Strawberry Cardamom Milk
Ingredients
Instructions
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1Drain and rinse the almonds. Place them in a blender along with the water and blend on high speed until completely broken down.
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2Working in batches, strain the milk into a bowl through a nut milk bag. Discard the strained pulp or save for future use in granola, baking, etc. Transfer the milk to a clean bottle or jar and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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3Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and pour the sugar over them. Toss and let macerate until the strawberries yield their syrupy juice, for at least 1 hour or overnight (the longer the better).
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4Puree the strawberries together with their syrup in an upright blender until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer for the silkiest strawberry milk, this step is optional.
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5Combine the almond milk, strawberry puree and freshly ground cardamom in an upright blender and blend until well combined and frothy. Pour the milk into a bottle or jar and chill very well the refrigerator. Enjoy cold.
I didn’t grow up drinking strawberry milk and thus have no nostalgic connection to it, nor did I have any particular interest in making it, until I ended up with way too many strawberries this past spring. I might sound like a broken record to some of you, but for a bit of context, it’s worth mentioning (once again) that this year’s strawberry season yielded the craziest, dreamiest berries I’ve ever eaten in Florida or anywhere else in the world. I couldn’t stay away from the strawberry farm until my freezer could no longer fit the copious amounts of strawberries I was freezing. We consumed bowls and bowls of fresh strawberries with breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I also cooked with them a bunch (see some of the results here and here). I kind of ran out of recipe ideas towards the end there, so I decided to give this whole strawberry milk deal a try. Boy was I wrong to wait this long, this stuff is heaven. Refreshing, delicious and totally worth the little bit of effort.
The method here is a bit more intentional than just blending some strawberries with milk, and yields a truly special little drink. I think spices are extremely important in cooking but especially in plant-based cooking, where building flavor is a bit more of a challenge. A dash of spice can really elevate a dish to the next level, and that’s where the cardamom comes in. The magical, slightly spicy and citrusy flavor of cardamom goes so well with the syrupy macerated strawberries and makes this milk that much more interesting. If you don’t have any cardamom though, this drink will still be delicious without it. There is a step-by-step video above, which shows you how to make almond milk as well as how to flavor it with strawberries. Consider giving this recipe a whirl some day soon when you get your hands on some jammy berries. Enjoy your Sunday :)
for the almond milk
- 1 cup raw almonds - soaked in purified water overnight
- 3 cups purified water
for the strawberry cardamom milk
- about 3 cups sliced strawberries
- ⅓ cup raw sugar
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 5 cardamom pods - green shells removed, seeds ground in a mortar and pestle
to make the almond milk
- Drain and rinse the almonds. Place them in a blender along with the water and blend on high speed until completely broken down.
- Working in batches, strain the milk into a bowl through a nut milk bag. Discard the strained pulp or save for future use in granola, baking, etc. Transfer the milk to a clean bottle or jar and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
to make the strawberry milk
- Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and pour the sugar over them. Toss and let macerate until the strawberries yield their syrupy juice, for at least 1 hour or overnight (the longer the better).
- Puree the strawberries together with their syrup in an upright blender until smooth. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer for the silkiest strawberry milk, this step is optional.
- Combine the almond milk, strawberry puree and freshly ground cardamom in an upright blender and blend until well combined and frothy. Pour the milk into a bottle or jar and chill very well the refrigerator. Enjoy cold.
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