are built out of simple syrup and milk or cream. You can buy syrups from the store (I have a whole half-crate full of them.), but nothing tastes better as fresh. To make a simple syrup all you need is sugar and water, with it not mattering much where the ‘sugar’ part comes from. Simple syrup is, in rough terms, a sugar water reduction. You take a sugary liquid and boil away some of the water while making sure that the sugar is dissolved in the liquid.
Here is my recipe for Summer-Strawberries Strawberry simple syrup:
- 2-3 lbs Strawberries
- 4 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups white sugar
- 4oz espresso
- 1/3 cup 1% milk
- 2 tbs strawberry syrup
- 1-2 tbs chocolate sauce
- whipped cream (optional)
- chocolate shavings or mini chips (optional)
- Hull and slice the strawberries.
- Add the berries to the 4 cups water in a large saucepan.
- Boil until the strawberries look brown and the liquid is very red.
- Without removing the spent strawberries, strain the liquid through cheesecloth, making sure not to push strawberries into the cloth.
- Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the 2 1/2 cups sugar.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for around 5 minutes making sure that all the sugar has dissolved.
- Let cool and pour into a bottle of your choice. Stored in the refrigerator, the syrup will remain good for 2-3 weeks.
- Combine 2 tbs strawberry syrup and 1-2 tbs chocolate sauce (I use Torani.) with 4 oz of espresso.
- Steam 1/3 cup milk to at least 140 degrees F.
- Gently pour milk into espresso, saving the top froth for the top of the drink.
- Optional are whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
- For thicker syrup boil a bit longer to evaporate more water from the liquid.
- 2 lbs of strawberries will make an average intensity of flavor. 3 lbs will make it very rich.
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2 Comments on Make The Most of Your Summer Strawberries With Coffee and Strawberry Syrup
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I’m not a coffee drinker, but I do enjoy certain coffee aromas. I do wonder how coffee with strawberry syrup would taste though…
It is a different taste than a raspberry mocha. If I was to make it again next time, I plan on using only two lbs of berries for a less intense flavor as well as add some lemon juice after cooking to brighten up the flavor a bit. But, if I am making it for pancakes, I would do the 3 lbs. 🙂
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