Limoncello Strawberries with Fresh Basil

I love fresh strawberries and eat them year-round. So when I went to the market and purchased a fairly large container of them, I couldn't wait to dig in. Days went by and I had tucked them so far in back of my refrigerator that I completely forgot about them.  And if your home is like mine, if I personally do not clean and cut them up when I get them, no one else will take it upon themselves to do it and I wind up throwing it away. So before they went bad, I decided the only way they were all going to be eaten (and quickly) is if I made a dessert out of them; preferably one that wasn't too complicated.

I washed them, threw in some basil, lemon zest, Limoncello (that fabulous lemon liquor that  we purchased from the farm in Sorrento, Italy where we visited last month), and Blue Agave syrup. Blue Agave syrup is sweeter than sugar and has a thinner consistency than honey. I had never used it before and wanted to try it out to see if there was a difference. It was sweet but what I also learned that while it has pretty much the same nutritional value as sugar, it doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar like regular sugar does. The combination of all of the flavors was refreshing and needless to say, the entire container of strawberries disappeared!

Limoncello Strawberries with Fresh Basil
2 pts. Fresh Strawberries, stems removed and rinsed
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. Blue Agave Syrup
2 Tbsp. Limoncello


Remove stems and slice strawberries. Add the lemon zest, basil, agave syrup and Limoncello. Gently stir together until all of the strawberries are well coated. Chill. Serves 4.


Enjoy!