It's strawberry season! Another favourite time of year! But how can we make these wonders of nature last longer? Today I have made a consommé to save that glorious taste and radiant colour for as long as I need it. Without any blitzing or blending I have a completely clear, almost tea like, transparency. This one I will turn into a tea for a dessert, but the options are endless with what else you can do with a consommé!
Method:
Wash and take tops off strawberries
Vac pac (or use zip-lock bag*)
Sous vide at 85 degrees for 4 hours (or place in a pan of simmering water**)
Place muslin (a jay cloth is fine) into a sieve, and pass the mixture through it. Tie it up, keep it in the sieve, and balance the sieve over a container so the liquid that is released is caught in the container. Make sure the container is deep enough so the sieve doesn’t touch the bottom of the container and the liquid can be released freely.
Once all the liquid has been released, add a little sugar and lemon for sweetness and sharpness to taste. At this point you can also add basil and cracked black pepper depending on what you are going to use it for (jellies, teas, cocktails, vinaigrettes… the world is your oyster!
*When using a zip lock bag instead of a vac pac machine: once you have added the strawberries to the bag, make sure you remove all the air in the bag by putting the bag in water (keeping the opening above water level so no water enters), and push all the strawberries carefully below the water level without squashing them until all the air is out, then carefully zip lock the bag.
**When using a pan of water instead of a sous-vide machine, clip the top of the bag with a clothes peg to the side of the pan to keep it in place. Leave in simmering water for 4 hours or until the strawberries turn grey and the liquid has been released into the bag.
