Had to share this lovely Fruit Salad Syrup with Fresh Herbs! I blended two varieties myself, one with basil and honey and one with mint, but this simple recipe will work with any herb you want to try. Some herbs are classically paired with certain fruits, but feel free to experiment.
I served the Fruit Salad Syrup with Fresh Herbs with my Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad and Fruit Salad at last month’s gathering of friends. Fruit and herbs, although not an unusual partnership in world cuisine, was a slightly novel concept to my Midwestern friends. Those bold enough to try enjoyed the new taste experience! I preferred the Basil and Honey variation, but others preferred the Mint. But they were both refreshing and lovely!
What is Fruit Syrup?
If you’ve never had a fruit syrup (I hadn’t), this recipe is not a syrup made from fruit. Rather, it is a sweetener for fruit that may need an extra oomph. Maybe you’ve added a little sugar before. Or sugar substitute. It’s kinda like that. Obviously, this Fruit Salad Syrup is also infused with herbs.
The fruit salad, or rather, fruit platter, that I served, had quite a variety of fruits. If adding herbs to your fruitiness is a new concept you’d like to try, consider some of these popular flavor combinations.
Herb and Fruit Combinations
- Melons – Melons of all varieties pair nicely with mint and ginger
- Stone fruits – Stone fruits like peaches and nectarines love a little basil or thyme
- Citrus – Citrus, especially lemon, goes nicely with many herbs including mint, basil, rosemary, parsley, tarragon, and oregano.
- Berries – Berries love both mint and basil, but especially strawberries combine well with other herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano.
- Pome fruits – Pome fruits, like apples and pears, play nicely with herbs and spices as you probably already know. Like ginger and apple. But you can make other fun combinations like pear and sage. Think about trying ginger, sage, thyme, and rosemary.
The Recipe
I hadn’t started out to create my own recipe. At first I was following this one by Garnish with Lemon. I used sugar like this for the mint syrup, but substituted honey for the sugar and basil for the mint in my second syrup. And since I had grated lemon peel leftover from my Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad, I threw that in instead of lime.
To make the syrup, simply bring water and sugar or sweetener to a boil and let it steep with the herbs for 20 minutes. I used my tea strainer and just steeped the mixture in a mug.
It seems like a small recipe, and you could certainly increase the recipe which is just 1:1:1, keeping the steep time at 20 minutes. I don’t like to drown my fruit and found that a little of the Fruit Salad Syrup with Fresh Herbs went a long way.
Fruit Salad Syrup with Fresh Herbs
This fruit dressing is a refreshing way to sweeten your fruit! Use mint, basil or any of your other favorite herbs.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar or honey
- ¼ cup packed, chopped fresh herb like mint or basil
- ½ tsp. lemon zest
Instructions
- Combine sugar or honey with water in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar.
- Remove from heat and add chopped herb and lemon zest. Steep for 20 minutes.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve and refrigerate until serving. Will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 0g
Do you like herbs and fruit together? Are you planning to give this recipe a try? I’d love to hear your comments below.
