for the strawberry syrup

• Place strawberries and all their juices into a medium-sized glass (or stainless steel) bowl. Stir in the sugar. Place plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and seal well.
• Fill a small sauce pan 1/2 inch full of water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Place the bowl on top of the sauce pan to create a double boiler (make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl). Stew the strawberries for 1 hour. Stir once.
• Carefully remove the bowl from the pan. Place the bowl into an ice bath and stir the vanilla extract into the strawberries. Let the strawberries cool for 10 minutes.
• Strain the syrup into a container. Continue to let the syrup come to room temperature and then place in the fridge. The syrup lasts for up to two weeks.