Frozen Pureed Strawberries

Freezing expert and author Justine Pattison shows us how to freeze pureed strawberries: “This method is ideal for sauces and smoothies or for making into mousses, soufflés, fools, fruity yogurt or fromage frais.”

How to freeze

1. Put your freezer setting onto Fast Freeze at least two hours before adding the strawberries or clear some space in the rapid freezing section/coldest part of your freezer. Freezing the strawberries quickly will help them retain as much of the flavour as possible.
2. Wash your strawberries lightly by placing in a colander and rinsing under the cold tap for a few seconds.
3. Hull the strawberries by pinching out the green stalk end. (It’s important to do this after washing so the strawberries don’t fill with water.)
4. For every 250g strawberries that you are freezing, put 50g caster sugar and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice in a food processor or blender. (The strawberries can also be pureed without the sugar or lemon but a little sugar and added lemon juice helps maintain the colour and flavour of the fruit for longer.)
5. Add the strawberries to the food processor or blender and blitz into a puree. Press through a fine plastic sieve if the seeds bother you.
6. Divide the puree between small freezer-proof containers or freezer bags, leaving roughly 2.5cm headspace to allow for expansion.
7. Label, cover or seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Fast freeze can be turned down once the strawberries are solid, this should take 2-3 hours.

How to defrost:

Defrost the strawberry puree in its container in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours. Stir well and add to recipe