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Stewed Strawberries with Vanilla Bean and Fresh Mint

5 from 1 vote

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Strawberries

Making Stewed Strawberries

I like to finish our evening meal with something sweet, not much, just a little.  Never one for elaborate or heavily sweetened desserts, I tend to favor fruit to finish our meals.  We enjoy fruit mostly fresh, but often cooked.  Roasting, stewing, sauteing fruits enhances and deepens their flavors, making everyday foods seem somehow more special.  As these strawberries stew, and release their juices, their sweet and floral perfume fills the kitchen and emanates into the living room, welcoming my husband and my little boy to the table.

Sweetening the Stewed Strawberries

I favor pairing strawberries with jaggery, a traditional Indian sweetener, made of whole, unrefined cane sugar.  Jaggery's flavor is sweet, to be sure, but also complex and slightly acidic.  Unlike white sugar with its single dimension of sweetness, jaggery offers notes of berry and fruit which further enhance the flavor of strawberries.

Serving the Stewed Strawberries

I serve stewed strawberries, and other stewed fruits, over sourdough pancakes, spooned over toasted bread as though it were a sort of jam, or ladled into small bowls, and topped with cream.  You can also store the stewed strawberries in a glass jar in your refrigerator for about 5 days.

Strawberries with Mint
Rate this Recipe
5 from 1 vote
4 servings (1 pint)

Stewed Strawberries

Once my family has enjoyed our fill of spring and summer's fresh strawberries, I rely on stewed strawberries. I spoon them over sourdough pancakes or rhubarb skillet cake. You can also serve them ladled into bowls and topped with easy homemade yogurt or fresh, raw cream. If you have strawberries that are still sweet, but a little soft or overripe, they make an excellent choice for this recipe.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 pints strawberries
  • ¼ cup jaggery
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  • Take a sharp paring knife, and hull the strawberries by slicing away their green leaves. Then chop the strawberries into ½-inch pieces.
  • Toss the strawberries into a medium-sized saucepan, and crumble the jaggery over them. Take the vanilla bean and a sharp paring knife, and cut a slit down its length to expose its seeds. Place the vanilla bean into the saucepan with the strawberries and jaggery. Turn the stove to medium-low. Allow the strawberries to stew in the sugar until they release their juices, and those juices turn syrupy - about 15 minutes.
  • Turn off the stove. Pluck out the vanilla bean, and scrape its seeds into the strawberries. Stir in the chopped mint, allowing a minute or 2 for the mint to wilt in the residual heat of the strawberries. Serve warm.

Notes

Substitutions for Jaggery. Yes. You can make this recipe substituting coconut sugar or honey for jaggery.

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  1. Justsippintea says

    Can you can this recipe ? Or will the fresh mint get funny?

    Reply

  2. Joc says

    This would be delicious stirred into homemade yogurt which is a staple at my house! Definitely going to make some. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  3. Vanessa - Natural Family Today says

    These look amazing. Definitely puts me in the mood for strawberry shortcake (with homemade shortcake of course!)

    Reply

  4. Nadia says

    These were a huge hit in my house last week. I served them over vanilla ice cream and the kids have been begging me to make more ever since!

    Reply

  5. Laura says

    mmmm I would love this over a nice warm biscuit with whipped cream 🙂

    Reply

  6. Emily says

    I love stewed strawberries! In fact I've made 2 batches this week, but didn't think to add mint or vanilla to them. Looks like I'll have to make another batch!
    I just wanted to add, you don't really need to add any sweetener to these if you don't want. What I tend to do is leave the strawberries for a few days to ripen, and just when they're starting to look a bit softer, I stew them. Just simply, by themselves. However this technique does rely on not eating the strawberries while they are ripening!

    Reply

  7. Maureen Uebelhoer says

    The mint is it peppermint or spearmint? I thought mint was mint until I went to purchase some for a jam I was making and the package said mint (spearmint). I didn't purchase because I wasn't sure what type I should get.

    Reply

    • Jenny says

      It doesn't matter. Any mint will work fine in this recipe. I've used peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint and apple mint with good effect.

  8. Sara says

    I had never heard of jaggery before this - very interesting! This recipe has my mouth watering...love the blog!

    Reply

  9. Donalyn@The Creekside Cook says

    This looks so delicious - I love the addition of mint!

    Reply

  10. Roberta says

    Can frozen strawberries be used so this can be enjoyed all year?

    Reply

  11. beth says

    That sounds delicious!

    Reply

  12. :D says

    How long can this be stored in the fridge?

    Reply

    • :D says

      Oops sorry, I just found the answer!