Strawberry balsamic sauce

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Last of the berries  

I have a few cups of strawberries in the freezer and the last of the berries off the garden. To make the most of the final berries I am making this strawberry balsamic sauce to capture the taste of summer.  

Strawberry balsamic sauce on pancakes.
Strawberry balsamic sauce on pancakes.

Sweet and sour  

The flavour combination of sweet and sour has been around for a long time. If you can get the balance right, it is incredible. I think the combination of strawberries which are sweet and juicy with the tart flavour of a good quality balsamic vinegar is perfect.  

Multi-use sauce  

This sauce has many uses and is a great way to keep the taste of summer in the fridge for a few weeks. This sauce is an excellent topping on ice cream, pancakes, a cheesecake, cake, Panna cotta or even added to a smoothie. Alternatively, you can turn this sauce into jellies, if you do be warned the kids won’t want to eat them.  

Strawberry balsamic sauce recipe 

Ingredients 

  • ¼cup balsamic vinegar 
  • 2 cups strawberries 
  • 2tbsp. honey 
  • 1tbsp. fresh lemon juice 
  • 1tsp. vanilla extract 
  • ¼tsp. salt 
Strawberries cooking down.
Strawberries cooking down.
Strawberry balsamic sauce on pancakes.
Strawberry balsamic sauce on pancakes.

Strawberry balsamic sauce 

  • Servings: 12
  • Rating: ★★★★★
  • Print

Sweet and tangy sauce is just for grown ups



Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 
  • 2 cups strawberries 
  • 2 tbsp. honey 
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
  • 1/4 tsp. salt 

Directions

  1. Instructions 
  2. In a pan heat up the balsamic vinegar over high heat. 
  3. When the vinegar begins to bubble, turn the heat down to medium, let it simmer until it has reduced by half. 
  4. When the vinegar is thick and syrupy in texture, add the strawberries to the pan. 
  5. Then add the honey, lemon, vanilla and salt. 
  6. Simmer the mix over a medium heat until the strawberries break down, anywhere from 20 30 minutes. 
  7. For a smoother sauce blend it then strain. 
  8. Store the sauce in the fridge for up to a week. Store the sauce in the fridge for up to a week. 

Nutrition

Per Serving: 16 calories; 0 g fat; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g protein

Equipment 

  • Saucepan 
  • Spoon 
  • Measuring spoons
  • Measuring cups
  • Blender
  • Sieve

Nutritional disclaimer

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.

Easy mayo

7 Comments

Years ago, mayo was a high-use item; I think at one point we were using 500g a week. The problem was that the mayo we used contained a considerable amount of sugar, which is not ideal. The solution is to make your own without the sugar.

Make your own

If you are like me and you try to avoid mass-produced processed foods, the best option is to make your own. When you make your own, you control which ingredients you use and how much or how sweet you want it to be. Once you’ve tried making your own and seen how easy it is, you will never go back to store-bought again.

Making it for ourselves

Easy mayo in a jar
Easy mayo

I came across a mayo recipe in a book and decided to give it a go, we all liked it but it’s me so I couldn’t help experimenting and seeing what if would be like using different kinds of mustard.

The winner for me was whole-grain Dijon. It added a nice flavour and a little texture that I liked. What I appreciate most is knowing exactly what went into it. It takes just a few minutes to make, and the taste is fantastic. Once you try it, you’ll likely never go back to store-bought mayo.

Easy mayo

Easy mayo ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cup extra light olive oil

Instructions

Put one cup of oil into something that makes it easy to pour.

Put everything else into the blender or food processor.

Take a blender
Take a blender
Add the egg
Add the egg
Add the vinegar and 1/4 cup of oil
Add the vinegar and 1/4 cup of oil
Add the mustard and let everything hang out
Add the mustard and let everything hang out

Let them come to room temperature together, 30 minutes.

Mix everything together thoroughly so it is well blended.

Give everything a blend together so it is well mixed
Give everything a blend together so it is well mixed
Everything is well blended
Everything is well blended

Now, for the most challenging part, incorporating the remaining 1 cup of oil into the mixture.

Now for the hardest part
Now for the hardest part
incorporating the remaining 1 cup oil into the mixture
Incorporating the remaining 1 cup oil into the mixture slowly

This is the hardest part because it needs to be done slowly, I mean, the slightest drizzle you can manage.

Adding the oil should take 3 minutes
Adding the oil should take 3 minutes

Adding the oil should take 3 minutes; if you do it quicker, it may not work.

The sound of your blender or processor make will change as the closer you get to your mayo being done
The sound of your blender or processor make will change as the closer you get to your mayo being done
The sound of your blender or processor make will change as the closer you get to your mayo being done
Scrape down the sides of the blender

The sound of your blender or processor will change as you get closer to your mayo being ready.

You will end up with a silky and shiny mayo
You will end up with a silky and shiny mayo 

You will end up with a silky, shiny mayo ready to be put in a jar and kept in the fridge.

Ready to be put in a jar and kept in the fridge.
Ready to be put in a jar and kept in the fridge.

Easy mayo

  • Servings: 30
  • Rating: ★★★★★
  • Print

Easy to make, this mayo uses the whole egg and has no extra sugar or nasties.



Credit: Cath @ easycleaneats

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cup extra light olive oil

Directions

  1. Put one cup of oil into something that makes it easy to pour.
  2. Put everything else into the blender or food processor.
  3. Let them come to room temperature together, 30 minutes.
  4. Give everything a blend together so it is well mixed.
  5. Now for the hardest part, incorporating the remaining 1/4 cup oil into the mixture.
  6. This is the hardest part because it needs to be done slowly, the smallest drizzle you can manage.
  7. Adding the oil should take 3 minutes; if you do it quicker if may not work.
  8. The sound of your blender or processor make will change as the closer you get to your mayo being done.
  9. You will end up with a silky, shiny mayo ready to be put in a jar and kept in the fridge.

Nutrition

Per Serving: 83 calories; 9.2 g fat; 0.4 g carbohydrates; 0.2 g protein

Equipment

  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Measuring jug
  • Spatula
  • Blender 

Nutritional disclaimer

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients used and available in my area (New Zealand). The nutritional information is here to help you understand the recipe; I use MyFitnessPal to generate my estimates. For more accurate nutritional information, please use a nutritional calculator with the ingredients in your area.