Ripe strawberries in red wine is the kind of effortless summer dessert that we all need more of. With hints of lemon and fresh thyme, the red wine reduction melds beautifully with ripe strawberries and is perfect spooned over vanilla ice cream. Recipe inspired by Diana Henry's Simple.
- 1 cup red wine (try Beaujolais or Pinot Noir)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 quart strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
- vanilla ice cream
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Pour wine into a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a vigorous simmer; mixture should be bubble energetically, but not so much that it pops and spits; edge heat down slightly as needed. Stirring often, cook mixture until it's thickened slightly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 10 - 12 minutes. Remove from heat, add thyme sprigs, and set aside to steep for 10 minutes. Note that mixture will be rather thin – it will thicken slightly as it cools.
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Remove thyme sprigs and pour syrup over berries. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or up to 1 day.
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Serve drizzled over generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.