Summer Berry Syrup

I hosted a little morning tea last week and amongst all of the wonderful little treats I created I thought, what better way to finish it all off with, but a wonderful refreshing summer berry smoothie. Personally I'm not a big fan of seeds or pulp in my drinks. I think if your going to make a smoothie or fruit drink, it should be smooth and creamy. Sometimes the quality of a drink and/or food has nothing to do with flavour, but more to do with the texture.  So I thought the best way around these two obstacles, was to make my favourite berry coulis.

This is a wonderful recipe for a syrup that you can mix with milk & ice cream to make a smoothie, pour all over buttermilk pancakes, garnish the top of a berry cheesecake or even match it with a chocolate souffle to cut the richness. This recipe is simple, tasty, fresh, convenient and just plain old AMAZING!

To put it simply, use equal quantities of either fresh or frozen berries and sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat stiring constantly until sugar disolves completely. Use a handheld blender to puree, then push through a sieve and let cool. I then pour the syrup into ice cube trays and freeze for future use. For the berries I used Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries and Blueberries. 

You can alternatively not blend or strain the syrup and serve it as a Berry Compote. This is really lovely with a pavlova, ice cream or whatever your heart desires.

My smoothie recipe follows:-
100ml Berry Syrup
3 large scoops Vanilla ice cream
300ml Low fat milk
a splash of Cranberry juice

Place in blender and combine. Serve with bendy straw & enjoy!!  ;)