Strawberry Cava Conserve with Toasted Almonds



Don't throw away those half-empty bottles of cava or champagne! Syrups and conserves recycle fruit leftovers into tasty, elegant pairings for cheese or a flavorful topping for yogurt and toast!

Earlier in the afternoon I made fresh strawberries into a syrup by cooking them with vanilla and sugar. The syrup was double-strained, saving the cooked strawberries for later use. The conserve recipe makes use of the cooked fruit that I previously cooked down to make my luscious syrup! I added 2 cups of Cava Brut to my cooked strawberries, one cup of sugar and a small 1/8 tsp. of salt. After cooking for ten minutes I grated a small tsp. of orange peel, 1/8 tsp. of candied ginger and one small tine off of a clove and a dash of vanilla. My ingredients cooked down on a very low flame until reduced by a third. Finally, I added toasted almond slivers and stirred my ingredients until well-blended. I spooned my cooked mixture into a sterilized jar and added two tbsp. of my freshly made syrup.

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