Raspberry Syrup

I purchased bulk, frozen raspberries from a food coop quite some time ago. Many of you might have given them over to compost it was so long ago. But, even with freezer age, I cannot throw out the berries! Their taste might be slightly compromised (okay, when I first brought them home, they were amazingly sweet and delicious, so I am expecting a less than ideal syrup flavor), but I think I can salvage them for our use here at home. Sugar makes pretty much anything taste good, and Raspberry Syrup will be a treat on pancakes, waffles or French toast on an upcoming Lenten Sunday.

Raspberry Syrup

Yield: Approximately 6 cups

Ingredients
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.
2. Stir in water.
3. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil.
4. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in the raspberries, cooking gently over low heat until the syrup reaches your desired thickness.

WOW, am I impressed! I cannot detect a hint of freezer age in the syrup. And, the color is beautiful.

I did not strain the raspberries for this recipe. Some people may find the syrup more pleasing if about 1/2 of the seeds are strained out and if the berries are crushed. I just did not want to take the extra time when I couldn't be sure of results with using old berries. In hindsight, I could have taken this extra step.

I've saved glass syrup jars that have been purchased or given as gifts over the years. I prefer glass over plastic, and therefore give up the safety feature of a squeeze bottle! Since I don't have a funnel large enough to allow the berries to pass through, I made a foil funnel to transfer the syrup into jars.