Recipe: Refreshing Strawberry Smoothie on a hot day

MANILA, Philippines — ‘Tis the season of fresh strawberries. Baguio, the City of Pines and the Summer Capital of the Philippines, is about to conclude this year’s Panagbenga Festival.

The Flower Festival never fails to draw thousands of both foreign and domestic tourists up the chilly getaway, and one of the traditional pasalubongs that visitors bring back home with them from Baguio is fresh strawberries grown in La Trinidad, Benguet.

What can you do with fresh strawberries besides enjoying them as is? Well, you can make a lot of delicious stuff with them, such as chocolate-coated strawberries, strawberry yogurt, strawberry cheesecake, fresh garden salad with strawberry vinaigrette, and, well, the simplest, strawberry smoothie. It is fresh Baguio strawberries at their best!

Strawberry Smoothie

INGREDIENTS:

8 pcs. large fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and pat-dried

8-12 oz. water

Sugar syrup to taste*

Ice cubes

*For the sugar syrup:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

PROCEDURE:

1. Prepare sugar syrup by placing sugar in saucepan with the water. Cook over medium heat until the mixture turns syrup-like in consistency. Do not stir, but brush down the crystals when they form on the saucepan just above the water level. Strain as you pour out the sugar syrup into a container with a spout for pouring. Set aside to cool down.

2. Put strawberries in a blender. Pour in water and ice cubes. Blend together. Taste, then add sugar syrup to taste. Blend again.

3. Pour strawberry smoothie into glasses. Garnish with fresh strawberries and/or mint leaves.

4. Serve.

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