Macerated Strawberries

Step by Step process with photos:

Although making macerated berries is a simple process, sometimes it helps to show the steps from star to finish.

1. Clean and hull the strawberries. Always start with washed berries. Organic strawberries would be wonderful, but if not, traditional berries are fine if you wash them thoroughly.

You can use a gadget to help remove the hulls of the strawberries or you can use a paring knife.

2. Slice the strawberries. This is personal preference and might depend on the type of dessert you are making. You can leave the strawberries whole or slice them in halves or quarters.

I like quartering the berries so that they are bite-sized and ready to serve.

3. Add the sugar. We’re macerating with sugar in this recipe so granulated sugar is all you need. I’ve also made macerated strawberries with coconut sugar and they were lovely. The finished color is deeper from the dark sugar but the taste was excellent.

4. Let the berries sit for 15 minutes, then stir again.

It is wonderful when the element of time is all you need to truly elevate a dish. Don’t rush the macerating process. This is similar to a marinade in that time does most all of the work.

Stirring the berries and sugar mixture every fifteen minutes is suggested. Or, if you are leaving these berries in the refrigerator overnight, just mix right before serving the next day.

5. Use after 30 minutes or place in the refrigerator overnight. Look at those juices! The extra liquid seems to magically appear out of no where and it gives you this sweet sauce that is unmatched!

An easy way to use the sweet strawberries is on top of desserts like pound cake or pavlova. They really dress up an otherwise plain desserts. Look how beautiful the berries are as a topping on pavlova!

How do you use Macerated Berries?

You’ll find that you won’t run out of reasons to use these macerated strawberries.

• They are a wonderful topping for pancakes,
• for a quick strawberry shortcake,
• as a layer in strawberry overnight oats,
• for a simple pound cake,
• or for a bowl of ice cream.

I first shared this idea when making my pavlova with strawberries and was asked more about how the berries became so juicy. No water is added– just strawberries and sugar which brings out the natural juices of the strawberries.

What other ingredients could I use to macerate berries?

• An alcohol– liqueurs such as Amaretto make tasty marinated strawberries in liqueur.
• A small amount of vinegar such as balsamic vinegar pairs nicely with strawberries. Look how Carol from From a Chef’s Kitchen uses balsamic macerated strawberries with grilled pound cake.
• A light, white wine like chardonnay or a deeply flavorful red wine are both excellent options. If you want to macerate strawberries with alcohol, try this version of wine soaked strawberries from Alton Brown.

You can even use just the macerated strawberry syrup as a mixer for drinks. Or puree the whole mixture to make a quick and easy berry coulis. Yup, just another fancy word for fruit puree which makes a luscious topping for vanilla ice cream, pavlova, or simply just whipped cream on its own.