Ingredients:
1 quart strawberries – ripe.
lemon juice - 1 Tablespoon ( 1 ½ Tablespoons if you are not
using Limoncello)
zest from ½ lemon
Optional – 2 teaspoons high quality aged Balsamic Vinegar
Optional – 3 ripe peaches (optional, it's a good change for the soup)
1 Tablespoon Limoncello (optional
1 small carton of lemon sherbet or homemade Granita di Limone (optional)
¼ - 1/3 cup simple syrup (see recipe below)
Ingredients for Simple Syrup
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup boiling water
Preparation for Simple Syrup:
Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and whisk gently on very
low flame. When the sugar dilutes
totally, it should start to get a little thicker. Shut off heat and let it cool to room
temperature before using. Let it cool to at least room temperature.
Preparation for Strawberries
Wash strawberries
Trim the ends, remove the green
Cut the berries – depending on the size. If they are small, cut them in half,
otherwise slice them into pieces about ¼” wide.
Put them into a glass or ceramic bowl
Pour in ¼ cup simple syrup and toss
Add lemon and lemon zest
Toss again
Add Balsamic vinegar and Limoncello (optional)
If it’s too tart, add a little more simple syrup. Don’t overdo it! Remember, ripe strawberries are already sweet.
If you're adding peaches, do it now.
Toss and cover with plastic wrap or lid
Put into refrigerator and let it macerate, blending the flavors
The next day the strawberries will become more like soup, and all the flavors will be blended. You can do this a day or 2 ahead of time.
Option 1 - If you are serving the strawberry soup in separate bowls, use a small ice cream scoop and scoop sherbet into the center of each bowl. Pour a teaspoon of Limoncello over each scoop and serve.
Option 2 - If you are serving the strawberry soup in one bowl, use a small ice cream scoop and scoop a ball of sherbet for each person into the bowl. Pour a teaspoon of Limoncello over each scoop and serve.
Option 3 – Do the same as Option 1 or 2 without the Limoncello.
