Does any other fruit say valentine’s like the strawberry? It’s pretty much an understood thing, that if there is a valentine’s menu, dessert of some kind will have a strawberry component. And why not? It’s red, and often even heart shaped once the stem is removed.

For this reason, I offer up my sugared strawberry recipe.

Sugaring fruit, and letting it sit, helps it to release it's natural juices. (It's similar to salting eggplant or cucumber to release excess water).

What’s great about this recipe is not just its simplicity, but its versatility. I use this recipe for strawberries, to simply enjoy them as is and to pour over everything and anything. Shortcake, brownies, vanilla ice cream, brownies and vanilla ice cream, vanilla pudding, and tonight? Over pancakes for dinner.

Ingredients:

1 basket of fresh strawberries

1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Stem and slice your strawberries. Sprinkle sugar over them, and add almond extract. Gently mix to coat all strawberries. Set in the refrigerator to chill and juice, at least 1 hour before serving. The longer it sits, the more broken down the strawberries become and the more juice they generate.