Cooking With Shelley: Strawberries ‘n Syrup

I learned about this from Ali Turner, who claims it is “the world’s quickest dessert,” and she says it never fails to please. It is perfect for a brunch, or just about any meal. You can also keep the syrup mixture to use on pancakes, or as a dipping sauce for other fresh fruits. The entire preparation time for this healthy sweet treat is 5 minutes, so enjoy often for as long as strawberries are in season.

What you’ll need:
1 dry pint of fresh strawberries, or double the amount as needed. Figure on 2-3 strawberries per person
1 8 oz bottle of Grade B REAL maple syrup. You can find it at Publix or Sprouts. Be sure to use Grade B, as it has more minerals, is less processed, and has a bolder taste. Use 4 oz (1/2 cup) per each pint of strawberries. You really can’t make too much, just make sure the taste is balanced—not too much cinnamon or vanilla.
1 pinch of cinnamon, or to taste
1 capful of REAL vanilla per ½ cup of maple syrup
Wash your strawberries just before using, and let dry on a paper towel. I have found that if you wash them long before you use them, they tend to go bad much earlier. While they are drying, mix up your syrup, cinnamon and vanilla mixture.
Place a small bowl for the syrup in the middle of a large plate, and arrange the whole strawberries around the bowl with the stems pointing out. You can go with two rows of berries, and you can also stack them two high. Make sure you keep the stems on the berries to hang on to while dipping, and if you are afraid of making a mess, you can put the berries on your plate and spoon some of the syrup mixture onto them. Any way you do it, you will be pleasantly surprised by this unusual combination of flavors. Let me know what you think!