Strawberry Coulis (Sauce) - Recipe

STRAWBERRY COULIS  /  STRAWBERRY SAUCE - RECIPE

Adapted From: http://johndlee.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Strawberry-Sauce-Strawberry-Coulis-Recipe
And 'Professional Baking - Sixth Edition' by Wayne Gisslen





COULIS (KOO-LEE): are sweetened fruit puree (food/fruit made into smooth pulp) which is typically used as a sauce for both desserts and cuisine. It is typically made up of the three components of fruit (fresh/frozen), sugar and water. At times lemon juice and some form of alcohol/liqueur may be added.

   The reason for adding lemon juice is to:
1) Seasoning: Helps balance the sweetness from the sugar added to the fruit puree.
2) Prevent oxidization of the fruit (for example, when apples go brown after making contact with oxygen for a period of time after being cut.) By doing this, your final sauce will stay a vivid colour.

Why Cook it when you can just blend it?
The reason for boiling and cooking:
1) Cooking the fruit with the sugar water can bring out more flavor.
2) Pasteurizing (To heat-treat food substances and remove bacteria that may cause disease or spoilage, such as milk or eggs.) through cooking allows you to keep the sauce for longer period of time.

Can I use other fruits:
YES. This recipe is most suitable for soft fruits such as berries. However, if you wish to use firm fruits such as apples, you can simply peel and chop the apple, reduce the heat a little and cook for a longer amount of time until it softens and starts to break apart.

INGREDIENTS


= Large Portion =

800g Strawberries, diced (Or any fruit of your choice - Fresh/Frozen)
170g Castor Sugar (Finely processed White granulated sugar) Also know as Superfine sugar in US.
60 ml Water
50 ml Lemon Juice (Recommended)
80 ml Fruit Brandy or Liqueur (Optional)



= Small Punnet Portion =

200g Strawberries, diced (Or any fruit of your choice - Fresh/Frozen)
43g castor Sugar (Finely processed White granulated sugar) Also know as Superfine sugar in US.
15 ml Water
13 ml Lemon Juice (Recommended)
20 ml Fruit Brandy Liqueur (Optional)



METHOD:

= Measure amount of strawberry needed, rinse quickly under gentle running water in a bowl and drain. Gently wipe excess water off strawberries with paper towel.

   *Strawberries absorb water easily, so do not soak or rinse for too long or flavor dulls.

= Remove stem from each strawberry, and dice strawberries into 1/4's. (4 pieces per strawberry)

= In a saucepan add the diced strawberries, sugar and water.

= Cook over high heat and bring to a rolling boil (large bubbles frothing up and rolling inwards from sides of the pot.) Once boiled and sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat. You can check by spooning up the bottom of the mixture to see if any sugar granules are there.

  *Note: If you are using firm fruits such as apple, check with a skewer or fork that the fruit has softened enough. If not, continue to cook over reduced heat for longer.

= If you are doing a large portion, place 1/2 of the mixture into the blender and blend before adding the remainder or it may cause a bit of a mess. For small portion, simply add in all the mixture into the blender at once and blend until very smooth.

*If your blender has a vent at the centre of the lid, remove it before blending and place a thick cloth over it and press down with your hands. This will prevent the heat from pushing the lid upwards as you blend. The thick cloth will prevent spillage and burning your hands.

= If you would like to remove the excess lumps or seeds, simply run it through a fine strainer into a clean bowl. The seeds may get stuck in your tooth and some people find it less enjoyable. Use a spoon to stir and help the coulis run through the sieve, and continue to stir until you have just a wet paste of seeds left and can no longer get anymore sauce through.

= Finally, add the lemon juice (and the liqueur or alcohol if using) and stir to combine. The sauce is DONE!

*NOTE: Your coulis will appear lighter in colour at first as you have incorporated air into the sauce as you blended it. As it cools, giving it time, the colour will darken slightly.

= TASTE your final product and decide if you want to add more sweetness/sugar. You can place it back in a clean saucepan and add in sugar bit at a time and melt over small~medium heat or the sauce may get too thick. Once all the sugar has melted taste and repeat until you have the taste just right :)



HOW TO SERVE:

*This sauce may be used as both a hot sauce or cold. To serve hot use immediately after it is made. To serve cold let it cool down and then chill for 30 minutes or so in the fridge for it to thicken.

*You can put the coulis into squeeze bottles with thin nozzle and use for garnishing and decoration.

*OR you can simply place some coulis in a small sauce bowl and set beside the plated dessert so the guest can use at his/her own ease.





STORAGE:

= This coulis can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for around a week. It is best to be used in the next few days if stored in a fridge.

= If to be frozen, you can pour the sauce into ice cube moulds and freeze them, or separate into portions then freeze. Then remove from mould and wrap each one in glad wrap and place in an airtight container and freeze. In this way you can pull out the coulis cubes as you need without having to cook the entire portion. Frozen, this coulis can be kept for months.



Any questions feel free to email me at bingatingaling@gmail.com