Bing Cherry Sauce

 

When summer heat hits the upper nineties or low hundreds, nothing beats a refreshing treat. If you’re an ice cream lover (and who isn’t?), this Bing cherry sauce is your new go-to topping. Made with fresh, juicy Bing cherries, it’s bursting with flavor and feels like a healthy indulgence. Spoon it over a scoop of creamy French vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert that’s perfect for hot days.Bing Cherry Sauce

½ c. water, divided (plus extra as needed)

2 t. cornstarch

1 T. unsalted butter

2 c. fresh Melissa’s Bing cherries, pitted and halved

1 T. packed golden brown sugar

1 T. fresh lemon juice 

In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup water with cornstarch until smooth; set aside.

In a medium nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add cherries, remaining ¼ cup water, and brown sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high, add cornstarch mixture, and stir constantly until sauce thickens and boils, about 1 minute. If sauce becomes too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.

 Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let cool slightly before serving over your favorite ice cream, or over yogurt or pancakes for a versatile treat.

 Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 Reheat gently before serving, if desired.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Strawberry Syrup

Sometimes my zealousness gets the better of me. I tend to tackle absolutely everything I do with such zeal, that it’s not unusual for me to get a tiny bit carried away. Such was the case when I was in the market the other day shopping for strawberries. I had such a craving for them that I had to have the biggest box available. I bought 4 pounds of them. Four pounds is a lot of strawberries. I ate as many of them as I could, but they were ripening faster than I could keep up with them. I had to do something that would use up those that remained, and yet give me the most use out of those berries.

Obviously, the absolute best thing for me to do was to make strawberry syrup. That may not seem all that obvious to you, but think about it. If you turn your strawberries into strawberry syrup you can flavor all kinds of things. You can make a delicious strawberry lemonade (something I have been wanting to do) without mashing up a bunch of strawberries to do it. You simply make regular lemonade and add this syrup. You can make strawberry ice cream by stirring this into your recipe for vanilla ice cream, you can make yourself delicious strawberry frappes and shakes, and, hello strawberry margaritas! You can also pour this on top of pancakes, waffles, or French toast for breakfast in the morning, or drizzle it over cheesecake for dessert at night. Bottled attractively, it makes a wonderful gift. (I use these bottles.) The list is absolutely endless. Nothing is more versatile. 

I used it in a smoothie and the flavor was intense!

There are a number of recipes for strawberry syrup online, and, essentially they are all pretty much the same. You clean, hull, and cut up strawberries, throw them into a saucepan, cover them with water, simmer them until all flavor is extracted, strain them, put the juice back into the pan, add sugar, simmer, and Bob’s your uncle. It’s absolutely delicious, has the most beautiful jewel tone color, will keep in the fridge for 10 days to two weeks, and surprise and delight you at every turn.

Strawberry Syrup

1 pound of fresh strawberries
2 cups of filtered water
1 cup granulated sugar

Clean, hull, and dice strawberries, and place them into a medium/large sauce pan. Pour 2 cups of water over them and bring to a low boil. Turn the heat down slightly, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and return syrup to a clean saucepan. Add sugar, bring to a low simmer, and simmer 5 to 6 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Cool, decant into bottles, and store in the fridge. Use as you see fit. Be sure to share your ideas with me.

PRINT RECIPE

If you prefer sauce to syrup, you will love this alcohol-infused Fresh Strawberry Sauce.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
 Funtastic Friday
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

This post contains affiliate links.

Black Grape Compote

If you'd like dazzling deliciousness at one of your holiday parties this season, you need look no further than this decadent, easy, make-ahead dessert. All it takes is a little advance preparation, and you will have an unforgettable dessert that your guests will be raving about. This grape compote is an amazingly delicious topping for ice cream, pound cakes, and even blintzes at brunch. It's simple to put together, keeps for 5-7 days when covered and stored in the refrigerator, and only needs a slight warming before use. If you want to make it sinfully delicious, drizzle a bit of dark chocolate syrup on top and your guests will swoon.

Black Grape Compote

Adapted from epicurious.com

2 star anise pods
3 cups Melissa’s Organic Black Grapes
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of cloves
1 T. unsalted butter
 
Bring star anise, grapes, sugar, lemon juice, and spices to a boil in a large skillet, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until grapes burst and mixture is syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Discard star anise; whisk in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Cool.

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday
Grace at Home
Simple & Sweet Friday
Foodie Friday & Everything Else
Creative Ways Party
Share Your Style
Simple Saturday Blog Hop

Pumpkin Spice Latte Caramel Sauce

I know that a lot of you slip into “pumpkin mode” once September arrives; for me, it takes a bit longer. I don't really jump onto the pumpkin bandwagon until early October. With it looming near week's end, and a number of farmers’ market and pumpkin patch visits in my immediate future, the smell of pumpkin-y baked goods is beginning to waft through the house.

If you're like me, you probably have stacks of pumpkin recipes just waiting to be tried, and enjoy reading them while sipping a pumpkin spice latte. I was doing just that when the idea for this sauce popped into my head. The caramel/pumpkin combination is one that hasn't been explored nearly enough, I don't think, and I'll be making pumpkin ice cream again this year to try with incredible this sauce. I am already swooning at the thought.

One caveat when it comes to making caramel, well, two, actually. First of all, do not be afraid. Second, know that the color “amber” is subjective. When I made caramel for the first time, it was heaven in a bowl. When Mr. O-P tried it, and he cooked it to what he considered to be “amber” (and what looked more to me like “copper”) his caramel sauce was bitter from overcooking. Don't let this keep you from trying this wonderful sauce, just be mindful and, if necessary, err on the lighter rather than darker side of amber.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Caramel Sauce

 1 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup solid pack pumpkin (like Libby’s)

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 - 1 teaspoon espresso powder, to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed medium/large sauce pan. The mixture gets pretty rowdy when you add the cream so be sure to pick one with high sides.

Cook over medium-low heat stirring often. Be patient, it takes a while for the sugar to turn into a light amber liquid, about 7-12 minutes. Do not leave it unattended, it will burn quickly.

Once the liquid turns amber, add the butter and stir until it’s melted. Add the heavy whipping cream in a slow stream. It will bubble up as you add it to the mixture.

Turn off the heat and then stir in the pumpkin, spice, espresso powder, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Cover and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for about 2 weeks, if it lasts that long, and may require a slight warming in the microwave prior to using.

Mocha Fudge Sauce

My mother's favorite dessert was always pie, mine, not so much. This never posed a problem for me when I was a kid, but as I got older and started having her and dad for dinner on special occasions, she would always ask that I make her pie. Lacking culinary skills in that department (long since remedied, I am happy to say) I would look for easy pie recipes of the pudding or ice cream variety. I well remember making an ice cream pie of some sort for her birthday one year. It was fairly easy to assemble with its graham cracker crust base topped with a layer of coffee ice cream, a layer of caramel, another of coffee ice cream, and then topped with a decadent mocha fudge sauce. The pie was forgettable, but that sauce stuck with me. Forget buying fudge sauce at the market and make this one. It is so good that people have been known to eat it right from the jar. Okay, it was me! But, I couldn't help myself, it is really that good.

Mocha Fudge Sauce

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir the 2 tablespoons boiling water and coffee powder together in a small bowl until the powder is completely dissolved; set aside. Whisk the sugar and cocoa together in a heavy medium saucepan until thoroughly blended. Whisk in the cream, corn syrup, and coffee mixture. Add chocolate and butter. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Store in a covered container in the fridge until ready to use.

This post is linked to:

Friday Finds

Show and Tell Friday 

Friday Unfolded
Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat

The Weekend Blog Hop