Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Base
- 500 g strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 100 g white sugar
- 15 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Flavoring
- 30 ml kirsch liqueur
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 63 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbohydrates
- 14 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 1 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Potassium
- 78 mg
- Calcium
- 8 mg
- Iron
- 0.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 7 mg
- Phosphorus
- 12 mg
- Zinc
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 30 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.01 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.01 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 12 mcg
- Water
- 47 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the prepared strawberries, white sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Toss well to coat the berries and let sit off the heat to draw out the natural juices.
Place the medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer at approximately 95°C / 203°F. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the strawberries break down and the liquid becomes syrupy.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the kirsch liqueur immediately to blend the flavors while preserving the aromatic botanical compounds.
For a smooth coulis, puree the mixture using a blender. For a rustic sauce, simply mash the fruit with your wooden spoon or a potato masher. Allow the sauce to cool before transferring to a storage container.
Chef's Notes
- Adding the Kirsch off the heat preserves its delicate botanical aromas and characteristic alcohol punch. If serving to a mixed crowd, simmer the liqueur for the last 3 minutes of cooking to evaporate the alcohol while leaving the cherry flavor behind.
- For a remarkably refined, restaurant-quality texture, pass the fully blended sauce through a fine mesh chinois or sieve to remove all the strawberry seeds before chilling.
- Frozen strawberries work beautifully for this recipe and often break down faster due to freezing damage to their cell walls, but they may require an additional 2 to 3 minutes of reduction time because of their higher water content.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Keep in an airtight container or glass jar.
Freezer: 3 months — Leave headspace for expansion if freezing in jars.
Reheating: Can be served cold, at room temperature, or gently warmed over low heat.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is too thin and watery.
Cause: Berries had a very high water content or the sauce was not reduced for long enough.
Fix: Return the saucepan to the heat and simmer for an additional 5 to 8 minutes until thickened.
Prevention: Ensure a steady simmer to evaporate excess moisture during the cooking phase.
Sauce is overly sweet and cloying.
Cause: The natural sugar in overripe berries combined with the standard sugar ratio was too high.
Fix: Stir in an additional 5ml to 10ml of lemon juice to introduce acidity and balance the sweetness.
Prevention: Taste a raw strawberry before cooking and reduce the added sugar if they are exceptionally sweet.
Cultural Context
Fruit coulis fortified with clear fruit brandies, such as Kirschwasser, are a hallmark of classical European and French pastry. The sharp, fruity, and slightly astringent alcohol notes are specifically utilized to cut through the heavy richness of dairy-centric desserts.
