The best strawberry sauce is made from the ripest strawberries. Look for ones that are red from top to bottom and all the way through to the core. If you take a sniff, they should smell like, well, ripe, sweet, strawberries. I don’t always strain out all the seeds since I sometimes like their texture and appearance in the sauce.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 cup (250 ml)

　　2 1/2 cups (1 pound/450 g) strawberries

　　2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar, or more to taste

　　1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or kirsch

　　

Step 1

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pureé the berries along with the sugar and lemon juice or kirsch. If you wish to remove the seeds, using a rubber spatula, press the purée through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium bowl.

　　

Step 2

Taste for sweetness and add more sugar, if desired.

　　

Storage

Step 3

This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

　　

tip

Step 4

If the strawberries are less than perfect, add 1 to 2 teaspoons crème de cassis, which works wonders to heighten their flavor.

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.