Strawberry Apricot spread

I wanted to make pop tarts the other day but I don't like any of the suggested fillings; they all seemed overly sweet to me... so I came up with something else! Like most of my other postings, no fixed amounts and adjust flavor to your preference.

Wash and cut up about 2-4 quarts of fresh strawberries. Roughly mash with potato masher to release the juices. Slice up 6-10 oz dried apricots and stir into mashed strawberries; rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature or several hours to overnight in the refrigerator to allow apricots to absorb strawberry juice (the mixture will start fermenting if allowed to sit too long). Cook mixture with addition of 1/4-1/3 cup sugar (add more if you prefer sweeter) over medium heat while gently stirring until bubbling. [If you like, add finely shaved zest of half an orange or lemon or lime or a spoonful of lemon/lime juice or up to two tablespoons fruit liquor - Grand Marnier comes to mind. I didn't bother because I was very happy with the minimalist approach.] Simmer for 2-5 minutes. Either freeze (up to 2 months) or consume within 5 days; low sugar and low acid makes this spread highly perishable.

This made a yummy filling for pop tarts or piled on top of toast or biscuits.

I made it with orange zest... big hit!

Some other serving suggestions:
layer with vanilla or tapioca pudding for dessert
filling for any pre-baked pie crust; serve with whipped cream
swirl into scone dough to make strawberry-apricot scones
cheesecake topping!
pancakes or waffles or crepes

Pink lemon-lime fruit sauce

A friend picked up a flu bug a few months ago and I came up with this cure-all pick me up that had so many uses, it became a handy sauce to stock in the freezer. Like the fruit sauces I wrote about earlier, there's no fixed ingredient list or amounts. The sauce is mixed to taste but its versatility has proven incredible.

Choose any red juice - frozen/fresh raspberries, strawberries and pomegranate would all work - and add fresh squeezed juice of any combination and number of lemons and limes (or all lemons or limes). In a saucepan add sweetener (any kind of sugar, including brown, rock, palm and liquid sweetener such as honey or syrup) to juice and warm over medium heat, taking care to stir contents to avoid scorching. Adjust sweetener to your preferred sweetness (I dribble about half a teaspoon of sauce into a little water to make lemonade to taste). Bring sauce to a simmer to finish. Sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for 7-10 days or frozen for up to 3 months.


Uses:

-First and foremost, this is concentrated pink lemon/limade. Add water to make lemonade or for popsicles.

-Use as lemonade concentrate in sangria.

-Mix with seltzer/tonic/mineral/carbonated water for homemade fizzy drink.

-Make lemonade/limade tea by mixing with hot water (original intent for my sick friend; high in vitamin C; warm and soothing if sweetened with honey; a good way to hydrate in cold weather).

-Add to taste to flavor ice or hot tea.

-Strawberry lemonade: In blender, puree fresh strawberries with lemonade concentrate; add seltzer/tonic/mineral/carbonated water/sparkling wine to taste.

-Use as a dessert sauce:
*any un-frosted cakes/baked good… some good ones include Deborah Madison's Poppy Seed Cake and endless variations of yogurt cake (just go here and here and search for yogurt cake for ideas and recipes), cheesecake, sponge cake, brownies...
*tapioca pudding
*fruit sauce shortcake with homemade biscuits and whipped cream
*see here for more ideas


Variations: I had homemade crabapple jelly that I wasn't using so I cooked it into a batch of raspberry/lemon/lime sauce, adjusting the sweetness to my preference. It was delicious! I prefer honey or rock sugar but feel free to use any sweetener you like (maple syrup will add an additional layer of complexity). I'm looking forward to blackberry season to try purple lemonade!