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strawberry ice cream

Strawberry Ice Cream Topping

Only 3 easy ingredients, strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. No pectin, no cornstarch, no artificial preservatives, no color. Stove-top instructions are available.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert

Equipment

  • instant pot
  • masher

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Cups Quartered strawberries
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Instructions
 

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS

  • Thoroughly wash the strawberries. Add the strawberries and sugar to the Instant Pot and stir. Allow them to marinate for an hour at least until the strawberries are juicy. Add in fresh lemon juice and mix well.
  • Cover and lock the lip and pressure cook or use the manual button and adjust the timer to 1 minute. When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to naturally release until the float valve drops. This takes approximately 15 minutes.
  • Then unlock the lid. Using a potato masher or blender, blend the sauce until the desired consistency.
  • Press the Saute button on the pot and boil for 5 minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired gel state.
  • Skim off and discard any foam. Ladle into hot, sterilized glass containers or jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Seal the containers or jars following the instructions that came with your canning jars.
  • Allow to the sauce to cool and then serve. Store remaining mixture in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid for up to a couple weeks in the refrigerator.

STOVE TOP INSTRUCTIONS

  • Keep a saucer in the freezer before starting the sauce.
  • Marinate the quartered strawberries and sugar for an hour in a bowl.
  • Tip the mixture in a preserving pan or saucepan adding lemon juice to it.
  • Cook on low heat until the sugar completely dissolves.
  • Turn up the heat to start bubbling the jam and bring it to boil. The sugar must be completely dissolved before increasing the heat, otherwise, it will be difficult for the sauce to set.
  • Boil for about 5-10 minutes and turn of the heat.
  • Now spoon a little sauce on one of the cold saucers. Leave for 30 seconds, then push with your finger. If the sauce wrinkles and doesn't flood to fill the gap, then it is ready.
  • If not, turn back the heat on for a couple more minutes, and repeat the wrinkle test until ready.

Notes

Washing berries 
Of all the methods I have tried, a 10 minute vinegar-water bath followed by pat drying the berries has given me the best results. 1 part apple cider vinegar & 8 parts water. The pH of the vinegar does the job of killing the bacteria and removing any residue. Bonus, it also helps your berries last longer without going bad for upto a week in the refrigerator.